Citizenship and Residency by Investment Programmes
See below a selection of countries offering residency and citizenship investment programmes.
Finland
Finland Golden Visa
Finland does not currently offer a golden visa or citizenship by investment programme similar to those offered by some other countries. Such golden visa programmes often allow individuals to obtain citizenship or residency rights through substantial investment, typically in real estate, national development funds, or local businesses.
Residency and Citizenship in Finland
In Finland, acquiring residency or citizenship is a process that usually requires living in the country for a certain period, demonstrating integration into Finnish society, and often involves language proficiency requirements, among other criteria.
However, Finland encourages business investment and entrepreneurship through different mechanisms:
Startup Visa
Finland offers a residence permit for innovative startup entrepreneurs, making it easier for people from outside the EU to set up a startup in Finland. However, they need to have an innovative business plan, adequate financing, and be accepted into the Finnish startup ecosystem through endorsement.
Business Investment
If you’re an investor interested in doing business in Finland, you can apply for a residence permit on the basis of business, which is different from the startup visa. This permit considers factors like the viability of your business plan, your background in business, and your financial situation.
For both these options, while they can set you on a path towards longer-term residency, they do not provide immediate citizenship or necessarily guarantee eventual citizenship. The process for obtaining Finnish citizenship typically involves several years of established residency and fulfilling the other requirements.
Finland Passport Strength and Ranking
If Finland were to offer a Citizenship by Investment programme, one of the attractions for applicants would be its passport. The Finnish passport offers visa-free access to around 200 countries worldwide. It is one of the strongest passports in the world. In terms of access for business people, it offers visa-free access to 81.2% of the world’s wealth (as measured by GDP) and 92.6% of the global travel popularity. It ranks 5th overall in La Vida’s comprehensive Global Passport Ranking.
