Hembygdsrätt

The Åland Hembygdsrätt (German roughly homeland law ) is a status that documents the permanent population of the autonomous island group Åland . It can only be assigned to Finnish citizens and has a function similar to citizenship. Certain rights in Åland are reserved exclusively for the owners of the Hembygdsrätt.

background

The inhabitants of Åland have always been Swedish-speaking , and the islands also belonged to Sweden until 1809 , but were administratively assigned to Finland , which was then also part of Sweden . Under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn , Finland was ceded to Russia , making the islands part of the Grand Duchy of Finland under Russian sovereignty. After Finland gained independence in 1917, there were strong efforts by the people of Åland to become part of Sweden again. In 1921 the League of Nations finally decided the question: Åland remained in the Finnish state association, but received extensive autonomy rights, in particular to preserve the Swedish language in Åland, and was demilitarized.

The Hembygdsrätt formalizes the resulting peculiarities, which only apply to the permanent population of Åland and are intended to guarantee the self-government of Ålanders.

right

In Åland, the Hembygdsrätt has certain rights that other Finnish citizens are denied.

These include:

• The passive and active right to vote for lagting . Holders of the Hembygdsrätt are also allowed to vote in the municipal elections of their place of residence, while other residents must have lived in the municipality for at least one year.
• The right to own land in Åland. There are exceptions for close relatives who inherit land in Åland. In certain cases, land can also be acquired for the exercise of a trade.
• The right to run a business. However, this can also be allocated in other cases, e.g. a. to people who have lived in Åland for 5 years.
• Due to the demilitarized status of the islands, holders of the right of home are also exempt from compulsory military service if they lived on Åland before they were 12 years old. However, compulsory service as a pilot, lighthouse keeper or other civilian institutions can be introduced.

Acquisition

The Hembygdsrätt can only be granted to Finnish citizens.

The following groups of people are automatically entitled:

• People who have been resident in Åland for at least 5 years in 1952
• Minors for whom one of the parents has the Hembygds advice

Other beneficiaries receive the right on request. In addition to Finnish citizenship, sufficient knowledge of the Swedish language is always a requirement. Depending on other criteria, the applicant must have been resident in Åland for a certain period of time in order to apply for the Hembygdsrätt:

• Without waiting for people who return permanently to Åland and were born and raised in Åland.
• 3 years for people who meet at least one of the following criteria:
  • former possession of the Hembygdsrätt
  • one parent has or has previously had the Hembygds advice
  • previously lived in Åland for five years
• 5 years for all other people

If the applicant has a criminal record, a longer waiting period can be specified. The application is chargeable, with the recovery of the Hemby Council being carried out at a reduced fee.

loss

The loss of the right occurs in the event of loss of Finnish citizenship or permanent departure from Åland, currently after 5 years.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from 23 August 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated November 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.finlex.fi/sv/laki/ajantasa/1991/19911144