Skip to content

Import Declaration for private persons

You can browse the most popular questions or write your question in the field below.

Write your question and search for the answer

Frequently asked questions on import declaration for private persons

Yes, you can use the credit feature or the debit feature of your card (VISA debit/credit and MasterCard debit/credit).


If you’ve made an exchange or obtained goods through crowdfunding, declare the goods in the Import Declaration Service for private persons.

In the dropdown menu under “I wish to declare”, choose “purchased goods”. When providing the value of the goods, enter the price that would be paid for the goods in a normal purchase transaction.

In the case of an exchange, you should be prepared to present a document showing the goods item that will be exchanged, what item it will be exchanged for and the value of the goods items exchanged.

If you’ve obtained the goods through crowdfunding, you should be able to present a document showing what the goods are.


You can apply for repayment of the duties and taxes if, for example, you have sent the goods back to the seller outside the EU. How to submit a claim for a revised decision


Ask the sender for an order confirmation, an invoice or some other credible proof of the value of the goods. Please note! A bank statement or bank receipt is not sufficient proof of the value of the goods.


Have you received a customs clearance request concerning a sampling instrument used for DNA testing that you will return to the sender after taking a sample? A sampling instrument in the consignment could be, for example, a plastic bottle or a plastic stick.

You can declare the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. On the start page, select the option of declaring “purchased goods”. On the “Consignment details” page, enter only the value of the sampling instrument. Usually the value of an instrument is very low. However, the declared value cannot be 0 euros. If you do not know the value, you should ask the sender.

Enter any possible transport costs under “transport costs”.

On the “Consignment details” page, find and select “DNA tests” and enter the value of the goods to be declared. Add the goods to the declaration basket. Please enter the other required details. 

If your consignment is transported by Posti or you paid tax for the customs clearance, remember also to pay the Posti handling fee so that Posti can deliver your parcel. This does not apply to customers of Åland Post.


You can declare goods stored in a customs warehouse (e.g. a car or boat you have bought) in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. 

On the start page of the service, enter the consignment’s arrival ID or the number of the transport document, or if you have neither of these, the reference number (MRN) of the customs warehousing declaration. You will usually receive the reference number from the warehouse keeper. Select “Other transport company” as the transport company. 

Select “Removal of goods from a customs warehouse” on the page Consignment details. Enter the warehousing MRN or the warehouse deposit number. You will usually receive this information from the warehouse keeper. 


Postal consignments can be cleared free of charge via Import Declaration Service for private persons.


When you’ve ordered goods from Ukraine, you should declare the consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons as follows:

  • On page 2, “Consignment details”, you are asked “Does the consignment contain goods subject to restrictions or excise duty?”. Choose ‘Yes’.
  • On page 3, “Goods details”, select the tab “Commodity code”. You must provide the commodity code of the goods; that is, you cannot use the goods search. You can ask about the commodity code using the chat provided in the service or by calling the Customs Information Service, or you can find the commodity code yourself in the commodity code service Fintaric.
  • Continue filling in the declaration as normal and answer the other questions about your consignment.

A subscription newspaper or magazine arriving from outside the EU

You must declare each newspaper or magazine individually to Customs and pay the VAT due for it. Even if you have subscribed for the newspaper or magazine for a longer period, each newspaper or magazine issue included in the subscription must be declared separately.

In the service, select that you wish to declare “purchased goods”.

You can calculate the value of a single newspaper or magazine issue by dividing the total price of the subscription with the number of issues included in it.

  • Example: The subscription period is 12 months, that is, 1 January–31 December 2023. The magazine is delivered once a month. The price of the subscription period is USD 80. Divide the price of the subscription period, USD 80, with the number of magazine issues. The price of an individual magazine issue is USD 6.67 (80 : 12 = 6.67).

On the page “Consignment details”, under “Value of the consignment without transport costs”, enter the price and currency of a single magazine issue.

On the page “Goods details”, enter “magazine” in the search field and select “magazines and comics”. Under “Price and currency”, enter the price and currency of the individual magazine issue.

Fill in the missing details and submit the declaration. You can pay the VAT straight away.

If an undeclared newspaper or magazine is delivered to you, be sure to submit the declaration afterwards.

A free membership magazine sent by an association or an organisation

You can declare the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. On the start page, select the option of declaring “purchased goods”. On the “Consignment details” page, enter the value of the parcel. Usually the value of a membership magazine is very low. However, the declared value cannot be 0 euros. The lowest possible declared value is 0.01 €. If you do not know the value, you should ask the sender.

Enter any possible transport costs under “transport costs”.

On the “Goods details” page, find and select “Magazines and comics” and enter the value of the goods to be declared. Add the goods to the declaration basket, and enter any other required details.

If your consignment is transported by Posti and you paid tax for the customs clearance, remember to also pay the Posti handling fee so that Posti can deliver your parcel. This does not concern customers of Åland Post.


You can ask another person to declare on your behalf

You can authorise another person to declare your parcel in the Import Declaration Service for private persons or in the Customs Clearance Service and to pay the import duties on your behalf. The authorisation may be given either verbally or in writing. The other person identifies him or herself in the service and declares your parcel and your details on your behalf. The service guides the user on how to fill in the details.

Posti will deliver your parcel to the address provided on the consignment or to a pickup point. The person who submits the declaration is only liable for the customs debt and for the details provided in cases where they are aware or should have been aware of the incorrectness of information provided in the customs declaration. You are responsible for both the customs debt and any post-clearance duties (direct representation).

You can declare goods using a form

You can also send the declaration details on a form by email or post to Customs as described.

Send the scanned customs declaration form primarily to the email address provided on the form.  Attach at least the arrival notice and a document indicating the value and content of the consignment (e.g. the order confirmation). Use the secure email service to send the declaration: Guidance on the use of secure email service. It is advisable to use email to speed up the processing of the declaration, because Posti will return undeclared consignments to the sender after 20 days from their arrival in Finland.

  • Alternatively, you can send the documents to the following address: Airport Customs/Declaring with a form, PO Box 512, 00101 Helsinki.
  • Before sending the documents, check carefully that you have completed all mandatory sections of the form and that you have attached all the required documents. If the required details have not been provided, the declaration cannot be processed.
  • If you cannot send the documents electronically yourself, you can ask a customs officer at a customs office with customer service to send them on your behalf.
  • Customs processes the declarations during office hours. You will usually receive a reply no later than on the following working day. Please note: the reply can also be a request for additional information, so follow the instructions in the request.

Pay the customs invoice before the storage time of the parcel comes to an end

The customs invoice must be paid and the payment must be sent to Customs before the storage time of the parcel announced by Posti or some other transport company comes to an end. Customs cannot extend the storage time for consignments.

Please note that the due date of the customs invoice can be after the end of the storage time. Please move the due date before paying the invoice so the declaration is completed within the time limit specified by the transport company and the transport company won’t have to return your parcel. Please note that, depending on the method of payment, it can take two to three banking days for the payment to be registered on Customs’ bank account.


If you don’t know the contents of the postal consignment, ask the sender about it. Also check the order history in your online shop. Very often, the order history shows the price details and item tracking ID for each consignment.

If the consignment is a gift, you should ask the sender to provide information on the contents and value.

Customs is not able to find out the contents of consignments. Customs does not store or transport consignments. Instead, consignments are kept in the storage facilities of transport companies.

Parcels delivered by Posti

The parcel may get a new tracking ID during transport. You can check the reference of the possible sender of the postal parcel using Posti’s Item Tracking as follows:

Search for the consignment details by entering the item tracking ID that you received from Posti. If after entering the tracking ID there is a small arrow pointing down beside it (the drop down menu), select it. The text “Sender’s reference” is shown below; this could be the original sender’s reference that you received from the sender or, for example, the order number. With this number, you can possibly find out what consignment is waiting for you to declare it.

You can try to check the route of the consignment as well as any item tracking IDs that have possibly been changed, by using different tracking pages, i.e. the Parcelsapp webpage.


If you have declared the gift consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons and you receive a request for additional information from Customs, this is what you should do:

  • Log in again to the Import Declaration Service for private persons. You can find the declaration and the request for additional information on the page ”My declarations”.
  • Follow the instructions in the request. For more specific instructions, see the message sent by the customs clearance team. You will usually be asked to upload and send the order confirmation or some other document. You can also send the documents by email to the email address provided in the service.
  • Regarding gift consignments, you usually need to know what the gift contains and what the value of the contents is. Ask the sender (consignor) of the gift to provide this information in writing, for example by email or text message, and send the information to Customs.

Customs cannot process your declaration without the additional information.

The transport company returns the consignment after the retention period

Responding to a request for additional information has no effect on how long a transport company will store you consignment in Finland. If you reply to Customs’ request for additional information after the given time limit, please contact the transport company to check that is has not returned the consignment to the sender.

Please contact the transport company if you want to extend the retention period for the consignment. Customs cannot extend the retention period for consignments.


If you have declared the consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons and you receive a request for additional information from Customs, this is what you should do:

  • Log in again to the Import Declaration Service for private persons
  • You can find the declaration and the request for additional information on the page “My declarations”.
  • In the Import Declaration Service, follow the instructions you received in the request. You will usually be asked to upload an order confirmation, an invoice, a payment receipt or some other document indicating the contents and value of the consignment or any other information requested by the official.
    If you cannot upload the requested documents, you can send them by email to the email address provided in the service.
  • Send the supplemented declaration to Customs.

Customs cannot process your declaration without the additional information.

The transport company returns the consignment after the retention period

Responding to a request for additional information has no effect on how long a transport company will store you consignment in Finland. If you reply to Customs’ request for additional information after the given time limit, please contact the transport company to check that is has not returned the consignment to the sender.

Please contact the transport company if you want to extend the retention period for the consignment. Customs cannot extend the retention period for consignments.


If you have declared the consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons and Customs sends you a request to correct it, it means that there are errors or details missing from your declaration. Proceed in the following way:

  • Log in again to the Import Declaration Service for private persons
  • You can find the declaration and the request to correct it on the page “My declarations”.
  • Make the changes or additions to the details as requested in the Import Declaration Service. You will usually be asked to correct the price of the goods, the sum of the transport costs or to delete an unnecessary request for preferential tariff treatment.
  • Send the corrected declaration to Customs.

Customs cannot process your declaration without the corrected details.  

If you are unable to correct the declaration using the service

If you are unable to correct the declaration using the Import Declaration Service for private persons, it is possible that the time limit that was assigned by Customs for making a correction expired. Contact the Customs Information Service in order to extend the time limit.

The transport company returns the parcel after the retention period has ended

Even if the time limit for the clearance were extended, the transport company will return your consignment to the sender after the announced retention period. If you correct your declaration after the time limit given by Customs, please contact the transport company first to check that the consignment has not been returned by the company.

Please contact the transport company if you want to extend the retention period for the consignment. Customs cannot extend the retention period for consignments.


Always provide them in the same currency as was used for them in the order confirmation, invoice or other document.


The Import Declaration Service works best with the latest versions of the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari.


Depending on the method of payment, it can take 2–3 banking days for the payment to be registered in Customs’ bank account. Our customers have experienced delays for example when they have paid for their customs clearances with the MobilePay app

When the payment has been registered, the customs clearance is complete and its status changes. When your customs clearance is complete, Customs will automatically notify most transport companies that the consignment can be delivered to you.

Please note Posti’s handling fee. Please visit the Posti website and check.


Have you received a request concerning a parcel that contains, for example, a payment card from a bank, such as a bank card or credit card? Very often, such items are not commercially valuable. However, you are required to declare such a parcel, as a value was determined for it upon dispatch.

You can declare the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. On the start page, select the option of declaring “purchased goods”. On the “Consignment details” page, enter the value of the parcel. Usually, the value of a payment card is very low. However, the declared value cannot be 0 euros. The lowest possible declared value is 0.01 €. If you do not know the value, you should ask the sender.

Enter any possible transport costs under “transport costs”. Enter here the amount of service fees or other costs charged by the bank.

On the “Goods details” page, enter the commodity code 8523210000 for the item if the card has a magnetic stripe but no chip, or the code 8523520000 if the card has a chip, or both a chip and a magnetic stripe. Declare the value of the item on the same page. Add the goods to the declaration basket, and fill in any other required information.

If your consignment is transported by Posti and you paid tax for the customs clearance, remember to also pay the Posti handling fee so that Posti can deliver your parcel. This does not apply to customers of Åland Post.


Every consignment must be declared individually. For the declarations, you need to know what the consignments contain. If you don’t know the content, ask the sender or the transport company. You can declare the consignments one by one in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. For each consignment, you must besides its contents also provide details about its value and possible transport costs. Divide the transport costs of the whole order amongst the different consignments in accordance with the value or weight of the contents.

Example of how to divide the transport costs according to the value:

You ordered three products from an online store: a shirt USD 50, a book USD 20 and a toy USD 30. The total value of the order is USD 100. In addition, you paid USD 30 in transport costs.
One consignment contains a shirt and a book, and their total value is USD 70, i.e. 70 per cent of the total value of the order (USD 70 / USD 100 = 0.7). Enter USD 21 (0.7 x USD 30 = USD 21) as its transport costs.

The other consignment contains a toy with a value of USD 30, i.e. 30 per cent of the total value of the order (USD 30 / USD 100 = 0.3). Enter USD 9 (0.3 x USD 30 = USD 9) as its transport costs.


It may happen that you receive a defective item that you do not have to send back to the seller. If the seller sends you a new item or a new component of the item free of charge, please note that the new item or component must be declared.

If you declare the new item or component in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select that you wish to declare “purchased goods” on the start page. When declaring the value of the new item or component, enter the normal price of the item or component.

After that, you can apply for a correction, i.e. revision of the customs clearance decision, so that you can get a refund of the import taxes that you have paid for the defective item. To complete your application for revision you need the MRN of the original declaration and the MRN of the declaration of the new item.  

Please note that you cannot apply for a revision of the customs clearance decision if you received the original item from EU territory, but the new item or component arrives from outside the EU. The new item or component must be declared and when declaring its value, the normal price of the item or the component must be entered.

Please note that in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select “goods replaced for free under warranty” only if you sent the defective item back to the seller.  


You can ask another person to declare a parcel on your behalf in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. Such a person may be e.g. a family member, friend, colleague or fellow student. The person declaring the parcel on your behalf must be able to use his or her personal identification details when logging in to the electronic service.

The other person may declare a parcel on your behalf in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, provided that he or she has

  • a mandate, i.e. a permission to declare a parcel on your behalf (oral, written or Suomi.fi mandate)
  • Finnish online banking ID codes, a mobile certificate or a certificate card (one of these is needed for identification)
  • an arrival notification for the parcel and information given on it
  • information on the contents and value of the parcel
  • your name and address
  • your personal identity code, if you are Finnish or your date of birth, if you are of a different nationality.

Customs can also separately request written information on the contents and value of the parcel (for example, a receipt or an order confirmation). You should pass this information on to the person who declares on your behalf.

Please note: The declarant of the parcel cannot use the Finnish Authenticator app for foreign citizens to provide identification details when logging in to the Import Declaration Service.

How can I authorise another person to declare a parcel on my behalf?

You have three alternatives for authorising, i.e. giving another person permission to declare on your behalf: orally, by a free-form document or in the service Suomi.fi.

Read about how to authorise another person in the service Suomi.fi.

Who is responsible if another person is declaring a parcel on my behalf?

You are personally responsible for paying the customs duties and taxes, as well as for paying any charges that may be payable retrospectively due to errors. If another person clears goods on your behalf, they are liable for it if they were aware or they should have been aware that the information provided in the declaration was incorrect. This is called direct representation.

Even if a consignment is declared by somebody else, Posti will deliver the postal consignment to the recipient stated on the consignment or to a pick-up point. Other transport companies deliver the consignments to the recipient as agreed. Customs can’t change the delivery address of the parcel. If you want to change the delivery address of the parcel, contact the transport company.

How am I notified of declarations submitted on my behalf?

If another person is declaring goods on your behalf, they are responsible for informing you about the declarations that they have submitted on your behalf.  Ask the party that has declared the goods on your behalf for the declaration reference, i.e. the MRN. After that, you can check your declaration details in the Customs Clearance Service.

If you do not receive the MRN of your declaration from the person who is declaring on your behalf, ask the Customs Information Service for the MRN. As a private person, if necessary, you can also get information on declarations submitted on your behalf by making a control request related to personal data.

Read more: This is how you declare a parcel on behalf of the recipient (consignee) in the Import Declaration Service for private persons


If e.g. a friend or a family member asks you to declare a consignment, you can declare the consignment on behalf of its recipient (consignee) in the Import Declaration Service for private persons.

To declare a parcel on behalf of the recipient, you need to have

  • a mandate, i.e. a permission to declare a parcel on behalf of the recipient (oral, written or Suomi.fi mandate)
  • Finnish online banking ID codes, a mobile certificate or a certificate card (one of these is needed for identification)
  • an arrival notification for the parcel and information given on it
  • information on the contents and value of the parcel
  • name and address details of the recipient
  • the personal identity code of the recipient, if he or she is Finnish and a date of birth of the recipient, if the recipient is of a different nationality.

Customs can also separately request written information on the contents and value of the parcel (for example, a receipt or an order confirmation). You should request this information from the recipient of the parcel.

Please note: You cannot identify yourself with the Finnish Authenticator app for foreign citizens when logging in to the Import Declaration Service for private persons.

How can I get a mandate, i.e. permission to declare on behalf of another person?

You have three alternatives to get a mandate: orally, by a free-form document or in the service Suomi.fi.

Example: Joe Average wants you to clear the consignment on his behalf. Joe Average has personal online banking codes, a mobile certificate or a certificate card so he can log in to the Suomi.fi portal. Joe logs in to the Suomi.fi portal and authorises you, i.e. gives you a permission to declare on his behalf. In the service, he selects the authorisation “Customs clearance” and enters you as an authorised person. After that, you have a Suomi.fi mandate.

How to declare on behalf of another person in the Import Declaration Service for private persons:

When declaring goods on behalf of another person based on a Suomi.fi mandate

If you are declaring a consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons on behalf of another person using a Suomi.fi mandate, select (Whom are you acting on behalf of?) “On behalf of another person based on Suomi.fi mandates”. Then select a person on whose behalf you are declaring a consignment.

On page 1 “Start page” enter the details of the consignee.

On page 5 “Contact information” enter an email address that Customs can contact if required.

When you declare goods on behalf of another person without a Suomi.fi mandate, or declare a parcel on behalf of your underage child or a dependant

If you haven’t received a Suomi.fi mandate or you declare a parcel on behalf of your underage child or a dependant, you should still select (Whom are you acting on behalf of?) “Myself”.

On page 1 “Start page” select “Another person” as the consignee (recipient) of the consignment. After that fill in the details of the person on whose behalf you are acting. Write his or her name and select a nationality of the consignee. Enter his or her personal ID, or date of birth (dd.mm.yyyy) as well as the Finnish address of the foreign person. If the recipient of the parcel has a non-disclosure for personal safety, read the instructions for submitting an address in the Import Declaration Service for private persons while you are filling in the declaration.

On page 5 “Contact information” also enter an email address that Customs can contact if required. Please note that on request, you must be able to prove to Customs that you have a permission to declare on behalf of another person.

Who is responsible if I am declaring a consignment on behalf of another person?

The person you represent is responsible for paying the customs duties and taxes, as well as any charges that may be payable retrospectively due to errors. If you clear goods on someone else’s behalf, it means that you are liable in cases where you are aware or you should have been aware of the incorrectness of information provided in the declaration. This is called direct representation.

Even if you declare the consignment on someone else’s behalf, Posti will deliver the postal consignment to the recipient stated on the consignment or to a pick-up point. Other transport companies deliver the consignments to the recipient as agreed. Customs can’t change the delivery address of a parcel. If you want to change the delivery address of the parcel, contact the transport company.


Uploading attachments depends on the situation.

- If you can pay for the clearance right after sending the declaration, you don’t have to add attachments. However, you have to store the documents (for example, an invoice or an order confirmation) for six years.

- If after sending the declaration it is possible to upload the attachments on the page “Done”, enclose the required documents, such as an invoice or an order confirmation. That way, your declaration is processed more quickly. Follow the processing of your declaration under My declarations.

- If you received a request for additional information regarding your declaration, you can find the request for additional information and more detailed instructions under “My declarations”. You will usually be asked to send the order confirmation, the invoice or some other document.


If you are a foreign private person who does not have a Finnish personal identity code and you are unable to identify yourself with Finnish identification tokens, you cannot, at the moment, identify yourself using the Finnish Authenticator Service when logging in to the Import Declaration Service for private persons or to the Customs Clearance Service.

Instead, you can authorise another person or an agent to declare the consignment on your behalf. See also Instructions for other service alternatives.

 


A seller who has an IOSS number, charges the Finnish VAT at the time of purchase. The VAT is included in the price of the goods and you don’t need to pay any additional VAT in connection with customs clearance. The postal company or another transport company will usually declare the consignment on your behalf, and no action is required on your part.

IOSS sellers are registered for VAT within the EU territory. This means that the VAT is included in the price of the goods purchased and the seller accounts for the VAT to the EU. This has been possible since 1 July 2021.

Where can I find the IOSS number?

The IOSS number is a different thing from the VAT number of a seller. The IOSS number has the format IM1234567890. The IOSS number is in the order confirmation or the invoice. If necessary, request it from the seller.

When do I need the IOSS number?

Generally, you don’t need an IOSS number.

You only need the IOSS number if you have paid the VAT when you purchased the goods and the following text is not shown in the Import Declaration Service for private persons on the page ‘Consignment details’ ‘The VAT has been charged at the point of purchase, but you must still declare the consignment.’ In that case, enter the IOSS number in the service.

How do I provide the IOSS number?

In the Import Declaration Service for private persons, you are asked ‘Have you paid the VAT for the consignment already at the point of purchase?’

Only choose ‘Yes’ if you have bought the goods from an IOSS-seller and you paid the VAT at the point of purchase. You should also consult the postal company or other transport company to find out if they will clear the parcel on your behalf or if you need to do it yourself.

The service asks you to provide the IOSS number. The IOSS number is in the order confirmation or the invoice. If necessary, request it from the seller.

You can read more about the topic on our page on IOSS identifier.


The MRN is a reference number assigned by Customs for different customs declarations. Private customers usually need MRN numbers of import or export declarations as well as of transport or warehousing.

MRN of an import declaration

When you declare goods, i.e. you submit an import declaration yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons or in the Customs Clearance Service, a declaration reference number is generated, i.e. an MRN. You can find the MRN in the service and in the top right-hand corner of a customs clearance decision or in the decision on release. The beginning of the MRN always states the year when the customs clearance was completed, i.e. ‘22FIU000…’. 

You will need an MRN if, for example, you have made a mistake in your declaration or if you return the goods to a non-EU country and because of this are applying for correction or amendment.

Read more: From where do I get the MRN of my import declaration.

MRN of an export declaration

You will need the MRN of the export declaration for the import declaration, when you have sent the goods, for example, for maintenance or replacement outside the EU and they return to Finland. An export declaration is required before goods that need maintenance or replacement are sent from Finland to a non-EU country and an import declaration is required when they are brought back to Finland.

Transport or warehousing MRN

When you submit an import declaration yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons or in the Customs Clearance Service, you usually don’t need a transport or warehousing MRN number.  When you enter on the start page of the service the arrival ID, tracking ID or the number of the transport document that you have received from the transport company, the MRN is automatically forwarded to the declaration.

When necessary, you can get the transport or warehousing MRN number from the company transporting your consignment. 


Contact the transport company to find out if your consignment has already been sent back to the sender (consignor). If your consignment has not been sent back, contact Customs to find out the amount of interest on arrears due.

Before you can get your consignment delivered to you, you must also pay the interest on arrears. Please note that you cannot pay an invoice in the declaration service if its due date has passed. Pay for the clearance in your online bank the same day that you find out the amount of interest on arrears. Keep in mind that it can take 2–3 days for the payment to reach Customs.


You cannot use the Import Declaration Service for private persons if you do not have an online banking ID, a certificate card or a mobile certificate.

Examples of items that cannot be cleared via the Import Declaration Service for private persons

  • removal goods
  • live animals
  • investment gold
  • aircraft parts
  • VAT-free bank notes

  • goods you transport to Finland yourself.

Read more about how you can declare your parcel using alternative services.


In the Import Declaration Service for private persons, if no more than 90 days have passed since submitting the declaration

After you have personally lodged the customs clearance of your consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, your customs clearance decision, decision on release, customs invoice and the related MRN will be available for 90 days in the service. Your bank will provide a receipt on the customs clearance you have paid for.

  1. Log in to the Service.
  2. Go to “My declarations”. If you’re using a mobile device, you can find the heading by opening the menu in the top right-hand corner of the service.
  3. Select your customs clearance and documentation.

In the Customs Clearance service, if more than 90 days have passed since submitting the declaration

If you have declared your consignment personally in the Import Declaration Service for private persons and it has been more than 90 days since the customs clearance, you will find your clearance documents in the Customs Clearance Service. For searching your documents, you will need the Movement Reference Number (MRN) of your customs clearance (in clearances done in 2023, the number begins with 23FIU000…).

  1. Log in to the service.
  2. Select the “Advanced search” tab. Select “MRN or other declaration reference” and the “Other transaction channels” transaction method. 
  3. The clearance documents are on the “Summary and submission” page.

In the Customs Clearance Service, if you submitted the declaration there

The Customs Clearance Service contains the customs clearances you have done using the Service.

  1. Log in to the Service.
  2. Go to the “Finished” tab and select your customs clearance. If you know the MRN of your customs clearance, you can search your customs clearance on the “Advanced search” tab in the Customs Clearance Service.
  3. The clearance documents are on the “Summary and submission” page.

By asking the transport company, if it submitted the declaration for you

When a transport company or a forwarding company has cleared your consignment on your behalf, ask them for the documentation.

Keep the customs clearance documents!

As a private person you should keep the customs clearance documents for the current year and an additional six years following the clearance. Customs may ask you to present these documents.

You may later need, for instance, the MRN on the customs clearance decision when transacting with Customs.


It is always Posti or the transport company that will send you a notice of arrival or notify you of the arrival of a consignment that needs to be cleared through customs.


The warehouse ID has the format FI1234567-800001. When necessary, you can get the warehouse ID from the company transporting your consignment.


If Customs has invalidated a private customer’s customs declaration in the Import Declaration Service for Private persons, the reason for the invalidation and what to do is shown in the customs clearance decision. You can find the decision in PDF format under ‘My declarations.’

Examples of reasons for invalidation

You have declared the new product sent by the online shop as a replacement item, but you have not returned the faulty product outside the EU. Read about how to declare a new product received as replacement for a faulty item.

You have declared removal goods as goods left behind abroad. Read about how to declare removal goods.

You lodged the customs declaration in advance, but the package has not arrived within 30 days of declaring. Lodge a replacement declaration when the package has arrived in the country and the transport company has sent you a customs clearance request.


Customs does not send separate customs invoices. Pay for the clearance when you are clearing a consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons or in the Customs Clearance Service (where e.g. live animals are cleared). If you need an invoice, you can get it from the service you are using.


Have you received a customs clearance request concerning a letter, a card or a parcel containing for example a certificate, passport or some other document? Very often, such items are not commercially valuable. However, you are required to declare such a parcel, as a value was determined for it upon dispatch.

You can declare the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons. On the start page, select the option of declaring “purchased goods”. On the “Consignment details” page, enter the value of the parcel. Usually the value of a document is very low. However, the declared value cannot be 0 euros. The lowest possible declared value is 0.01 €. If you do not know the value, you should ask the sender.

Enter any possible transport costs under “transport costs”.

On the “Goods details” page, find and select “Printed products ” and enter the value of the goods to be declared. Add the goods to the declaration basket, and enter any other required details.

If your consignment is transported by Posti and you paid tax for the customs clearance, remember to also pay the Posti handling fee so that Posti can deliver your parcel. This does not concern customers of Åland Post.

This is how you clear documents if you cannot use the e-service

If you cannot use Import Declaration Service for private persons, e.g. because you don’t have Finnish online banking ID codes, a certificate card or a mobile certificate, clear documents with the form “Private person’s declaration of goods imported from outside the customs and fiscal territory of the EU” (1143). See also the detailed instructions for completing the form.


                            

Any questions?

Contact Customs Information Mon–Fri 8 am–4.15 pm

Please have a look at the frequently asked questions.

If you have a question about the arrival of parcels, its contents or the handling fee, please contact Posti.

Customs Information Service