Bringing back alcohol

Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to bring in alcoholic beverages, and persons under the age of 20 are only allowed to bring in light alcoholic beverages. Spirits cannot be brought in without a permit.

Select below from which territory you are arriving in Finland

What can I bring in free of duty and tax from the EU?

You can import alcoholic beverages for private use or as a gift if you bring in the products in the vehicle in which you yourself arrive in Finland.

The guideline limits are:

  • 110 litres of beer (over 0.5%)
  • 90 litres of wine, of which 60 litres can be sparkling wine (includes long drinks and ciders produced through fermentation)
  • 20 litres of intermediate products (max. 22%, including aperitifs, e.g. vermouths, bitters, sherries)
  • 10 litres of other alcoholic beverages (over 1.2% ethyl alcohol content, e.g. strong alcoholic beverages, long drinks made from ethyl alcohol).

Cider and long drinks are not equated with beer.

In addition, if you don’t import beverages of some of these types you cannot replace them with more beverages of another type.

Travellers can import more alcohol than this for private use, but, if requested, they must be able to present credible proof that the amount of alcohol that exceeds the guideline limits is meant for private use. Check here the quantity limits for imports from outside the EU.

Exceptions Swedish ferries, Åland and the Canary Islands

If you are bringing back alcoholic beverages from the Canary Islands, the Åland Islands or a ferry operating between Finland and Sweden via the Åland Islands, you are allowed to bring in the same tax-free quantities as from outside the EU. This means that you can bring in, free of tax and duty, 16 litres of beer and 4 litres of still wine, as well as 1 litre of strong alcoholic beverages (over 22%) or 2 litres of other alcoholic beverages (max 22%).

The allowance is the same when you bring in alcoholic beverages you have bought inclusive of tax (e.g. beverages bought from Alko) to the Åland Islands from mainland Finland or from another EU country.

Please note: If your ferry journey is between mainland Finland and the Åland Islands only, the ferry is not allowed to sell you more than two litres of beer free of tax.

110 litres of beer

over 0.5%
e.g. 13 cartons (24 x 0.33 l) + 21 cans (0.33 l)

90 litres of wine

Of this total amount, 60 litres can be sparkling wine, ciders and long drinks
e.g. 10 boxes (12 x 0.75 l)

20 litres of intermediate products

Max. 22%, including aperitifs, e.g. vermouths, bitters, sherries
e.g. 3 boxes (12 x 0.5 l) + 4 bottles (0.5 l)

10 litres of other alcoholic beverages

over 1.2% ethyl alcohol content, e.g. strong alcoholic beverages, long drinks made from ethyl alcohol
e.g. 1 box (6 x 1.00 l) + 4 bottles (1.00 l)

Family and celebrations

Family is considered to include all persons living at the same address and in the same household. However, if relatives in direct lineage (parents, children, grandparents) import alcohol for a family celebration (e.g. a wedding, a birthday, some other significant occasion) without compensation as a gift, this kind of import of alcohol is also considered import for personal use even if the relatives are not living at the same address and are not part of the same household.

If you import larger quantities for the purpose of serving them at, for example, your birthday or wedding, you must, if requested, be able to prove that the celebration will take place.

However, please note that importing goods in exchange for any kind of compensation is considered commercial and is thus subject to tax regardless of how much you import. For instance, you cannot import alcohol for a group of friends.

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What can I bring in free of duty and tax from outside the EU?

You can only import a limited amount of alcoholic beverages for personal use or as a gift:

  • 4 litres of still wine (red, white and rosé) AND
  • 16 litres of beer (over 0.5%)

In addition:

1 litre of strong alcoholic beverages (over 22%) OR
2 litres of alcoholic beverages (max. 22%), for example aperitifs (such as vermouth, bitter, liqueur, sherry, long drinks, cider and sparkling wine)

16 litres of beer

over 0.5%
e.g. 2 cartons (24 x 0.33 l)

4 litres of still wine

red, white and rosé wine
e.g. 5 bottles  (0.75 l)

In addition

Either

2 litres of alcoholic beverages

max. 22%, for example aperitifs (such as vermouth, bitter, liqueur, sherry, long drinks, cider and sparkling wine)
e.g. 4 bottles (0.5 l)

or

1 litre of strong alcoholic beverages

over 22%
e.g. 1 bottle (1.00 l)

Time limits for importing alcohol

If you live in Finland and arrive in Finland from outside the EEA (EU countries + Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) other than by air, you may only import alcoholic beverages if your journey has lasted more than 24 hours. You are not allowed to bring in alcoholic beverages when you return from a less than 24-hour journey even if you pay the taxes.

If you live outside the EEA and arrive in Finland other than by air, you may import alcoholic beverages only if you are staying in Finland for more than 72 hours. If you are only travelling or transiting through Finland, this limitation does not apply.

The time limits do not apply to travellers arriving from an EU country or Åland.

In addition to the products subject to restrictions of quantity, air or sea travellers can import other products free of duty and tax for a maximum value of 430 euros. The maximum value limit for travellers using other modes of transport is 300 euros. The 300-euro limit is also applied when a passenger arrives in Finland aboard an aircraft or boat which is in recreational use.

Import of alcoholic beverages from Russia

You are currently not allowed to bring in strong alcoholic beverages (over 22%) such as whisky, rum, gin, vodka or liqueurs, from Russia to Finland.

You are also not allowed to bring in light alcoholic beverages to which alcohol has been added during production. These are, for example, some long drinks and hard seltzer drinks. The ban concerns also alcoholic beverages bought from tax-free shops.

However, you can bring in other light alcoholic beverages, for example beer as well as fermented wines and ciders. You can only bring in a restricted quantity of these for personal use or as a gift.

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Points to consider

  • Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to bring in alcoholic beverages, and persons under the age of 20 are only allowed to bring in light alcoholic beverages.
  • Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to bring in tobacco products or nicotine-containing liquids.


For the purposes of the Alcohol Act,

  • alcoholic substance means a substance or product which contains more than 1.2 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol
  • alcoholic beverage means an alcoholic substance intended for consumption as beverage which contains a maximum of 80 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol
  • mild alcoholic beverage means an alcoholic beverage which contains a maximum of 22 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol
  • strong alcoholic beverage means an alcoholic beverage which contains more than 22 percentage by volume ethyl alcohol
  • spirits means ethyl alcohol or an aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol where the proportion of ethyl alcohol exceeds 80 percentage by volume
  • strongly denatured spirits means spirits unfit for human consumption in accordance with Article 27(1a) of Council Directive 92/83/EEC on the harmonization of the structures of excise duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages
  • slightly denatured spirits means spirits unfit for human consumption in accordance with Article 27(1ba) of the above-mentioned Directive
  • alcoholic preparation means an alcoholic substance which is not an alcoholic beverage or spirit and which can be denatured.

 


Products classified as being for personal use, are products that include taxes and which the passenger has carried in themselves from another EU Member State for their own personal use. Personal use means the passenger’s personal use of the goods as well as its use by his or her family, or a gift. Products handed over in return for any means of compensation are considered commercial imports. 

For example, when a cousin of the bride arrives as a wedding guest, they cannot bring in alcohol for their cousin’s wedding and alcohol brought in cannot be served as thanks to volunteers helping out at the wedding; neither can a person bring in alcohol to their friends.


As a rule, family is considered to include all persons living at the same address and in the same household. However, if relatives in direct lineage (parents, children, grandparents) import alcohol for a family celebration (e.g. a wedding, a birthday, some other significant occasion) without compensation as a gift, this kind of import of alcohol is also considered import for personal use even if the relatives do not live at the same address and are not part of the same household.

Read more: Bringing alcohol from your trip

 


For passenger imported alcohol to be seen as non-commercial import for personal use as a tax-free gift, it must fulfil certain gift criteria. The gift must always be gratuitous and random. If the importer of the alcohol receives either direct or indirect remuneration of any kind, it is not a question of a gift, rather the delivery of the alcohol is commercial.

The concept of a gift is also its element of surprise, thus delivering alcohol regularly, even if it is gratuitous, cannot be considered a gift. The gift cannot be especially chosen by the recipient, nor can it be given for representation purposes or as advertising. A gift can only be given to a private person.

The gift does not have to be given in connection with a special day. Giving the gift can be based on some kind of personal relationship between the giver and recipient.

A gift does not mean exactly the same thing as gratuitous delivery. Therefore, in situations where a passenger brings in a large quantity of alcohol and delivers all or a large portion of the alcohol to an unspecified group of private persons (e.g. work colleagues, members of an association, neighbours) to be used freely, the gratuitous delivery of the alcohol does not fill the criteria of a gift.

Read more: Alcohol in gift consignments


The law uses the term “reasonably prove”. In Customs' instructions the terms used are “explanation” or “account”. 

In practice, when the passenger arrives in the country with their alcohol, they do not have to do anything, unless the customs officer specifically asks.

But if, at the time of entry into the country, the customs officer asks what the alcohol that exceeds the guideline limits will be used for, then a free-form oral explanation or report is usually enough. The customs officer may ask more specific questions in response to the passenger’s explanation or report. The quantity and quality of the products may be checked as well as the passenger’s ID and their contact information. No written material will have to be presented or written up, but that does not prevent the passenger from presenting such material. In most cases, the discussion with the customs officer and verification of the quantity brought into the country is sufficient.

In some instances, the passenger might be required to present additional information in written form; adhering to the instructions in the request for additional information.


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