Finnish Customs holds the opening ceremony of the new Goods Traffic Centre on Tuesday 2 December from 2 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. You are most welcome to participate.
In addition to cooperating partners, also Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen has been invited to the event. The Minister is in charge of matters related to Customs and will officially open the Goods Traffic Centre.
The Vaalimaa border crossing station was opened for road traffic in the summer of 1958. Since then, the annual truck traffic volume has increased from one truck to more than 300 000 trucks which cross the border each year. Even though the international political and economic situation has caused a decrease in the volumes of heavy vehicle traffic during the past couple of years, it is still important that the goods traffic runs smoothly. The new Goods Traffic Centre will enable the processing of up to half a million trucks per year.
At the same time when the Goods Traffic Centre in Vaalimaa is opened, a mode of cooperation between the Border Guard and Customs, the so-called “Nuija I” procedure, is taken into use. With the procedure, Customs can to see to the border checks of heavy vehicle drivers in the Goods Traffic Centre in addition to customs clearances of goods traffic. In practice, this means that Customs checks the drivers’ passports in the Goods Traffic Centre.
In early December, new lanes are taken into use in the area for departing passenger traffic. There will initially be four additional lanes. The need for additional controls on the lanes will be met by initiating the applicable features of the “Nuija II” procedure in Vaalimaa at the turn of the year. In this procedure, passengers’ tax-free receipts and trade invoices are confirmed by the Border Guard at Vaalimaa in cooperation with Customs and on Customs’ behalf.
Additional information: Head of Vaalimaa Customs Mr. Mika Poutiainen, tel. +358 40 332 5521, mika.poutiainen@tulli.fi
