Efficiency and security through knowledge and technology
Goods cross Finland’s borders in huge quantities. It could be a passenger bringing some shopping back on the ferry from Tallinn, a lorry importing goods from Norway, or a company importing raw materials into Finland. Finnish Customs is like a censor through which all this material must pass.
Finnish Customs identifies goods and ensures that all lawful activity proceeds quickly while identifying risks and intervening in misconduct. Finnish Customs personnel work with information, technology and expertise. Finnish Customs uses information systems and data consolidated from different sources to identify likely rule-breakers. Conversely, customers who follow the rules only come into contact with Finnish Customs when they need services or advice.
This simultaneously fulfils two important goals for Finnish Customs: smooth flows of goods across the borders and a safe and stable society and environment. You can trust that the medicine you have bought is actually what it says on the bottle, that the spare part you have ordered is a quality product and not a dangerous copy, that all companies are competing on a level playing field, and that there is no benefit to be attained from breaking the agreed rules.
Finnish Customs personnel work closely with other authorities and share the duty of ensuring the safety and well-being of Finnish people. In this work, Finnish Customs personnel are responsible for cross-border goods traffic as part of the EU Customs Union.
The best results come from working together
Our organisation employs over 2,000 people, approximately 800 of whom are in operational roles and the remainder in various expert positions. There is only one Finnish Customs, and our personnel are our greatest asset. That is why we invest in competence development. Among other things, we train our personnel to become customs experts.
However, we are not alone in our duties. We are part of the EU Customs Union, and the EU imposes export and import restrictions. In addition, various ministries and agencies impose prohibitions and restrictions on goods, and Finnish Customs enforces them. For example, this could mean enforcing rules on foodstuffs or products of plant origin in cooperation with the Finnish Food Authority to prevent invasive species or diseases from entering Finland and posing a threat to animals or nature. We work with the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority to ensure no hazardous goods cross our borders. We carry out duties on behalf of 11 ministries, so our operations are among the most wide-reaching of Finnish authorities.
We also cooperate with the police and the Finnish Border Guard in the PTR collaboration model. The PTR model seeks to intervene in cross-border organised crime, promote security flexibly, rapidly and effectively, and help Finland to be the safest country in the world.
The statutory duties of the police, Finnish Customs and the Finnish Border Guard have been intentionally arranged to overlap partially. If necessary, these authorities may carry out tasks for which a different authority is principally responsible in a separately agreed manner. Cooperation also seeks to reconcile the activities of the authorities effectively. Indeed, this cooperation has evolved into a nationally and internationally recognised form of cooperation.
