Accessibility statement – the Import Declaration Service for private persons

Finnish Customs is committed to making its websites and online services accessible in accordance with the Act on the Provision of Digital Services (306/2019).

This accessibility statement concerns the Import Declaration Service for private persons.

Other service alternatives

If you are not able to use the Import Declaration Service for private persons, you can declare your goods in alternative ways. You can authorise another person to declare the goods on your behalf via the service or you can buy the declaration as a service from a forwarding company.

You can also personally visit a customs office that provides customer service to give us your feedback. On the Customs website, you will find the map locations of these customs offices and their opening hours.

Help regarding other service alternatives is available from the Customs Information Service; tel. 0295 5201.

See the instructions for other service alternatives (in Finnish).

The accessibility of the service

The current accessibility of the content of the service:

The Import Declaration Service for private persons partly meets the requirements laid down in the Finnish Act on the Provision of Digital Services.

The known problems with accessibility

The service still has some usability problems. The recognised problems with accessibility are described below. If you notice a problem in the service that is not included in the list, please contact us.  

The following content does not meet the requirements laid down in the Act on the Provision of Digital Services and will be fixed as soon as possible:

  • PDF files
    • The decision documents in pdf format created by the system are not accessible. (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.3.2)
  • Connection timeout
    • The user is warned of the connection timeout and is given the opportunity to request additional time. However, for data security reasons the user is logged out after 12 hours, which means that the accessibility requirements concerning time limits are not completely fulfilled. (WCAG 2.2.1)
  • The contrasts are not sufficient regarding the following:
    • Link text of an individual notification element against a light blue background (WCAG 1.4.3)
    • Keyboard focus indicator for language selection in the modal dialog for accepting the terms of use against a dark blue background. (WCAG 1.4.11)
    • In links, the keyboard focus indicator covers some of the text of focused links (WCAG 1.4.3)
  • Modal dialogs
    • Focus is moved to the frame of the component and not to the elements in the component, and due to this some screen readers may not read the dialogue. (WCAG 2.4.3)
    • The names of the modal dialogs for instructions have not been programmatically determined. (WCAG 4.1.2)
    • When certain modal dialogs are closed, focus is not always moved back to the elements from which the modal dialogs were originally opened, rather to the beginning of the page. This may slow down the use of keyboard and screen reader in the service. (WCAG 2.4.3)
    • In some situations, keyboard focusing may behave strangely. When the user presses the tab key to move the keyboard focus to the next item in a modal view, the focus changes immediately or with a delay back to the first element in the modal view (WCAG 3.2.1).

  • Programmatic structure of the buttons  

    • The programmatic structure of the button elements in the footer is insufficient.  They may contain a link element or a paragraph element, which is not allowed. (WCAG 4.1.1)
      Single accessibility problems

    • When changing the text spacing properties in the import clearance Summary stage, the text is hidden under the icon in situations when there is no payment to be made for the clearance.  (WCAG 1.4.12)

    • In the stage Goods details, goods can be added using a commodity code.  When goods are added using a commodity code, additional checkbox options are often presented, and if no options are selected, the error situations are only conveyed by a red colour change in the text. (WCAG 1.4.1)

    • In the stage Goods details, when a goods item is added to the declaration basket using a commodity code, the keyboard focus shifts to the Commodity code field, and a screen reader user will not get any feedback saying that the goods have been added successfully. (WCAG 4.1.3)

    • There are a few single fields in the service, such as Warehouse ID of the transport company and Total mass, whose format instructions are only shown in the placeholder texts of the fields or in the error messages.  (WCAG 3.3.2)

    • The instructions for overdue payments are shown visually as a list, but the instructions are not lists programmatically. (WCAG 1.3.1)
       

  • Feedback and error messages
    • In some places, the service provides error messages and feedback that are repeated numerous times to screen reader users for unknown reasons. In addition, screen readers read them in situations where they should not (WCAG 4.1.3).
    • The service provides dynamic feedback and error messages that are displayed in a separate invisible element for screen readers only at the end of the customs clearance form. However, old feedback and error messages are not always deleted, so screen reader users can discover and read them when they do not apply to the situation (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1).
       
  • Correcting a clearance decision (also known as the amendment form)
    • The entire error message relating to the form field labelled “Account number for the refund” is not read by screen readers when the focus changes to the field (WCAG 1.3.1).
    • Screen reader users are not automatically given readable feedback on whether their attachments were uploaded successfully (WCAG 4.1.3).
  • Distinguishing links
    • The service provides some error messages, such as when an incorrect commodity code or item is entered during the “Description of Goods” phase and the error message for the Account Number field on the form for correcting clearance decisions, that contain text links that only differ from the rest of the error message in colour (WCAG 1.4.1).
  • Reflow
    • Many form fields have long placeholder texts that break up at narrow screen sizes, such as on mobile devices or when zooming in (WCAG 1.4.10).

Drafting of the statement

  • Customs has assessed the accessibility of this service as follows:
  • The assessment was conducted by an external operator.
  • The service was assessed in 4/2019.
  • This statement was drafted on 5 February 2020. The statement was last reviewed on 8 January 2025.

Feedback

We are happy to receive feedback on the accessibility of this service.

  • Give feedback on accessibility to Customs by email: asiakaspalautteet(at)tulli.fi.
  • Customs’ e-services are responsible for the accessibility of the Import Declaration Service for private persons and will also respond to feedback on accessibility.
  • We aim to respond to feedback within five working days.

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received from Customs or if you have had no response, you can submit a report to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Detailed information on how to file a report and how the matter will be handled is available on the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

Contact information of the supervisory authority

Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom
Digital Accessibility Supervision Unit
www.webaccessibility.fi
saavutettavuus@traficom.fi
telephone switchboard 029 534 5000