Changes to entry declarations and temporary storage declarations

The changes to the EU customs legislation will bring about phased changes to customs declarations in 2020‒2025. 

Declarations for goods arriving from non-EU countries now

The following must be submitted to Customs in the arrival and exit declaration service (AREX) or via message exchange: 

  • entry summary declaration
  • in sea, air and railway traffic, combined arrival and presentation notification.

Regarding transports with shared cargo space, the arrival notification and the presentation notification are usually submitted as separate notifications. The entry summary declaration and the presentation notification together are regarded as a summary declaration for temporary storage. The details in a transit declaration submitted for goods arriving under the transit procedure are used as a summary declaration. The transit declaration can also be used for providing the safety and security data, which means that no separate entry summary declaration is required.

For postal consignments arriving by air, the entry summary declaration must be submitted to the Commission’s information system (CR). Presentation notifications must also be submitted to Customs (UTU) for postal consignments, when the postal consignment arrives in Finland.

Changes to declarations for goods arriving from non-EU countries

There will be changes to the entry summary declarations and, in the future, they will be submitted to the Commission’s system (CR). The new declarations will be introduced for each mode of transport in several phases. The declarations for postal traffic have already been introduced in 2021, the declarations for air traffic will be introduced in 2023 and the declarations for the other modes of transport in 2024.

In air traffic, declarations to be submitted before the goods are loaded will be introduced in 2023. An arrival notification for arriving goods will be submitted to the Commission’s system (CR). In addition, a separate presentation notification for goods unloaded in Finland will be submitted to Finnish Customs in the Customs Clearance Service or via message exchange.

In the new entry summary declaration, the mandatory safety and security data include details of the seller and the buyer, as well as the goods description and the commodity code at the level of at least six digits.

The declarations for goods arriving under the transit procedure will change in 2023 and the declaration of safety and security data in 2024–25.

Declarations for goods arriving from EU ports and airports now

For goods arriving by sea or air, the following must be submitted to Customs either in the arrival and exit declaration service (AREX) or via message exchange: 

  • summary declaration for temporary storage
  • presentation notification.

Movements of goods between temporary storage facilities are declared according to national guidelines.

Changes to declarations for goods arriving from EU ports and airports

For goods arriving by sea or air, the following must be submitted to Customs from autumn 2022, either in the Customs Clearance Service or via message exchange: 

  • temporary storage declaration
  • presentation notification.

In the temporary storage declaration, either the goods description or the commodity code of the goods at the level of at least six digits must be provided. Providing the commodity code will become mandatory later. 

Regarding movements of goods between temporary storage facilities, electronic declarations will be introduced in autumn 2022, and they will be submitted to Customs either in the Customs Clearance Service or via message exchange. 

Proving the Union status of goods now

The Union status of goods worth no more than 15 000 euros can be proved using an invoice or a transport document without confirmation by the customs office of departure. A document proving the Union status of goods worth more than 15 000 euros must be confirmed at the place of departure. The document can be declared with an entry summary declaration or a summary declaration submitted to the AREX system. If the goods were received at a temporary storage facility as non-Union goods at a Finnish port of destination, the document proving the Union status of the goods can also be submitted to the temporary storage operator.

Changes to proving the Union status of goods

The Union status of goods worth no more than 15 000 euros can still be proved using an invoice or transport document without confirmation by the customs office of departure. In the future, the Union status of goods worth more than 15 000 euros can be proved by submitting an electronic declaration to the Commission’s PoUS system. The deployment of the system is planned for 2024–2025. The MRN issued for the declaration submitted to PoUS must be provided in the presentation notification to Customs, when the goods arrive in Finland.

Before the deployment of the PoUS system, the Union status of goods can be declared to Customs in one of the following ways:

  • entry summary declaration or summary declaration for temporary storage in the arrival and exit declaration service (AREX) or via message exchange
  • temporary storage declaration either in the Customs Clearance Service or via message exchange.