Instructions for declaring specific goods

With these instructions, you can declare certain goods in the Import Declaration Service for private persons.

Note that the Import Declaration Service also has instructions on completing customs declarations. You can see the instructions by clicking on the question marks next to the fields.

Be sure to check our general instructions as well on our page on How to declare your parcel. If you cannot find the customs clearance instructions you need, you can contact our customer service.

It may happen that you receive a defective item that you do not have to send back to the seller. If the seller sends you a new item or a new component of the item free of charge, please note that the new item or component must be declared.

If you declare the new item or component in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select that you wish to declare “purchased goods” on the start page. When declaring the value of the new item or component, enter the normal price of the item or component.

After that, you can apply for a correction, i.e. revision of the customs clearance decision, so that you can get a refund of the import taxes that you have paid for the defective item. To complete your application for revision you need the MRN of the original declaration and the MRN of the declaration of the new item.  

Please note that you cannot apply for a revision of the customs clearance decision if you received the original item from EU territory, but the new item or component arrives from outside the EU. The new item or component must be declared and when declaring its value, the normal price of the item or the component must be entered.

Please note that in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select “goods replaced for free under warranty” only if you sent the defective item back to the seller.  

When you’ve ordered goods from Ukraine, you should declare the consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons as follows:

When the value of the consignment without transport costs is no more than 155 euros:

  • On page 2, “Consignment details”, you are asked, “Does the consignment contain goods subject to restrictions or excise duty?” Choose ‘Yes’.
  • On page 3, “Goods details”, select the tab “Commodity code”. You must provide the commodity code of the goods; that is, you cannot use the goods search. You can ask for the commodity code in the chat in the Import Declaration Service for private persons (Mon–Fri from 8.00 to 16.15) or by calling Advice on customs clearance for private customers or you can find the commodity code yourself in the commodity code service Fintaric.

When the value of the consignment without transport costs is over 155 euros:

  • On page 3, “Goods details”, select the tab “Commodity code”. You must provide the commodity code of the goods; that is, you cannot use the goods search. You can ask for the commodity code in the chat in the Import Declaration Service for private persons (Mon–Fri from 8.00 to 16.15) or by calling Advice on customs clearance for private customers or you can find the commodity code yourself in the commodity code service Fintaric.

Continue filling in the declaration as normal and answer the other questions about your consignment.

A subscription newspaper or magazine arriving from outside the EU

You must declare each newspaper or magazine individually to Customs and pay the VAT and flat fee customs duty of €3 due for it. Even if you have subscribed for the newspaper or magazine for a longer period, each newspaper or magazine issue included in the subscription must be declared separately.

In the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select that you wish to declare “purchased goods”.

You can calculate the value of a single newspaper or magazine issue by dividing the total price of the subscription with the number of issues included in it.

  • Example: The subscription period is 12 months, that is, 1 January–31 December 2026. The magazine is delivered once a month. The price of the subscription period is USD 80. Divide the price of the subscription period, USD 80, with the number of magazine issues. The price of an individual magazine issue is USD 6.67 (80 : 12 = 6.67).

On the page “Consignment details”, under “Value of the consignment without transport costs”, enter the price and currency of a single magazine issue.

On the page “Goods details”, enter “magazine” in the search field and select “magazines and comics”. Under “Price and currency”, enter the price and currency of the individual magazine issue.

Fill in the missing details and submit the declaration. You can pay the VAT and the customs duty straight away.

Gifts for magazine subscribers or free magazine samples

A gift sent from outside the EU can only be tax free if you receive it free of charge from another private individual. Goods sent by a company must be declared and import duties and taxes must be paid for them, even though you have not bought the goods. The same is also true for, for example, gifts for magazine subscribers or free magazine samples.

When you declare the goods in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, select that you wish to declare “purchased goods” on the start page. Enter as the goods value the price that would be charged for a similar product, for example, in an online store. You can also ask the sender (consignor) to provide information on the value of the goods.

Posti handling fee

If your consignment is transported by Posti and you paid tax for the customs clearance, remember to also pay the Posti handling fee so that Posti can deliver your parcel. This does not concern customers of Åland Post.