Amending a clearance decision
If you wish to correct any details you have provided in a customs clearance, or if you are for example cancelling a trade transaction, you can apply for a correction/revision for your customs clearance.
What you should do when you are returning goods or sending them for repair or exchange?
Who can apply for a revised decision?
You can apply for a correction, i.e. revision, for a customs clearance decision if you are the consignee. You can submit a request for correction even if a transport company has seen to the customs clearance on your behalf. Another person or a transport company can also apply for a correction on your behalf.
When can you apply for revision?
You can apply for a correction to your customs clearance decision in the following situations:
- You are returning goods, i.e. cancelling a trade transaction.
- You have received defective goods or the wrong goods.
- You have entered an incorrect detail in your customs clearance (for example currency, value or commodity code for the goods).
- Your parcel has been returned to the consignor.
- You are applying for a reduced customs duty rate for the goods after their clearance.
In certain situations, you must contact the seller or transport company for a refund of the import duties you have paid. Customs is unable to refund the import duties you have paid in the following situations:
- The parcel you have declared has arrived in Finland, but got lost before its arrival to you. In such a case, you should contact the transport company for a refund of the import duties you have paid. Please contact the transport company for detailed instructions.
- You have paid VAT already upon purchase of the goods (to an IOSS seller). In such a case, you should contact the seller for a refund of the import duties you have paid. Send the customs decision to the online trader for a repayment. If you have declared the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, the customs clearance decision is available for 90 days in the “My declarations” section.
Time limits
Time limits vary according to the reason why you are applying for a correction of your customs clearance decision.
If you have returned the goods you have purchased from an online trader, you must submit your claim for revision within 90 days of the approval of the customs declaration. Your goods must also have been returned when you submit your application.
If you have returned goods that are defective or do not comply with the terms of the contract, the application must be submitted within one year of the date of notification of the customs debt. Your goods must also have been returned when you submit your application.
If, for some reason, too much customs duty has been paid (e.g. due to an overestimated customs value or an error by the customs authority), the application must be submitted within three years of the date of notification of the customs debt.
How to submit an application
You can apply for revision of a customs clearance decision in the following ways:
- If you have declared your goods in the Import Declaration Service for private customers and your customs clearance is complete, you can apply for revision in the said Service. Your customs clearance will remain under “My declarations” for 90 days. If you wish to apply for revision of an older customs clearance, other ways of applying are available.
- You can apply for revision of your customs clearance decision on a form (1147). See also the detailed instructions for completing the form.
- You can also submit a free-form application. In your free-form application, you should provide the same details as when using an actual form, that is, the MRN of the customs clearance decision, the reason for applying for a correction, your account number and contact details, and the required attachments. See closer instructions here.
Primarily, you should send the application including attachments by secure email to kirjaamo(at)tulli.fi. Check the instructions on how to send secure email. You can also send your application by mail to Tulli, Tuonnin oikaisuhakemukset, PL 512, 00101 Helsinki. You can also hand in the application at our registry office or one of our customs offices. - You can also submit your application in the Customs Clearance Service. Read the instructions for correcting your application (in Finnish).
In some cases, you can request invalidation of a customs clearance instead of an amendment (correction).
In the Import Declaration Service for private persons, if no more than 90 days have passed since submitting the declaration
After you have personally lodged the customs clearance of your consignment in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, your customs clearance decision, decision on release, customs invoice and the related MRN will be available for 90 days in the service. Your bank will provide a receipt on the customs clearance you have paid for.
- Log in to the Service.
- Go to “My declarations”. If you’re using a mobile device, you can find the heading by opening the menu in the top right-hand corner of the service.
- Select your customs clearance and documentation.
In the Customs Clearance service, if more than 90 days have passed since submitting the declaration
If you have declared your consignment personally in the Import Declaration Service for private persons and it has been more than 90 days since the customs clearance, you will find your clearance documents in the Customs Clearance Service. For searching your documents, you will need the Movement Reference Number (MRN) of your customs clearance (in clearances done in 2023, the number begins with 23FIU000…).
- Log in to the service.
- Select the “Advanced search” tab. Select “MRN or other declaration reference” and the “Other transaction channels” transaction method.
- The clearance documents are on the “Summary and submission” page.
In the Customs Clearance Service, if you submitted the declaration there
The Customs Clearance Service contains the customs clearances you have done using the Service.
- Log in to the Service.
- Go to the “Finished” tab and select your customs clearance. If you know the MRN of your customs clearance, you can search your customs clearance on the “Advanced search” tab in the Customs Clearance Service.
- The clearance documents are on the “Summary and submission” page.
By asking the transport company, if it submitted the declaration for you
When a transport company or a forwarding company has cleared your consignment on your behalf, ask them for the documentation.
Keep the customs clearance documents!
As a private person you should keep the customs clearance documents for the current year and an additional six years following the clearance. Customs may ask you to present these documents.
You may later need, for instance, the MRN on the customs clearance decision when transacting with Customs.
In this instruction, invalidation refers to completely cancelling a completed clearance that has been paid for. Amendment refers to a situation where a completed clearance contains an incorrect detail that needs to be amended. In the case of amendment, the original customs clearance will remain in force.
You can request invalidation of a customs clearance e.g. when
- you cancel your purchase and return the whole consignment to a seller outside the EU. Submit the invalidation request to Customs within 90 days of the acceptance of the clearance.
- the consignment has been declared twice. You declared the consignment twice or you asked the transport company to declare it but you also declared it yourself. Submit the invalidation request to Customs within 3 years of the date of notification of the customs debt.
- you provided incorrect details in the declaration. Because of the incorrect details, you had to submit a new, i.e. a replacement customs declaration, because the transport company required a clearance with the correct details. The replacement declaration must contain the same product and price details as the original one. Examples:
- You are in mainland Finland and declared a consignment from outside the EU. In the declaration, you incorrectly ticked the box “I am in the Åland Islands and I am sending a parcel from here to another location in Finland”.
- You are in mainland Finland and declared a consignment from outside the EU. In the declaration, the country of dispatch was, however, incorrectly a non-EU country and ticked the box “The consignment will be delivered to Åland”.
- In these situations, submit the invalidation request to Customs within 3 years of the date of notification of the customs debt.
How to request invalidation of a customs clearance by email or using a form
Request invalidation of a customs clearance with a freeform application or using a form (1147). If you request invalidation using a form, see also the detailed instructions for completing the form.
In the application, provide the MRN of the customs clearance decision, the reason for applying for a invalidation, a bank account number and you contact details. If the consignment was declared twice or you had to submit a replacement declaration, provide the MRNs of both clearances.
You should always attach the order confirmation or invoice to the application. Also attach all verifications, documents, emails and any photographs that provide additional information on the matter.
If you cancelled the purchase and returned the whole consignment to the seller, attach documentation that shows that the goods you ordered have been returned to a country outside the EU. This documentation must show what goods you returned.
The documentation can be one of the following:
- Parcel tracking details. You can attach, for example, a screen shot from Posti’s website or from OmaPosti that shows that the goods have arrived in the country outside the EU.
- A message from the seller showing that the goods have been received outside the EU. Please note that providing proof of repayment of the money paid for the goods is not sufficient.
- Address label attached to the parcel. The address must show that you have sent the parcel to a seller outside the EU.
Send the application including attachments by secure email to kirjaamo(at)tulli.fi. Check the instructions on how to send secure email. You can also send your application by mail to Tulli, Tuonnin oikaisuhakemukset, PL 512, 00101 Helsinki. You can also hand in the application at our registry office or one of our customs offices.
How to request invalidation of a customs clearance in the Customs Clearance Service
If you have declared the consignment yourself in the Import Declaration Service for private persons, you can request invalidation of the customs clearance in the Customs Clearance Service.
We recommend that you use the Customs Clearance Service with a device other than a mobile device. Before you start completing the invalidation request, find out the declaration MRN.
It is currently not possible to request invalidation of a customs clearance in the Import Declaration Service for private persons.
If you are applying for revision of a customs clearance of goods entering Åland or moving between Åland and the rest of Finland, please send your application by secure email: skattegrans(at)tulli.fi. Read the instructions on how to send secure email. You can also send your application by mail to Mariehamns tull, förtullningsbegäran, PL 40, 22101 Mariehamn. You can also hand in the application at our registry office or one of our customs offices.
How your application for revision is processed
We process applications in their order of arrival. Please note that Customs does not notify you separately about the receipt or processing of your application. It usually takes two months to process an application.
When Customs has processed your application, you will receive a decision. Any possible refund of duties will be made directly to the bank account you have indicated in your application. It may take a few days for the refund to appear on your bank account.
When an application for revision is not accepted
If you are not satisfied with Customs’ decision on your claim for a revised decision, you can file an appeal with Helsinki Administrative Court. Read the instructions from the Adminstrative Court for submitting an appeal.
The price of lodging a tax appeal with an Administrative Court is 270 euros.