Arriving in Finland – what can I bring from abroad tax free? 

When you arrive in Finland from outside the EU, you may have to pay taxes and duties for goods that you have bought or received abroad. In certain situations, however, you can bring goods without paying taxes or duties. In these cases, the value of the goods can be 430 or 300 euros at most. You must also bring the goods to Finland in your own personal luggage and the import of the goods must meet the other conditions for tax-free imports.

Is the country part of the EU? Look it up here. 

Value limits when you arrive in Finland from outside the EU

Value limits apply to goods that you have bought or received when travelling outside the EU. The value limit depends on the means of travel. 

• If you arrive in Finland by plane or boat, you can bring goods for a maximum of 430 euros without paying taxes or duties.
• If you arrive in Finland by car, bus or train, you can bring goods for a maximum of 300 euros without paying taxes or duties. This also applies to situations where you arrive in Finland on a yacht or on an aircraft that is in recreational use.

Please note that there are goods that you cannot bring to Finland even if their value is below the limit. Some goods cannot be brought to Finland at all, and some goods are subject to restrictions for how much goods can be brought and on which conditions. Read more about restrictions.  

If the value limits are exceeded, choose the red channel at Customs when you arrive in Finland. Also choose the red channel if you are bringing goods that are subject to restrictions that require that the goods are presented to Customs. 

Read more about taxes and duties that must be paid for goods with a total value of more than 430 or 300 euros.

What is included in the value limit?

Both your own purchases and any goods that you have received are included in the value limit. Goods that you have taken into use while abroad are also included in the value limit. 

The following goods are not included in the value limit: 

• medicines that you need for yourself
• personal luggage that you bring to Finland only temporarily
• luggage that you brought with you when you left Finland.

Furthermore, the following goods are not included in the value limit, but there are other restrictions for the import of these goods:

• alcohol
• tobacco
• fuel.

In this context, tobacco refers to traditional tobacco products, such as cigarettes and cigars. More information is available on the page on importing tobacco from travels. These are not included in the value limit. However, the value limit does include for example snus products, e-cigarettes and nicotine liquids.

How is the value of the goods calculated?

The value of the goods is the price that has been paid for the goods. You must be able to provide reliable proof of the price paid for the goods, for example with receipts. In other words, you should keep the receipts of your purchases.

The price of a single item cannot be divided into a tax-free and a taxable part. If the price of the item exceeds the 430 or 300 euros value limit, taxes and possible customs duties must be paid for the price of the whole item.

Please also note that it is not possible to split the price of an item and share it with another person, not even your spouse. The right to import goods as free of tax and duty is personal. 

Conditions for tax free imports when you arrive in Finland from outside the EU

In addition to the value limits, there are also other requirements that must be met in order for you to be allowed to bring goods as free of tax and duty from outside the EU. The import must not be commercial and you have to transport the goods in your own personal luggage. 

The import must not be commercial

You are only allowed to bring in goods tax and duty free if you are not importing them in order to sell them or for some other commercial purpose. 

The following conditions must be met:

• you import goods occasionally, not regularly.
• you only import goods for your own or your family’s use, or as gifts.
• it is evident based on the nature and amount of the goods that they are not intended for commercial use. 

The goods must be imported in your own luggage

You are only allowed to bring in goods tax and duty-free if you bring them in your own personal luggage. Personal luggage is luggage that you can present to Customs when arriving in Finland, if needed. This means that you bring the goods as luggage in an airplane or in your own car, for example. 

In certain situations, goods are also regarded as your personal luggage even if they can only be presented to Customs later, if they are registered as luggage that you carry with you. This is the case when you are travelling by plane and your luggage is delayed and does not arrive in Finland at the same time as you. 

If the conditions for tax-free imports are not met, you must pay taxes and possible customs duties for the goods, even if they do not exceed the value limits.