Travellers’ tax-free purchases in Finland 

As a traveller, you can make tax-free purchases in Finland, if

  • you live outside the EU and are visiting Finland, or
  • you are moving from Finland to a country outside the EU within the next two weeks. 

The instructions on this page do not apply to those living in Norway or moving to Norway.

What are tax-free purchases?

You can get the VAT back on tax-free purchases afterwards. When buying goods in Finland, you normally pay the VAT at the point of purchase. You will get the VAT refund upon presenting a confirmation to the seller that the goods have been taken out of the EU territory.

The following conditions must be met:

  • you live outside the EU or you are moving from Finland to a territory outside the EU within two weeks
  • you have purchased the goods yourself in Finland
  • the goods have not been used in Finland; they are unused and sealed
  • you are carrying the goods in your personal luggage
  • the value of the goods is at least 40 euros (all goods in total purchased from the same seller). 

For tax-free purchases, the traveller’s citizenship is not relevant; their habitual residence or permanent address is. Finnish citizens can also buy tax-free goods in Finland, if they live permanently outside the EU, but visit Finland on holiday, for example. Read more about the definition of habitual residence and permanent address on the website of the Tax Administration.

 

When you leave Finland, do as follows

To be able to get a tax-free refund for your goods, you need to have a sales receipt from the seller. In addition, you also need a stamp on the sales receipt, which proves that you are taking the goods out of the EU territory. Get the stamp before the goods leave the EU territory. It will not be possible to obtain a stamp retrospectively.

If you apply for a VAT refund from a cash refund office such as Global Blue or Planet Tax Free, you will receive a stamp on your sales receipt from their service point or machine. 

If the service point is not open or if you are not applying for a refund through a cash refund office, you can get a stamp from Customs. Present the goods and their sales receipts to Customs. Please note that checked goods must be presented to Customs prior to the security check.

There is one Customs’ service point at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport before the security control. The service point is located near the entrance to the arrivals hall in front of the taxi station. Another service point is located after the security control at departure gate 29. Both service points are open around the clock.

If you leave Finland from somewhere else than Helsinki-Vantaa airport, check the customer service hours of the customs office in advance. Some customs offices, for example at smaller airports, offer customer service only for a limited period of time or by appointment only.

If you are flying to a destination outside the EU and your flight includes a stopover in the EU, please note the following:

  • If your goods are in your checked luggage, get a stamp from the place of departure. For example, if your flight is Helsinki-Paris-New York, get a stamp in Helsinki before you check in your luggage.
  • If your goods are in your hand luggage, get a stamp from the customs authority at the final stopover location in the territory of the EU. If your flight is Helsinki-Paris-New York, get a stamp in Paris during the stopover. Please note that the stamp must be acquired at the stopover location regardless of how short the transfer time is. 

The same instructions also apply if you have a stopover in Finland, for example en route Rovaniemi-Helsinki-London. If you tax-free goods are in your checked luggage, make sure that the goods are stamped in Rovaniemi, as it will no longer be possible to get a stamp in Helsinki. If needed, check with a customs office in advance, when it is possible to get customer service there.

When you are moving from Finland or back to Finland

Moving from Finland to a non-EU country

If you are moving to a country outside the EU for at least six months, you can purchase tax-free goods in Finland two weeks before moving. Please follow the instructions given earlier on this page.

Moving back to Finland from a non-EU country

If you are moving to Finland, you can usually bring your previous tax-free purchases to Finland in your removal goods without paying taxes or duties. This requires that you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months and that you have owned the goods for at least 6 months. Read more about bringing removal goods to Finland.

Please note that this does not apply to goods that you have owned for less than 6 months. If you have made tax-free purchases less than 6 months before moving back to Finland, for example on your last holiday in Finland, you may have to pay taxes for the goods, if you bring them with you when moving back to Finland.

In this case, the goods are subject to the same value limits as any other personal goods from outside the EU. If the value of the goods exceeds the maximum limit, you must pay VAT and possible customs duty for them.