Product safety and counterfeit products
Online purchases from outside the EU
If you make on online purchase from a non-EU country, the product does not necessarily comply with the product safety regulations in force in the EU and Finland. The safety performance of the product may significantly deviate from the product safety regulations in force in the EU, as the manufacturer of the product may not have intended the product to be sold in the EU. Products sold online may also include products that have been withdrawn from the market somewhere in the world due to their dangerousness.
Consumer rights may differ between EU countries. Consumer rights in countries outside the EU can be different from the rights of Finnish consumers. Product safety requirements also vary, as the legal protection of consumers in the EU and in Finland is different from the protection in, for example, Asian countries.
Counterfeit products
Travellers are not allowed to bring in, for commercial purposes, counterfeit products or other products that infringe on intellectual property rights. The EU Court of Justice has ruled that online purchases made by private individuals also comprise commercial activity. The Finnish Copyright Act also prohibits the importation of pirated products such as counterfeit music and film recordings.
A counterfeit product is a product that infringes on the intellectual property rights (IPR)Link to an external websiteOpens in a new tab of the original product.
If Customs suspects that the product you have ordered online is a counterfeit product, the import of your purchase may be stopped. The maximum penalty for an intellectual property offence is two years’ imprisonment.
Customs controls that the goods entering, exiting and being transited through Finland are not counterfeit goods or other products infringing on the intellectual property rights. The controls aim to protect the state’s tax revenue, the citizens and society from harmful products and the economic interests of the original right holder.