Moving to Finland with a pet from an EU country

  1. Before you bring in the animal, be sure to check the requirements on the Finnish Food Authority’s website. 
  2. You do not need to declare your pet to Customs, and your pet does not need to undergo customs clearance. However, note that Customs can check your pet and its documents.

Moving to Finland with a pet from outside the EU

  1. Before you bring in the animal, be sure to check the requirements on the Finnish Food Authority’s website. 
  2. When you arrive in Finland, choose the red channel. Present the pet and its documents to Customs.
  3. In Finland, submit an import declaration on removal goods to Customs for your pet. You can submit the import declaration at the customs office, or you can buy the service from a forwarding company. 

Please note! If you arrive in Finland by air via another EU country and you pet travels as hand luggage, the pet must be inspected in the country where you make the stopover. This means that if you arrive from the United States and you change planes in Brussels, the pet must be inspected already in Brussels. An inspection may not always be offered, but you need to make sure it is done. When you arrive in Finland after the stopover, you must have a stamped EU standard model health certificate for your pet. 

If the pet arrives in the cargo hold or as freight, it is usually inspected only in Finland.