Changes to notifications concerning discharge of special procedures for import in November 2025 – data content description of the updated message FI488 published

In November 2025, there will be changes to the bill of discharge submitted for inward processing and end-use goods as well as to the discharge notification submitted for temporary admission goods. The changes also cover the discharge of the customs procedures 46 and 48. Small changes have also been made to the data content of the discharge notification for goods placed under the customs warehousing procedure.

Finnish Customs published a new version of the message implementing guidelines for import on 12 August 2025. In future, the message FI488 will be used for discharge. The message is currently used only after customs warehousing, but in future, it will also be used for discharging other special procedures. Significant changes have been made to the data content description of the message.

Changing operational model

At the moment, the bill of discharge and the discharge notification for temporary admission goods are submitted in one of the following ways:

• via message exchange using the free-form contact message FI439 sent separately for each declaration to be discharged
• in the Customs Clearance Service using the button “Contact Customs” for separately providing the details of each declaration to be discharged
• by email using a separate document.

In future, message declarants can submit a bill of discharge or a discharge notification with the updated discharge notification message FI488. In the Customs Clearance Service, the discharge details will be submitted with a new import notification of the type discharge notification. The authorisation holder can submit the discharge notification in the Customs Clearance Service, even if the representative had submitted the original declarations for the special procedure via message exchange.

With the message FI488 and in the Customs Clearance Service, discharge details can be submitted for several different declarations related to the same written authorisation granted by the Authorisation Centre for the use of the special procedure.

In future, notifications concerning discharge will be primarily submitted electronically with the message FI488 or in the Customs Clearance Service. A separate document sent by email or letter can be accepted as a notification concerning discharge if it is not possible to submit an electronic notification.

Holders of special procedure authorisations who use tables sent separately as email attachments should acquaint themselves with the new details required in notifications concerning discharge and choose a suitable way to submit them. Users of message exchange can integrate the discharge notification into their own information systems. Message exchange also reduces the manual workload, especially if the discharge notification contains details of goods covered by several different customs declarations.

Testing and transition period for message declarants

If your company wishes to submit updated discharge notifications with the message FI488, the updated message must be tested with Customs. In September, Customs will provide more information about message testing and applying for testing.

Message declarants who apply for testing of the updated message FI488 before November 2025 can continue to submit bills of discharge or discharge notifications using the message FI439 even after November 2025, until the customer testing has been completed. Customers applying for status as a message declarant can also use the Customs Clearance Service or a separate document sent by email during testing. All message declarants must start using the updated message FI488 no later than in spring 2026.

In the Customs Clearance Service, the use of the new notification model will start in November 2025.

More information:

• Changes to customs declarations in 2020–2025
• UCC(at)tulli.fi