Ordering from abroad and customs clearance

All shipments arriving from outside the EU must be cleared

All goods from outside the EU must be cleared. At a minimum, customs clearance may mean that you inform Customs of the contents of the shipment. Customs clearance may involve duties, like VAT, customs duty and excise duty.

VAT must always be paid, but many foreign online stores will charge it in connection with payment.
Customs duty must be paid on all purchases from outside the EU. Previously, customs duty applied only to purchases over EUR 150, but this threshold was removed on July 1, 2026.
Excise duty is only paid on certain products, such as alcohol and tobacco.

These are collectively referred to as import taxes or charges.

Not all products may be ordered to Finland, or a permit may be required. You can find more information on these on the Finnish Customs website, for example in the instructions I am going to order goods from abroad.

If you’re planning to order goods from abroad, you can use the customs duty calculator on the Finnish Customs website to calculate the amount of duties payable.

If your order is transported by Posti in Finland, you can track it in OmaPosti. You will also receive customs-related information there.

Note: If the sender has not included your phone number in the shipment details, the shipment will not appear in OmaPosti automatically. You will need to add it to OmaPosti yourself. See instructions.

We will declare some online purchases for you

You do not always have to do or pay anything related to customs clearance. Posti will declare purchases under EUR 150 on your behalf if you have already paid the VAT in the online store and the sender has included everything required for customs clearance (so-called IOSS purchases). The online store will provide us with the necessary customs clearance information, and we will forward it to Finnish Customs.

In these cases, the parcel’s journey does not pause for customs clearance. Instead, the parcel automatically continues its journey to you.

However, if the online store has not provided everything required for customs clearance, you must clear the shipment yourself using Finnish Customs' service. Once the parcel has arrived in Finland, you will receive a notification from us that you have received a shipment requiring customs clearance.

When you clear your shipment yourself

When the recipient has to complete customs clearance themselves, the parcel waits in Posti’s warehouse until the customs clearance has been done. The storage period is 20 days after the parcel has arrived in Finland. The customs clearance must be done during this period. Depending on the contact information we have received from the sender, you will receive a notification from us about the parcel requiring customs clearance either by phone, email or paper mail. See our instructions for customs clearance of parcels.

Usually, Posti's handling fee must also be paid in addition to the customs clearance. It covers the costs incurred by Posti related to processing and warehousing for the parcel. When you have cleared the shipment and paid the handling fee, Customs “releases” the shipment, i.e. informs Posti that the transport can continue. Then we deliver the parcel to you.

Where will the parcel be delivered?

The delivery method of the parcel depends on the sender. It can be delivered to a Posti outlet for pickup, to your doorstep or to your mailbox. Some orders from abroad are shipped as registered mail. To pick up registered shipments, you always need an identity document. If someone else picks up the shipment, they also need to have a power of attorney from you. If the shipment contains your phone number, you can see how and where the parcel will be delivered in the OmaPosti application. The application also tells you what is needed to pick up the shipments that have arrived for pickup and who can pick up the parcel. Start using OmaPosti If the shipment does not include your phone number or email address, you will receive a notice of arrival in paper form.

Frequently asked questions

If the shipment was sent from inside the EU, it normally doesn’t need to be cleared. Even so, there are some exceptions, such as the Åland Islands, the Canary Islands and a number of other areas that are within the EU’s customs territory but are not included within its fiscal territory.

For more information about customs clearance regulations, go to the Finnish Customs website.

Goods arriving from outside the EU should always be cleared, including products purchased online, publications you have subscribed to, gifts that have been sent to you as well as documents for which a value has been provided.

If you’re planning to order goods from abroad, you can use the customs duty calculator on the Finnish Customs website to calculate the amount of VAT and customs duties payable.

Go to the customs duty calculator.

Yes, there are restrictions on the import of some goods. If you’re planning to order goods from abroad, check if there are any restrictions in place in terms of importing the goods to Finland or if you need a permit or specific documents.

Even many ordinary commodities may be subject to special conditions or restrictions when ordered from abroad – such as natural products, plants and seeds, dietary supplements and medicines.

Importing certain commodities or goods may be entirely forbidden.

On the Finnish Customs website, you can find a comprehensive list of which goods and products are subject to import restrictions and from which authorities (e.g. the Finnish Food Agency, the police, Fimea) you can receive the necessary permits or other documents.

Go to the Finnish Customs website.

IOSS is related to VAT on foreign purchases. An online purchase with a value of up to EUR 150 can be cleared as an IOSS purchase if you have already paid the VAT in the online store and the sender has included everything required for customs clearance.

Posti will declare IOSS purchases on your behalf. This requires that all fees have been paid and that we receive the necessary customs clearance information directly from the online store. In this case, you do not need to do anything.

The online store does not always provide everything required for customs clearance, even if you have paid the VAT to the online store. In this case, the item cannot be cleared as an IOSS purchase, and you must clear it yourself. In these cases, you will receive a customs clearance request once the item has arrived in the country.

Due to stricter EU legislation, Customs may not be able to take into account the VAT you paid at the time of purchase if the item was sent with incomplete information.

IOSS is an international VAT system for online purchases. It makes international e-commerce easier.

For example, if a British seller company is registered in the IOSS system, the Finnish buyer pays VAT as part of the purchase price in the seller's online store. The seller then passes on the VAT to the Finnish government. IOSS applies to online purchases with a value of up to EUR 150.