Lodge a new declaration

There are four ways to lodge a customs declaration:
•    create a completely new declaration
•    use a template (see the instructions on the pages “My templates” and “Summary and submission”)
•    complete a declaration saved as a draft (see the instructions on the page “Drafts”)
•    copy the details of an earlier declaration as a draft.

New declaration

You can create a completely new declaration by selecting “+ New declaration” on the front page. This will open the page “Choose the type of a new declaration”.

Choose the type of a new declaration

Provide the arrival ID of a postal consignment when selecting a declaration template 

When you’re declaring a postal consignment, it’s important that you provide the tracking ID, that is, the arrival ID mentioned in Post’s arrival notice. The Customs Clearance Service will then automatically fill in some of the declaration details, provided that the transport company has agreed with Customs to supply this information.  Start by selecting “+New declaration” and “Import”. 

How do I provide the arrival ID?

When you start filling in a customs declaration for a postal consignment, select “+New declaration”. Do not copy a previous declaration or use a declaration template.
Answer the questions on the page “Choose the type of a new declaration”, and the service will take you to the appropriate declaration template based on your choices. Select “Import”, the original country of dispatch and the customs procedure. 
Enter the arrival ID you have received from Posti or other transport company under “Start to lodge a declaration”. From the dropdown menu, choose the trader that gave you the ID and select “Apply”. Only after this can you proceed to fill in the declaration by clicking on the button “Customs declaration”.

General information about choosing a declaration and shortcuts

Under “Choose the type of a new declaration”, choose the declaration type by clicking one of the buttons under “What do you want to declare”?” When you want to lodge standard import declarations for goods imported from outside the EU or customs declarations for goods imported across the tax border of the EU, choose “Import”. When you want to lodge customs warehousing declarations, choose “Customs warehousing”. The other declarations will be introduced later in this service.

If you want to directly choose a declaration type that you have used before, you can choose it in the drop-down menu under “Shortcuts”.

You can delete all the choices you have made by clicking “Close”.

Then you can start again under “What do you want to declare”.

Import declarations

Selecting country of dispatch

When you have chosen “Import”, you have to select, under “Origin of the consignment”, the country code for the original country of dispatch from the menu “Select country or territory of dispatch”. Clicking the magnifying glass icon will open a menu where you can search and select the country of dispatch. You can also write the beginning of the name of the country or territory (e.g. Chi for China) in the field, and the menu will display the alternatives that contain that combination of letters. Select the desired alternative with the mouse or with the arrow keys on the keyboard.

If you are lodging a customs declaration for goods imported from a non-EU country, select the country of dispatch from the menu, e.g. CN China. If you are lodging a tax border declaration for goods imported from Sweden to Åland, select SE Sweden. If you are lodging a tax border declaration concerning goods traffic between Åland and the rest of Finland, select FI Finland (for specific instructions, see “Customs declaration concerning goods traffic between Åland and the rest of Finland”).

The selection of country of origin affects the details that you will have to provide next. When you have selected the country, move the cursor from the box and left click the mouse or press the Tab key on the keyboard. After this, new fields to be filled in will be displayed.

Choosing the customs procedure for goods imported from outside the EU

When you have selected a non-EU country of dispatch, “Requested customs procedure?” will be displayed. Select the desired customs procedure. The three most common customs procedures have their own buttons, which you can click directly to select the procedure. As for other customs procedures, you can select the appropriate heading in the drop-down menu under “Other customs procedures”.

When you have selected the procedure, “Start to lodge a declaration” will be displayed. If you have selected 40 (Release for free circulation without previous customs procedure) as the customs procedure, additional alternatives will first be displayed (for specific instructions, see “Customs declaration concerning goods traffic between Åland and the rest of Finland”).

If you notice that you have selected the wrong customs procedure when you are already completing the declaration, you can no longer change the declaration type. You have to stop completing the declaration and start a new declaration.

Clicking the “Close” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Import declaration and declaration for low-value goods

If you have selected 4000 (release for free circulation) as the customs procedure code, you will be lodging a customs declaration for goods without previous customs procedure. Next, select whether your consignment is of low value, that is, 150 euros or below.

The section “Estimated value of the goods (excluding shipping costs)?” will be displayed. Next, select whether the value of your whole consignment is 150 euros or below or over 150 euros.

Clicking the “Cancel” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

If you select “150 € or below”, you’ll be asked the question “Goods under restrictions or excise taxes?”, in other words: Are the goods subject to import restrictions or do excise duties have to be paid for them? Select yes or no.

Clicking the “Cancel” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Starting a declaration

In the section “Start to lodge a declaration”, you can start completing a customs declaration without providing an arrival ID or a tracking ID. 

If you have an arrival ID or a tracking ID that you have received from a postal operator, an express carrier or possibly some other transport company enter it in the text field “If you have an arrival ID from postal or freight operator, enter it here before selecting a declaration”). From the dropdown menu, choose the trader that gave you the ID and select “Apply”. 

When the “Apply” button is activated, the service will fill in some details in the declaration. On the basis of the ID you entered, a heading with the code of the required customs declaration will be displayed. Under the heading there is the button “Customs declaration”. By clicking it you can start lodging a declaration. 

If you don’t want to lodge a declaration, but create a template for later use, tick the box “I do not want to send a declaration now but I want to make a template for later use” under the “Customs declaration” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Customs declaration”.

You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.

Clicking the “Close” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Customs declaration for goods imported from another EU country across the tax border

If you want to lodge a tax border declaration for goods imported from another EU country, but across the EU tax border, select under “From which country or area were the goods originally dispatched?” the country code for the original country of dispatch from the menu “Select country or territory of dispatch”. Clicking the magnifying glass icon will open a menu where you can select the country of dispatch. You can also write the beginning of the name of the country or territory (e.g. Swe for Sweden), and the menu will display the alternatives that contain that combination of letters. Select the desired alternative with the mouse or with the arrow keys on the keyboard. 

When you have selected the country, move the cursor from the checkbox and left click the mouse or press the Tab key on the keyboard. After this, new fields to be filled in will be displayed.

In section “Start to lodge a declaration”, you can start completing a customs declaration without an arrival ID or a tracking ID. If you have e.g. an arrival ID or a tracking ID from a postal operator, enter it in the first text field. When you have entered the ID, from the dropdown menu, choose the trader that gave you the ID and select “Apply”.  When the “Apply” button is activated, the service will automatically fill in some details in the declaration. On the basis of the country of dispatch you entered, a heading with the code of the required customs declaration will be displayed. Under the heading, there is the button “Customs declaration”. By clicking it you can start lodging a declaration.

If you don’t want to lodge a declaration, but create a template for later use, tick the box “I do not want to send a declaration now but I want to make a template for later use” under the “Customs declaration” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Customs declaration”.

You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.

Clicking the “Close” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Customs declaration concerning goods traffic between Åland and the rest of Finland

If you want to lodge a tax border declaration concerning goods traffic between Åland and the rest of Finland, select under “From which country or area were the goods originally dispatched?” FI Finland as the country of dispatch from the menu “Select country or territory of dispatch”. You can select it from the menu that opens when you click the magnifying glass icon. You can also write the beginning of the name (e.g. Fin) in the field, and the menu will display the alternatives that contain that combination of letters. Select the country with the mouse or with the arrow keys on the keyboard. When you have selected Finland as the country, move the cursor from the box and left click the mouse or press the Tab key on the keyboard.

When you have selected Finland as the original country of dispatch, the system will direct you to lodging a tax border declaration (standard customs declaration) for goods transported between Åland and the rest of Finland.

In the section “Start to lodge a declaration”, you can start completing a customs declaration without an arrival ID or a tracking ID. If you have e.g. an arrival ID or a tracking ID from a postal operator, enter it in the first text field. When you have entered the ID, from the dropdown menu, choose the trader that gave you the ID and select “Apply”.  When the “Apply” button is activated, the service will automatically fill in some details in the declaration. On the basis of the country of dispatch you entered, a heading with the code of the required customs declaration will be displayed. Under the heading, there is the button “Customs declaration”. By clicking it you can start lodging a declaration.

You can also create a template for later use. Tick the box “I do not want to send a declaration now but I want to make a template for later use” under the “Customs declaration” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Customs declaration”.

You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.

Clicking the “Close” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Transport and warehousing declarations

When you have selected transport and warehousing, the section “Start to lodge a declaration” is displayed. There are three alternatives with codes as headings. You can select between a standard customs declaration, a presentation notification or a discharge notification. Start lodging a declaration by selecting the appropriate alternative (for more information, see below).

Clicking the “Cancel” button will delete all the selections you have made and you will return to the beginning, “What do you want to declare?”.

Standard customs declaration (FI415A)

If you are lodging a customs warehousing declaration concerning your own warehouse or another authorisation holder’s warehouse, select the standard declaration. You can lodge a declaration 

•    when the goods arrive in Finland or at your warehouse, that is, upon presentation
•    in advance, no more than 30 days prior to the arrival of goods, if you have the MRN of the previous procedure. 
Start lodging the declaration by clicking “Customs declaration”.

If you don’t want to lodge a declaration, but create a template for later use, tick the box “Create as a template” under the “Customs declaration” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Customs declaration”. You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.

Presentation notification (FI475A)

If you are an EIR authorisation holder and you have made an entry in the records concerning the goods that have arrived at the warehouse, choose the presentation notification.

Start lodging the declaration by clicking “Presentation notification”. 

If you don’t want to lodge a declaration, but create a template for later use, tick the box “Create as a template” under the “Presentation notification” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Presentation notification”. You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.

Discharge notification (FI488A)

If you are a customs warehousing authorisation holder or represent one, use the discharge notification to notify which customs warehousing declarations have been discharged e.g. with import clearance, transit or re-export. A discharge notification doesn’t discharge the customs warehousing procedure, it only notifies of one or more customs warehousing declarations.

Start lodging the declaration by clicking “Discharge notification”.

If you don’t want to lodge a declaration, but create a template for later use, tick the box “Create as a template” under the “Discharge notification” button. Then you can start creating a template by clicking “Discharge notification”. You can find the table of the templates you have created in the “My templates” tab on the front page of the customs clearance service. When you want to use a template you have saved, select the desired row in the table or the link in the first column of the row. This will open a page where you can click “Use template”.