Work out who must declare your China parcel in Finland, whether you can use Tulli’s private service, and what remains after submission, payment and release.
You may be able to declare a China parcel yourself in Finland, but first confirm that the declaration is yours to submit. IOSS purchases are handled by the seller or its representative, and some other prepaid deliveries are also declared for you. When the carrier does require you to act, your next decision is whether you can use Tulli’s private declaration service or need someone to represent you.
Official guidance checked: 8 November 2026.
This article concerns ordinary personal purchases arriving in mainland Finland. Åland, goods for resale and products with special import requirements need their own checks through Finnish Customs’ parcel guidance. Being able to fill in an online form does not establish that a product is allowed into Finland.
Establish who will submit this parcel’s declaration
Look at the order terms and the actual carrier’s notice together. Ask: “Has this parcel already been declared, who is submitting the declaration, and is any action still required from me?”
An IOSS purchase: IOSS is a way for an eligible seller to collect Finnish VAT at checkout for purchases worth no more than €150, excluding transport costs from that threshold. Since 1 July 2026, the buyer cannot declare an IOSS purchase themselves; the seller or its representative submits it. A VAT line on an invoice alone does not confirm Finnish IOSS treatment. Check the order and ask the seller, as Tulli’s IOSS guidance explains.
If IOSS information has not reached the carrier electronically, do not try to solve it by filing another declaration or immediately paying VAT again. Ask the seller and carrier what must be corrected. Under the current Posti rules, missing information can result in return to the seller rather than a declaration the recipient can complete.
A non-IOSS purchase with prepaid delivery: “Not IOSS” does not automatically mean “declare it yourself.” Some sellers arrange DDP, or delivered-duty-paid, transport in which the carrier declares the goods and pays Finnish VAT. Confirm that arrangement with the seller and carrier before opening a separate declaration.
A notice requiring recipient action: If neither the seller nor its representative is handling it, you may submit an eligible personal parcel yourself or buy a clearance service. A general “arrived in Finland” tracking event is not enough to choose this route.
Can you access the private declaration service?
Tulli accepts Finnish online banking credentials, a mobile certificate, a certificate card or hightrust.id for identification. The Finnish Authenticator service for foreign citizens and eIDAS are not currently supported in Customs e-services. Check the identification and authorisation options before relying on a login method.
If you cannot identify yourself, you can authorise another person, use an applicable alternative form procedure or purchase clearance from a carrier or forwarding agency. An authorised person uses their own identification; do not share your banking credentials. Permission can be oral, written in a free-form document or granted through Suomi.fi, subject to Tulli’s requirements.
For 1688 purchases intended for resale, stop at this point and confirm the business declaration route. A personal delivery address does not turn stock for a business into a private purchase.
A product page may leave a gap in the electronic declaration
For applicable online purchases worth no more than €150 that you declare yourself, Finland’s 1 November 2026 changes introduce product identifier fields. Tulli lists exceptions, including purchases over €150 and goods bought directly from another private individual. IOSS buyers do not enter these fields themselves because the seller or representative files the declaration. See Tulli’s current form guidance.
Check the seller’s records for:
- M-PID: the seller’s or platform’s product reference.
- NS-PID: the manufacturer’s model, part or style number.
- S-PID: an international identifier, such as EAN, UPC or ISBN.
These identify the particular product; a general description such as “clothing” cannot replace them. The European Commission’s identifier guidance says a specific exemption code is used when a product has no standardised identifier. Ask the seller for missing information and follow Tulli’s field instructions or contact Customs. Do not invent a barcode or guess an exemption code.
For a Taobao order, save the product reference before the listing disappears. If several seller parcels were consolidated, identify the items actually packed in the international shipment. A China domestic tracking number does not describe the final parcel.
The European Commission’s distance-sale guidance distinguishes transport involving the supplier, directly or indirectly, from transport arranged entirely by the customer without supplier involvement. A separately booked forwarder or a consolidated box does not settle that question. For independent forwarding or a private second-hand purchase, ask Tulli or the carrier which declaration, identifier and fee rules fit the actual arrangement.
When self-clearance is the correct route, the deadline matters
Use the carrier’s arrival notice and international shipment reference. Match the contents to what you actually paid, including the relevant transport charges, and use the goods search in Tulli’s official private service. If no category fits, ask Customs rather than choosing a convenient code.
Tulli says Posti stores parcels for 20 days after arrival in Finland; another carrier may allow less time. Check the deadline on your notice and ask the carrier if it is missing. Customs cannot extend the carrier’s storage period.
Submission alone does not finish the task. Reply to any additional request and ensure any assessed payment reaches Customs before the parcel’s storage deadline. The date on a tax invoice may be later than that deadline. Waiting for the invoice’s last payment day can therefore put the parcel at risk of return.
If the goods include medicines, food, plants, batteries or another product needing special checks, confirm both the Finnish import requirements and the carrier’s conditions. Do not use an ordinary-parcel form as a substitute for a permit or product approval.
What still needs doing after submission?
Keep three separate checks in your parcel record.
Customs: Have requested details been accepted, has any payment been received, and is the release decision available? Follow the current case, rather than opening another declaration because tracking has not changed.
Posti, if it carries the parcel: After clearance, check whether its handling fee is due. The current online fee is €3.10 per shipment, applicable when Posti transports the parcel and import duties or taxes were paid with the declaration. It is not a fee for every carrier. Use the correct shipment ID and retain the receipt; Posti’s payment guidance explains the conditions.
Another carrier: Follow its instructions on whether you must send the release decision. You can retrieve the document through the private declaration service; Finnish Customs’ service description explains this handover. Customs release allows the delivery process to continue; it does not give a delivery date.
Recognise the charge before paying it
Posti’s fee is separate from the €2 customs handling fee per declared goods item introduced on 1 November 2026 for qualifying distance-sale imports, regardless of value. A declared goods item is not necessarily one physical piece. See Tulli’s handling-fee notice.
Eligible distance-sale consignments worth no more than €150 also have the temporary €3 duty per declared goods item introduced on 1 July 2026. Above €150, duty depends on the goods. Finland’s standard VAT rate is 25.5%, with different rates for some categories; the import VAT base can include transport, duties and applicable charges. Use Tulli’s current tax guidance and the assessment for your parcel, rather than treating €150 as a tax-free allowance.
For planning a future order, the Finland landed-cost guide covers the broader purchase budget. For a parcel already here, identify the charge, who collects it and whether your existing arrangement already covers it before making another payment.
Keep one action record for this shipment
A short record is enough:
- Shipment and deadline: the international reference and deadline for completing clearance.
- Who files: seller/representative, you, or an authorised person.
- What is missing: the exact request and the person who will answer it.
- What is complete: payment received, release available, and any carrier handover or fee dealt with.
- Next action: who needs to do what, and by when.
For a shipment arranged through YDA Express, send the forwarding reference, international reference and actual request so we can check available shipment records and clarify the carrier or agent handling it. Warehouse records and agreed photos may help identify packed goods; they do not replace missing seller identifiers or authorise YDA to act as your Finnish customs representative. Our guide to each party’s customs responsibilities explains those boundaries.
YDA cannot decide the final classification, tax or release outcome. Recheck the official instructions when acting: the policy date above records this review, not a guarantee that rules or carrier terms will remain unchanged. For a future order, check import suitability before buying, confirm the actual goods and packaging at the warehouse, and recheck the current rules and available service before dispatch. Pause that shipment if essential product or importer information is still missing.
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