Your car to Finland: the exemption that no longer exists
Finland levies car tax at the first registration, and the relocation reduction has been abolished completely — which many stories still miss. How the autovero calculates, why an electric car stands at 0%, and the clocks that determine the procedure: five days in Finland, thirteen weeks in the Netherlands.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
You can bring your car to Finland, but a discount for people moving no longer exists. At the first registration you pay autovero, the Finnish car tax.
The Finnish Tax Administration Vero puts it plainly: the tax reduction for the removal car, the muuttoauto, has been abolished completely. A car you bring is taxed like any other import.
Two things to know in advance:
- The finding: a fully electric car first taken into use on or after 1 October 2021 pays 0 percent.
- The pitfall is the clock: before your first drive on a Finnish road you declare the use, and after that you have five days for the tax return.
How is the autovero calculated?
The autovero is a percentage of the general retail value of your car on the Finnish market: what comparable cars cost there, not what you paid for it in the Netherlands. The percentage depends on CO2 emissions. For a car measured under WLTP (the current European test method for emissions), Vero's table 1A applies:
| CO2 emissions (WLTP) | Autovero |
|---|---|
| 0 g/km, fully electric or hydrogen | 0 % |
| 1 g/km | 2.7 % |
| 50 g/km | 3.9 % |
| 100 g/km | 6.8 % |
| 120 g/km | 9.5 % |
| 150 g/km | 16.8 % |
| 160 g/km | 20.0 % |
| 180 g/km | 25.8 % |
| 200 g/km | 29.7 % |
| 360 g/km or more | 48.9 % |
A car measured under the older NEDC method falls under a different table.
Vero has a price service for used cars more than two years old, based on asking prices in Finland. A calculator uses it for a rough estimate. The final amount is only in the decision after your return. If you want certainty in advance, you can apply, for a fee, for a binding advance ruling.
You pay the autovero once. On top of that, Traficom, the Finnish transport agency, collects the ajoneuvovero, the annual vehicle tax, every year.
Why is electric the exception?
Because the 0% rate also applies to used imports. Vero writes that, besides new cars, imported used fully electric and hydrogen cars are tax-free too, if they were first taken into use anywhere on or after 1 October 2021. You still file a return: without a car tax decision you cannot register the car. For an electric car from after that date, mainly the registration inspection and the registration remain, and then bringing it is a serious option.
Which clocks are running?
| Clock | Deadline | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration of use | before your first drive on a Finnish road | Vero |
| Car tax return after the declaration of use | within 5 days of the notified start date | Vero |
| Late return | penalty of € 50 per return | Vero |
| Driving on an export plate in the Netherlands | 14 days after the export notification | RDW |
| Registration in Finland for the bpm refund | within 13 weeks of the 'Export' status | Belastingdienst |
If you drive without a declaration of use, Vero does not charge a € 50 penalty but a tax increase for failure to file.
Once the return is processed and paid, the payment usually shows the next weekday or a couple of days later. Then you complete the first registration at an inspection station. There you need two things: an approved registration inspection and the paid autovero. A certificate of conformity (COC) from the manufacturer makes inspection and return easier, because the CO2 value is on it.
Do not report the export in the Netherlands too early. Whoever drives in Finland before the Finnish registration needs a car with a valid registration in another EEA country, or a transfer permit via an inspection station. The RDW also warns: only deregister your car for export once you know which documents the importing country requires, because after the export you can no longer apply for a new registration certificate.
What do I get back in the Netherlands?
Part of the bpm, under four conditions:
- the car got a Dutch registration on or after 16 October 2006;
- it has the status 'Export' at the RDW;
- it is permanently registered in another EU or EEA country;
- the papers show that this registration was completed within thirteen weeks of the export status.
Those thirteen weeks run in parallel with the Finnish procedure. So if you dawdle in Finland, you lose money in the Netherlands.
Bring it or sell it?
Put the items side by side. Against bringing it: the autovero on the Finnish value, the inspection, the annual vehicle tax and the time. For bringing it: the bpm you get back and the car you do not have to buy again. For an electric car from after October 2021 the sum often works out differently than for a petrol or diesel car, where the percentage rises quickly. Work it out with Vero's price service and calculator before you load the car. The rest of the move is in the cost estimate for Finland.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Finland.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Vero — importing a vehicle to Finland, and the end of the relocation reduction — vero.fi
- Vero — the autovero percentages and the 0% rate for electric cars — vero.fi
- Vero — table 1A, the percentage per gram of CO2 (WLTP) — vero.fi
- Vero — the amount of car tax, the price service and the calculator — vero.fi
- Vero — penalties for late or missing returns — vero.fi
- Traficom — importing and registering a vehicle — traficom.fi
- Belastingdienst — BPM refund on export (conditions) — belastingdienst.nl
- RDW — exporting a vehicle — rdw.nl
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