Your household goods to Finland: no customs, but alcohol rules, medicines and the Åland exception

No, when you move from the Netherlands to Finland you do not have to declare your household goods, and you pay no VAT or customs duty. Finnish Customs, Tulli, says it in two lines: whoever comes from the EU territory does not declare removal goods and pays nothing. The finding is in the exceptions: alcohol and tobacco are never ordinary removal goods, and whoever sails via Åland falls, for alcohol, under the strict rules for travellers from outside the EU. That is the pitfall for everyone who takes the route via Sweden.

What counts as removal goods?

Tulli counts as personal property: clothes, dishes and furniture, bicycles and motorcycles, private cars and trailers, caravans, leisure boats, household pets, household supplies matching normal consumption, and portable tools for a technical or liberal profession, such as a silversmith's hammer or an artist's paintbrush. What is not allowed: selling those goods or using them commercially, and the quantity must show that they are not meant for trade.

That the car is on that list only means customs does nothing with it. The Finnish car tax is a separate matter, with a different agency, and it is not gentle; see your car to Finland.

What is different if I come from outside the EU?

The difference shows how favourable the EU route is. Tulli applies three regimes:

Your previous country of residence	Declaration	VAT and customs duty
An EU country, such as the Netherlands	not needed	not due
Outside the EU, lived there for at least twelve months	yes, on arrival	exempt if you used the goods for at least six months and declare them within twelve months
Outside the EU, lived there for less than twelve months	yes	due, unless they are returning goods or you get an exception

Whoever received an exemption from outside the EU may moreover not sell, lend or hire out those goods for twelve months. For anyone coming from the Netherlands none of this applies. If you move to Åland itself, separate instructions apply.

How much alcohol may come along?

Alcohol never falls under the removal exemption. From an EU country you may bring alcohol tax-free for your own use or as a gift, provided you transport it yourself, in the same vehicle in which you enter Finland. A removal van with a box of wine among the furniture is therefore outside that rule. Tulli gives no fixed limits but guidelines:

Type	Tulli guideline
Wine, cider and fermented long drinks	90 litres
Beer over 0.5 %	110 litres
Intermediate products up to 22 %, such as sherry or vermouth	20 litres
Other alcohol up to 80 %	10 litres

Whoever brings more must credibly show that it is for their own use. Each guideline applies separately: less beer gives no room for more wine. Under 18 you may not import alcohol, under 20 only mild drinks.

The ferry via Åland counts as outside the EU. Åland and the ferries between Finland and Sweden that pass through Åland are outside the EU fiscal territory. What you buy tax-free there falls under the limits for travellers from outside the EU: 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of lighter drinks, 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer. Whoever sails via Stockholm and stocks up on the way is counting with the wrong table.

May my medicines come along?

Yes, within limits set by the Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea. From an EEA country, such as the Netherlands, you may bring a supply for one year if you carry it yourself. If you have medicines sent by post, a maximum of three months' use applies.

For medicines classified as narcotics, the rule is stricter: carried yourself at most thirty days, only with a Schengen certificate, and by post not at all. Within the Schengen area you get that certificate from a pharmacy. Fimea names maximum quantities on top of that for buprenorphine and methadone. Ask your doctor before leaving which of your medicines count as narcotics. Medicines for your pet may come along for at most one month, together with the animal itself and never by post.

What do I still need to report after arrival?

To customs, nothing. To the population register, yes: as soon as you have a Finnish address and a personal identity code, the notification of move applies to every move, at the latest one week after moving day, through the joint service of DVV and Posti. With the same notification you can, if you wish, also give Posti your new address, so your post arrives at once.

What the move itself costs depends on the route, because there is a sea in between. That sum is in the cost estimate for Finland; the order of the preparations is in the step-by-step plan.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 3 of 5 of the journey, step 3.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Finland or go straight to step 3.1 in the open plan.