Import Procedures

Exporting to Finland is subject to EU standards. The EU’s Union Customs Code (Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 setting forth the Union Customs Code) aims to complete the shift by Customs to a paperless and fully electronic and interoperable environment. The Union Customs Code came into force on 1 May 2016. The transition period for Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) lasted until 1 May 2019.

Import restrictions apply to certain items such as alcoholic beverages, foodstuff, pharmaceuticals, firearms and other articles that could pose a potential threat to health, welfare, or spread of animal and plant diseases. These import/export items need to meet special requirements and certifications set by the EU or Finnish standards. The TARIC (Tarif Intégré de la Communauté) is available to help determine if a licence is required for a particular product.

It is the responsibility of the importer or the authorised agent to declare imported goods to Finnish Customs. This can be done through the Single Administrative Document (SAD). The SAD form is an import declaration form for all EU Member States. 

The following documents are required for customs clearance:
• A customs declaration form endorsed by the National Board of Customs in Finland
• A valuation declaration for imports exceeding the value of EUR 20,000
• A copy of the commercial invoice

Several procedural changes were introducted in 2021.

For further information, please visit Finnish Customs.
For information on the EU Union Customs Code, please visit the website of the European Commission.

Specific Import Procedures

The Åland Islands have a special status in terms of customs and taxation. Taxation provisions on taxation within Finland cannot be applied when delivering goods from the Åland Islands to mainland Finland, but provisions on import from outside the EU must be applied. The Finnish Customs provide more information.

Distribution channels

Finland is a prosperous Northern European country. It has a strategic location as the interface between the markets of Russia, the Baltic and Nordic countries. Indeed most of the transit trade from the EU to Russia already passes through Finland. The Finnish retail market can be characterised as a stable market, relatively small with 5.55 million inhabitants but highly urbanised: 85.7% live in towns or urban areas (Data Reportal, 2022). According to the Finnish Grocery Trade Association (PTY), the total sales of Finnish grocery trade groups amounted to EUR 20.2 billion in 2020. Finnish food and beverage consumption per capita account for 17.8% of total household expenditure, and clothing and footware 3.4% (Eurostat, 2021).

The grocery retail sector is dominated by S Group and K Group, which counted 1,056 and 1,230 stores respectively in 2020 (in the form of hypermarkets, supermarkets, smaller local supermarkets and convenience stores), followed by German chain Lidl (193), and Tokmanni (192) (Finnish Grocery Trade Association). Finland is not well known for its high streets, as consumers tend to prefer doing their shopping in shopping centres, especially in northern cities. According to the Finnish Council for Shopping Centres, there are 112 shopping centres in Finland. The majority of high street shopping locations can be found in the largest cities. Due to the sparsity of high street locations in Finland, retail units are highly sought after.

Finland has several retail outlet areas located all over the country, typically just outside city centres, with just under 700 outlet stores in total. Traditionally, retail outlet areas in Finland consist of big box stores that are located in close proximity to one another. The retail park segment, however, consists mostly of furniture retailers and other home or household-related retailers, as well as sport equipment retailers.

According to recent figures, e-commerce has witnessed rapid growth and has become a viable option for Finns, whether it is for retail, groceries or other products. Online retail trade grew by a record pace of 22% in 2021 (Finnish Commerce Federation). The increasing interest in e-shopping has forced offline retailers to develop their own e-shopping platforms in order to maintain customer satisfaction. Additionally, the increasing use of e-shopping has fostered more price-conscious shopping behaviour by customers who now have the option of choosing between online and traditional retail. According to the Finnish Commerce Federation, domestic online sales amount to approximately 9-10% share of the total retail sales. However, the overall share of e-commerce is much larger as approximately 36% of online purchases are from foreign online stores.

Finally, consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, with retailers increasingly adapting to this trend.

Distribution market players

The Finnish grocery trade is largely dominated by two retail trade groups: S Group and K Group. According to the latest figures from Statista, in 2021 the S Group (brands Prisma, S-Market, Alepa) held the largest market share with around 46% of Finnish grocery retail, closely followed by K Group (also known as Kesko, active with the K-citymarket, K-market, and K-Supermarket brands) who recorded a market share of 36.9%. The third largest player in the Finnish grocery sector is the German chain Lidl, who had a share of 9.5%. Other players included: Tokmanni Group 3.2%; Minimani 0.6%; M-ketju 0.3%, others 3.4%. As of 2020, S Group counts 1,056 stores, while K Group had 1,230.

Retail Sector Organisations

Finnish Commerce Federation

Consumption Taxes

Nature of the Tax

Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Tax Rate

24%

Reduced Tax Rate

A 14% reduced rate applies to most foodstuff, animal feed, restaurants and catering services, and drinking water.
A 10% reduced rate applies to books, newspapers, and periodicals, pharmaceutical products, physical exercise services, film screenings, entrance fees to cultural and entertainment events, passenger transport (notably subject to zero-rate VAT from Jan 1, 2023, to Apr 30, 2023 in Finland), accommodation services, royalties for television and public radio activities, with the exception of sales of electricity which, from Dec 1, 2022, to Apr 30, 2023, are subject to varying VAT rates, while sales of electricity transmission and access services to the electric power grid are subject to a 24% VAT rate.
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Other Consumption Taxes

Product-specific, EU-harmonised excise duties are levied on tobacco products, liquid fuels, and alcohol, as well as electricity and certain other fuels. Furthermore, Finland levies national excise duties on soft drinks, beverage containers, oil waste on lubrication oils and other oil-based lubrication preparations, oil transported through or imported into Finland, waste to landfill deposits, and tall oil, as well as electricity, coal and natural gas, and liquid fuels.
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Corporate Taxes

Company Tax

20%

Tax Rate For Foreign Companies

A company is deemed to be resident in Finland if it is incorporated in the country or if its place of effective management is located in Finland (i.e. a place where the corporation’s highest-level decisions concerning the daily management are made).

Capital Gains Taxation

Capital gains derived by a company generally are taxed as ordinary business income at a rate of 20% (and, correspondingly, capital losses are generally deductible). A participation exemption is available for gains derived from the disposal of shares treated as fixed assets (corresponding capital losses are not tax deductible, conditions apply).
Capital gains from the sale of shares are tax-exempt if the seller is not a company engaged in private equity activities (as defined by the BITA), has owned at least 10% of the target company's share capital continuously for at least one year, and the shares are part of the seller’s fixed assets and included in the seller’s business income source for tax purposes. For the participation exemption to apply, the target company must not be primarily engaged in real estate. It must be a Finnish company, one referred to in the EC Parent-Subsidiary Directive, or a resident of a country with a tax treaty with Finland that covers dividend distributions.

Main Allowable Deductions and Tax Credits

Deductions are allowed for ordinary business expenses such as payments of interest and royalties, entertainment costs (capped at 50%), fees for establishing an organization and reorganization costs, R&D expenses, and employers' social contributions. Generally, a company's net financing expenses are deductible only up to 25% of its adjusted taxable income (EBITD), applied at the individual company level. If total net financing expenses (internal and external) exceed EUR 500,000, interest deduction limitations apply, capping deductible net financing expenses at 25% of the company's adjusted taxable income (EBITD). External net financing expenses are always fully deductible up to EUR 3 million and are deducted before internal financing expenses. If external financing expenses alone exceed 25% of the company's EBITD, internal financing expenses are not deductible.
Goodwill obtained can be amortized for tax purposes during its useful life, with a maximum of ten years. In the determination of taxable income, start-up expenses are normally treated as deductible expenses.
Donations are deductible for CIT purposes if they meet specific criteria. The donation must be between EUR 850 and EUR 250,000 if made to an EEA member state or a publicly financed university or higher educational institution in the EEA for the sciences, arts, or Finnish cultural heritage. If the donation is to an association, foundation, or institution in the EEA nominated by the Tax Administration for similar purposes, it must be between EUR 850 and EUR 50,000. Donations up to EUR 850 for charitable purposes are generally tax deductible. Employers are allowed to make an additional tax deduction for certain education costs of their employees. Employers are required to provide for a qualifying education plan and the education relates to the current or future tasks of the employee. Bad debts are in general tax-deductible.
The maximum annual depreciation rates for tax purposes are generally 25% for machinery and equipment and 4% to 20% for buildings, depending on the asset type and lifespan. However, a law effective from 1 January 2020 allows accelerated depreciation for machinery and equipment for tax years 2020-2023, now extended to include tax years 2024-2025.
Taxpayers can receive an additional deduction of 45% on R&D costs for the first time in the 2024 tax year, based on an increase in R&D activities.
Losses may be carried forward for ten years, whereas loss carrybacks are not allowed.

Other Corporate Taxes

Municipalities impose an annual real estate tax on the taxable value of buildings and land. The municipal council determines the applicable tax rates (ranging from 0.41% to 6%).
A 3% transfer tax is payable on real estate sales in Finland. Transfers of shares in Finnish companies, housing companies, and real estate companies are subject to a 1.5% tax. A 1.5% transfer tax also applies to shares in foreign companies primarily holding Finnish real estate if the transferor or transferee is a Finnish resident or a Finnish branch of a foreign entity. The transferee generally pays the transfer tax.
Finland does not levy stamp taxes.
Compulsory social security contributions payable by the employer include health insurance (1.53%, no cap); pension insurance (17.39% on average, no cap); unemployment insurance (0.52% for the first 2,251,500 of gross salaries and 2.06% for the portion of the gross salaries exceeding that amount, no cap); group life insurance premium (0.06% on average, no cap); accident insurance premium (0.57% on average, no cap).
Other company taxes include the tonnage tax for shipping companies. Moreover, a lottery organizer must report and pay a 30% lottery tax on the value of prizes for lotteries held in Finland. Insurance companies, or in some cases policyholders, are responsible for reporting and paying a 24% insurance premium tax and a 3% fire protection fee on certain insurance.

Other Domestic Resources

Finnish Tax Administration

Double Taxation Treaties

Countries With Whom a Double Taxation Treaty Have Been Signed

Finnish Tax Administration

Withholding Taxes

Dividends: Dividends paid to resident companies are usually not subject to withholding tax. However, dividends paid to resident individuals from unlisted companies incur a 7.5% withholding tax, which increases to 28% for amounts exceeding EUR 150,000. For dividends from listed companies, the withholding tax for resident individuals is 25.5%. Nonresident companies face a 20% withholding tax on dividends, unless reduced by a tax treaty or under the EU parent-subsidiary directive. If dividends are paid to an EEA resident shareholder, domestic provisions may lower the rate. Nonresident individuals are subject to a 30% withholding tax on dividends, unless reduced by a tax treaty.
Interest: 0/30% (resident individual)
Royalties: 0/20% (non-resident corporation)/30% (non-resident individual)/The withholding tax rate on royalties paid to a resident individual varies based on the individual's tax card. If no tax card is provided to the payer, the withholding tax rate is 60%.
Such rates may be reduced under a tax treaty.