Goods arriving in Åland from places outside of Åland must generally be cleared through customs. Let Åland Post take care of your customs clearance – it’s simple and easy. Leave your customs documents with us and we will take care of the customs clearance for you.
Steps when Åland Post is handling your import clearance:
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Customs clearance is done electronically as soon we have received the required import documents, such as the invoice.
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When customs clearance is completed, you will either receive a message that your delivery has arrived or the goods will be delivered to your address. Shipments from mainland Finland or other EU countries to companies registered for VAT can be delivered straight away, as Åland Post submits a simplified declaration upon arrival.
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If you are a company registered for VAT, you will receive your customs clearance decision from Åland Post, and will be required to report your VAT to your tax account, at your own initiative. Other charges should be paid to Åland Post. Åland Post offers a customs clearance service in our Customer Portal where you can view detailed information along with the Customs decisions for all clearances carried out by Åland Post on your behalf. In our service for Incoming shipments you will also get an overview of your shipments and the status of their customs clearance, and you may authorize Åland Post to clear specific shipments on your behalf. The service is still in development and we will let you know as soon as it is ready for use. You find more information about our customs clearance services here.
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If you are a company that is not registered for VAT, or an individual, you will receive an invoice from Åland Post for VAT and other charges that you are required to pay us.
Please remember:
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Attach an invoice free of VAT for deliveries to and from Åland.
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For domestic shipments imported by companies registered for VAT another document than an invoice may be used for the customs clearance, however, according to Finnish Customs and Tax Administration it shall be possible to connect it to the book-keeping of the importer.
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Commercial invoice or proforma invoice? Below you find instructions outlining which kind of invoice is needed for which purpose. You also find detailed descriptions of what the invoices should contain and at the bottom of this page you find templates to download.
A commercial invoice must be attached when the shipment is sent for commercial purposes, meaning that is, when it concerns an item intended for sale.
Instructions outlining what a commercial invoice should contain.
A proforma invoice must be attached when the recipient does not have to pay for the item. Also include why the item is free-of-charge (i.e. gift, product sample, documents) and the item’s nominal value.
Here you find instructions outlining what a proforma invoice should contain.
Want to know more?
Contact us by phone +358-18 636 727 or email us at spedition@alandpost.com if you would like to know more about customs clearance.