Removals to Finland

The last leg of a move from the UK to Finland is a freight ferry across the Baltic. At the other end, your new home is often an apartment in a managed building with its own moving-day arrangements, and in winter the weather shapes how a delivery day runs. We plan our removals to Finland around each of these.

This page is for households taking their whole home, the PAs and household managers who run the move, and mobility teams moving an executive.

Your Move to Finland, Planned Around the Baltic Crossing
Your dedicated move coordinator plans the sea leg, access at the Finnish building and the Customs paperwork together, and is the one person you deal with, so you or your PA never chase separate companies.

We survey your home in person or virtually and complete the inventory for you, and it becomes the list of removal goods Finnish Customs asks for. Access is assessed at both ends, from your UK kerbside to the Finnish lift and entrance.

A full household travels in a vehicle dedicated to your move, while a smaller consignment or a second home may suit a part load. A home of good furniture and art is worth moving properly, not sending on in boxes and suitcases.

We work alongside PAs and household managers throughout, and a project manager can fly to Finland to oversee the crews and the unpack with them. One move can also combine addresses, such as a London home and a country house.

Our high-security storage in London and Dunstable keeps each household in its own containers, with temperature and humidity control and a picture inventory. At your destination we have storage as well, and on moves this far most households want beds and clothes first.

You choose the depth of unpack. A debris clear service sets belongings out on flat, clear surfaces for you to arrange, and a white-glove service puts everything away and dresses the beds. We are accredited by FIDI/FAIM and Which?, and we are members of IAM and of BAR, which carries a payment protection guarantee.

Fine Art, Wine and Treasured Pieces for a Finnish Home
Paintings and works on paper are measured at the survey, along with any sculpture, so our in-house crating workshop can build each crate, in ISPM 15 compliant timber, before collection day.

After a cold winter crossing, we plan for crated art to reach room temperature before the crate is opened, so everything acclimates properly. A lakeside or forest second home gets the same coordinator and the same care with crating.

Wine sits outside the customs relief on household goods, so it is reported to Finnish Customs separately and taxed. It travels in a dedicated refrigerated vehicle, so it never gets too hot or cold, and an alcohol inventory listing each wine’s make, year, alcohol percentage and value goes to our customs agent. See how we move wine collections.

Antiques made with protected species need CITES documentation, covered in the guide to CITES permits for antiques and fine art. We can also transport cars and relocate pets that meet the Finnish requirements.

The Road and the Baltic Crossing to Helsinki
Your household travels from the UK by road, across the Channel and through the Benelux countries and Germany to a Baltic port, then crosses to Finland on a freight ferry and continues by road to your door. Your coordinator picks the crossing around your Finnish address, moving dates and sailing timetables.

The crossing can run direct from Germany or via Sweden: Finnlines, for example, lists freight routes from Travemünde to Helsinki and from Kapellskär in Sweden to Naantali.

Sailings run to a timetable, so the crossing sets the delivery date as much as the road does. Your coordinator plans the timing around it and keeps you informed at collection, the crossing, clearance and delivery.

For the wider choices, see the guide to moving house by sea, air or road.

Delivering Into Helsinki, Espoo and Beyond
An older block in central Helsinki and a new waterfront development in Espoo raise different questions, from stair turns and lift size to where a lorry can stand. The survey records each one.

The City of Helsinki lets a street area be reserved as a temporary worksite for moving. It carries a fee, and work cannot start until the City has issued its decision. This is all handled by your coordinator.

Apartment Buildings, Housing Companies and Lifts

Many Finnish apartment buildings are owned through a housing company, or taloyhtiö, run by a board and a property manager, the isännöitsijä. The Finnish Real Estate Federation explains that housing companies use house rules so that residents take each other into account.

Moving day, lift use and protecting common areas are normally agreed with the building, so we raise them at the survey. Our coordinators usually get them confirmed in writing by the property manager before a lorry leaves the UK.

Winter Delivery

Snow, ice and short daylight shape a winter delivery. Your coordinator plans the day around the light and checks ground conditions and access in advance, and the crew protects floors and entrances from snow and grit.

Lakeside, Island and Archipelago Addresses

A summer house by a lake or an address in the Turku archipelago needs its own plan: a forest road may not take a full-size lorry, and an island may depend on a ferry. Spring thaw can bring temporary weight limits on some roads, which your coordinator checks.

Åland sits inside the EU customs territory but outside the EU VAT area, so a move there needs its own customs planning. We also deliver to Turku, Tampere and across Finland.

Finnish Customs: Relief for Your Household Goods

Your used household goods are in general exempt from customs duty and VAT when you move to Finland from outside the EU, subject to the conditions set by Finnish Customs (Tulli). You still declare them, with an inventory and evidence of living abroad, and alcohol is reported separately.

Since Brexit, a UK move is an import from outside the EU, so removal goods, the used furniture and belongings you bring, are declared even when nothing is paid on them.

Tulli’s guidance for people moving to Finland sets the conditions. Your normal residence must have been outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months, and the goods must have been in your ownership and use for six months or more before the move. You declare them within 12 months of the move. A residence permit, where you need one, has to be granted for a year or longer and cannot be based on your own or a family member’s studies. For 12 months, goods cleared free of duty cannot be sold, lent, hired out or given as security.

Suomi.fi’s page on customs clearance of removal goods asks for a list of the goods (its example reads “bed, TV, clothes 3 kg”), a copy of your passport and a report on living abroad, such as an employment certificate. When a transport company delivers, you usually declare through Customs’ Import Declaration Service for private persons.

Your coordinator prepares the inventory with our customs team, and you usually sign it and supply the evidence where the packing team couldn’t do this for you. HMRC’s UK Transfer of Residence relief comes into play only if you move back to the UK later.

Registering Your Move in Finland

GOV.UK’s Living in Finland guidance points you to the Finnish Immigration Service, Migri, for the residence permit you need, and then to register as a foreign resident with DVV, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. GOV.UK notes that Withdrawal Agreement rights cover only people who moved before 1 January 2021. Immigration sits with you and your advisers, and your coordinator plans the delivery date around it.

Speak to Us About Your Move to Finland

To begin, arrange a tailored home survey. Finland sits within our Nordic coverage, alongside Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and our European removals take in the rest of the continent.

Moving To Finland FAQs

Do I Pay Import Tax on My Own Furniture When Moving to Finland?
In most cases, no. Used household goods are exempt from duty and VAT if you meet Tulli’s conditions on residence outside the EU and how long you have owned and used the goods. You still declare them, with a list of the goods, a passport copy and evidence of living abroad. Alcohol is reported separately and taxed.
How Long Will I Be Without My Belongings?
It depends on the route, the sailing timetable, Finnish customs clearance and whether your load is dedicated or shared. Your coordinator will advise on timing and keep you informed at each stage. If you need essentials sooner, a phased delivery can send them ahead of the rest.
Can a Removal Lorry Reach an Apartment in Helsinki or Espoo?
Yes, with planning. Many apartment buildings are run by a housing company with its own house rules, so moving day and lift use are usually agreed with the building. The survey checks the lift, stairs and loading space, and in Helsinki street space can be reserved for moving.
Can I Send the Rest of My Things Later?
Yes. Belongings you are not ready to move can wait in our storage in London or Dunstable, or in storage at your destination, and follow in a later delivery. A phased move is planned at the survey, and what households most often hold back is anything that depends on the layout.
What Should I Look for in a Removals Company for a Move to Finland?
Start with independent proof: FIDI/FAIM accreditation, and membership of BAR, which brings a payment protection guarantee. Then ask who plans the Baltic crossing, who prepares the Tulli declaration, how paintings are crated and whether one person is your contact throughout. We hold both, and every client has a dedicated coordinator.
Can My PA or Household Manager Run the Move?
Yes. Your PA or household manager can deal with your coordinator from the survey onwards and make the day-to-day decisions. A project manager can also fly to Finland and work with them on site, directing the crews through delivery and the unpack.