Relocating from Finland to Australia is one of the longest moves you can make — roughly 15,000 kilometres, from an EU member state to an island continent with some of the strictest biosecurity and customs controls on earth. A successful move has two halves, and both have to be handled correctly. On the departure side you deal with Finnish Customs (Tulli), the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) and the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero). On the arrival side you deal with the Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). This guide is for anyone who is a resident of Finland — Finnish citizens, EU nationals and third-country nationals alike — shipping a household, a car or a pet to Australia, and it closes with a short note on the reverse direction.

Key takeaways

• Moving your removal goods outside the EU requires an export declaration to Finnish Customs, submitted in the electronic Customs Clearance Service with a general list of goods (Tulli).
• For private individuals, an export declaration is required when a consignment exceeds €1,000 in value or 1,000 kg in weight, is restricted, or is relocation/removal goods (Tulli).
• Notify DVV of a permanent move abroad within one week, via the joint DVV–Posti service at posti.fi (DVV; Vero).
• Finnish citizens usually remain generally (worldwide) tax-liable in Finland for the move year plus three years under the "three-year rule" unless they prove essential ties are severed (Vero).
• In Australia, unaccompanied household goods are cleared on the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement, administered by the ABF with biosecurity input from DAFF (DAFF).
• Cats and dogs from Finland — a Group 3 approved country — need an import permit, RNAT blood test and post-entry quarantine at Mickleham (DAFF).
• A road vehicle needs a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA) applied for through ROVER before it ships (Dept of Infrastructure).
• Cash or bearer instruments of AUD 10,000 or more must be declared at the Australian border (AUSTRAC).

1. Your Australian visa status drives the customs treatment

Everything on the Australian side flows from your immigration status. Australia grants duty- and tax-free entry to household and personal goods only where you are arriving to reside and the goods are your personal property, suitable and intended for your own use, and generally owned and used by you overseas for at least 12 months before departure (DAFF). This concession does not extend to motor vehicles, alcohol or tobacco, which are assessed for duty and tax separately (DAFF). Whether you hold a permanent skilled visa, a partner visa or a temporary work visa, the B534 statement is still the vehicle for clearance — but your residence status and ownership history determine whether items pass duty-free. Plan the 12-month ownership test before you ship: newly bought furniture or electronics may attract duty.

2. The Finland export side — Tulli, DVV and Vero

Finnish Customs (Tulli) is the export authority. Because Australia is outside the EU, you must submit an export declaration for your removal goods and enclose a general list — Tulli’s own example is "one bed, a television set, 3 kg of clothes, dishes, books" (Tulli). Declarations are filed electronically in the Customs Clearance Service, where you log in with Finnish online-banking credentials or a certificate. For private individuals a declaration is specifically required when the consignment exceeds €1,000 in value or 1,000 kg in weight, contains restricted goods, or consists of relocation/removal goods (Tulli). Removal goods use the final export procedure (code 10) where you do not intend to re-import them (Tulli). The declaration must be completed while the goods are still in Finland and available for inspection; keep the exit certification and MRN in case you ever return to Finland (Tulli). You need the export declaration whether the goods travel in a container or you drive them out yourself — there is no separate export "form 45"; form 45 applies only to importing removal goods into Finland and to Åland traffic (Tulli).

Deregistration — DVV. When you move away permanently you must submit a notification of move to DVV within one week, using the joint DVV–Posti online service at posti.fi with your banking codes or mobile certificate (DVV; Vero). A permanent move removes your Finnish municipality of residence; a temporary move (under one year, or in limited cases up to three years where your closest ties remain in Finland) keeps it (DVV). Give your Australian address so authorities can still reach you on pensions and similar matters.

Tax exit — Vero. Notify the Tax Administration of your move; your departure may change your tax card and prepayments, and a pre-completed return arrives the following spring (Vero). Crucially, a Finnish citizen remains generally (worldwide) tax-liable in Finland for the year of the move and the three following years — the three-year rule — unless you can show that in a given year you no longer have essential ties to Finland (Vero). Essential ties include a permanent home in Finland, a spouse remaining there, ownership of real property other than a summer cottage, coverage by Finnish social security, or running a business in Finland (Vero). The Finland–Australia tax treaty may still limit what Finland actually taxes, but the residency default is worldwide liability — get advice before assuming you are a non-resident.

3. Ports and transit — real routes, honest timings

Finland’s sea exports for a move like this typically leave through HaminaKotka, Finland’s biggest export port and biggest container port, whose Mussalo container terminal runs 24/7 with daily deep-sea feeder connections into the major European hub ports (Port of HaminaKotka). There is no direct Finland–Australia deep-sea service; your container is feedered to a Northern European hub (typically Rotterdam, Hamburg or Antwerp) and transhipped onto an Asia–Australia mainline. Air freight and pets normally route through Helsinki Airport (Helsinki-Vantaa, HEL) via a European or Gulf hub.

Transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official government figures, and they vary with sailing schedules, transhipment and port congestion:

• Sea freight (FCL/LCL), door-to-port: commonly 8–12 weeks end to end.
• Air freight: commonly 1–2 weeks for the transport leg, plus clearance.

Treat these as planning ranges only, and confirm actual schedules with your mover close to the shipping date.

4. The Australia import side — the B534 and biosecurity

Household goods that arrive separately from you are cleared as Unaccompanied Personal Effects (UPE) on the B534 Unaccompanied Personal Effects Statement — a legal declaration under the Customs Act 1901, administered by the Australian Border Force with biosecurity input from DAFF (DAFF). Complete it in English; there are penalties for false or misleading statements. Australia’s biosecurity screening is the real gate: timber, plant material, seeds, food, animal products, footwear and outdoor/camping gear with soil all draw scrutiny, and anything that has touched the ground must be clean. Declaring items honestly on the B534 lets DAFF assess them; failing to declare risks fines, treatment costs, or destruction of goods. Contact the ABF office in your destination state to arrange clearance of the consignment (DAFF).

5. Pets — both ends of the journey

Leaving Finland: cats and dogs are exported under EU/Finnish animal-health rules overseen by the Finnish Food Authority (Ruokavirasto) — microchip, up-to-date rabies vaccination and the veterinary/export documentation Australia’s permit requires. Because Australia sets the binding conditions, build the Finnish veterinary steps around the Australian import permit.

Entering Australia: Finland is a Group 3 approved country for cat and dog import (DAFF). You must hold a valid import permit before travel; the permit is valid until the Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre (RNAT) test expires, which is 12 months from the blood-sample date (DAFF). The animal serves a minimum 30 days of post-entry quarantine at the Mickleham facility near Melbourne — reducible to a minimum of 10 days only where a government veterinarian verified the animal’s identity before the RNAT blood was taken and this is reflected in the permit (DAFF). DAFF states the whole process takes at least six months, so start early — this is usually the longest lead-time item in the entire move.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles: you cannot simply ship a car to Australia. You must obtain a Vehicle Import Approval (VIA) through the Department of Infrastructure’s online ROVER system before the vehicle is shipped, and the vehicle is then subject to duty, GST and biosecurity inspection on arrival (Dept of Infrastructure). Cars are excluded from the duty-free personal-effects concession (DAFF). For most movers, selling the car in Finland is cheaper than importing.

Money: there is no limit on how much you can carry, but you must declare AUD 10,000 or more (or the foreign-currency equivalent), including bearer negotiable instruments, when moving it into or out of Australia — the requirement applies to everyone, in both directions (AUSTRAC). Bank and remittance transfers are exempt from the traveller declaration.

Easy to forget: the B534’s 12-month ownership test (don’t buy new furniture right before shipping); biosecurity-clean shoes and camping gear; keeping your Tulli MRN and exit certificate; and squaring your Finnish social-security (Kela) and pension status with your new tax position.

How Flyto handles your Finland to Australia move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe handle collection, export packing and departure from Finland directly. For the deep-sea and air legs we use a carefully chosen network of vetted freight partners and subcontractors, and on the ground in Australia we work through trusted local partners for customs, biosecurity and final delivery. You get one coordinated move, with each leg run by the party best placed to do it well — not a promise that we do every kilometre ourselves.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a customs export declaration to leave Finland with my household?
Yes. Because Australia is outside the EU, Finnish Customs requires an export declaration in the Customs Clearance Service, with a general list of your removal goods (Tulli).

Will my belongings be duty-free in Australia?
Generally yes for personal effects you have owned and used overseas for at least 12 months, cleared on the B534 — but not motor vehicles, alcohol or tobacco (DAFF).

How long will the sea shipment take?
As a freight-industry estimate, roughly 8–12 weeks door-to-port; this is not an official figure and depends on sailings and transhipment. Air freight is faster but far more expensive.

Can I bring my dog or cat from Finland?
Yes — Finland is a Group 3 approved country. You need an import permit and RNAT test, and a minimum 30 days (reducible to 10) of quarantine at Mickleham; allow at least six months (DAFF).

Am I still taxed in Finland after I move?
As a Finnish citizen, usually yes under the three-year rule (worldwide liability for the move year plus three years) unless you prove your essential ties are severed (Vero).

When do I tell DVV I’ve left?
Submit a notification of move within one week of a permanent move, via the DVV–Posti service (DVV).

Reverse direction: Australia → Finland

Moving back, Finnish Customs lets you import removal goods duty- and VAT-free if you have lived permanently outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months and have owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, declared using form 45 or the Import Declaration Service for private persons (Tulli), with the goods declared within 12 months of the move (Tulli). Goods imported under this relief are subject to a transfer restriction and cannot be sold or handed to another party for 12 months after clearance (Tulli).

Sources

• Finnish Customs — I am moving abroad
• Finnish Customs — How to declare removal goods
• Finnish Customs — Export declaration for private individuals
• Finnish Customs — I am moving to Finland
• DVV — Moving abroad
• Vero — Are you moving away from Finland
• Vero — Finnish citizens and the 3-year rule
• DAFF — Moving to Australia / importing personal effects
• Australian Border Force — Unaccompanied personal effects (B534)
• DAFF — Import permits for cats and dogs
• DAFF — Group 3 step-by-step guide for dogs
• DAFF — Dogs and cats from approved countries
• Department of Infrastructure — Importing a road vehicle into Australia
• AUSTRAC — Moving money across international borders
• Port of HaminaKotka — Major Finnish multipurpose port