The Finland-to-USA corridor is one of the most paperwork-heavy transatlantic moves you can make, because it crosses two independent customs borders: you are exporting out of the European Union through Finnish Customs, and importing into the United States through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Each half has its own forms, thresholds and deadlines, and a mistake on either side can strand your container. This guide walks through the Finnish departure side (customs, deregistration, tax exit) and the U.S. arrival side (CBP clearance, pets, vehicles, cash), plus a short note on doing the reverse move later. It is written for a person legally resident in Finland who is relocating to the USA — whether on a work visa, a green card, a family visa, or as a returning U.S. citizen.

Key takeaways

• Your U.S. immigration status decides your customs treatment: returning residents, immigrants and certain government personnel can claim duty-free entry for used household effects, and unaccompanied shipments are declared on CBP Form 3299 (CBP Form 3299; 19 CFR Part 148, Subpart D).
• Because Finland is outside the U.S., household effects used abroad for at least one year by the importer generally qualify for duty-free entry (CBP: importing household goods).
• On the Finnish side, the authority is Finnish Customs (Tulli). A private individual must file an export declaration when the goods’ value exceeds EUR 1,000 or the weight exceeds 1,000 kg (Tulli: export declaration).
• File your notification of moving abroad with the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV) — a permanent move removes your Finnish address (DVV: moving abroad).
• As a Finnish citizen you usually stay a Finnish tax resident for the move year plus the three following years (the "three-year rule") unless you prove severed ties (Vero: 3-year rule).
• Dogs need a microchip, must be at least 6 months old, appear healthy, and require a CDC Dog Import Form receipt; Finland is a rabies-free/low-risk country, which keeps requirements light (CDC: bringing a dog).
• Bringing in or out more than USD 10,000 in cash or monetary instruments must be reported on FinCEN Form 105 (USAGov: travel money).
• Most Finnish-market cars do not meet U.S. EPA/DOT standards; vehicles 25 years or older are exempt and enter on the HS-7 form (CBP: importing a car).

1. Your U.S. visa status determines the customs treatment

Before you pack a single box, understand this: CBP does not treat all newcomers the same. Duty-free entry of used household effects is available to returning U.S. residents, immigrants (green-card holders arriving to take up residence), and certain government employees — not to short-term visitors (CBP: importing household goods). To qualify, furniture, dishes, linens, books, artwork and similar furnishings must have been used abroad for at least one year by you (the year need not be continuous or immediately before importation) and must not be intended for sale or for another person (19 CFR Part 148, Subpart D).

If you are moving on a temporary work visa (for example H-1B, L-1, O-1) or a student visa, you are generally treated as a nonresident bringing personal effects for your own use during your stay. Used personal and household items you owned and used abroad can still enter free of duty, but the classification and any restrictions differ from those for an immigrant taking up permanent residence. Because the exemption you claim is written into the declaration you sign, confirm your category with CBP or your mover before the shipment sails — it drives which boxes you tick on the forms below.

2. The Finland export side: Tulli, DVV and tax exit

Finnish Customs (Tulli) is the export authority. Because the USA is outside the EU, moving your belongings there is an export, and Tulli’s rules for private individuals apply. You must submit an export declaration for removal goods when the value of the consignment exceeds EUR 1,000 or its weight exceeds 1,000 kg — which a household shipment almost always does — and you should enclose a general list of your removal goods (Tulli: export declaration; Tulli: I am moving abroad). Declarations are made in Tulli’s online Customs Clearance Service (accessible with Finnish bank credentials or a mobile certificate), or you can authorise a forwarding company to do it for you (Tulli: how to declare removal goods). Once the goods leave the EU you receive a "Decision on release with certification of exit" and an MRN — save both as proof of export (Tulli: export declaration).

Deregistration: report your move to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV). A move can be reported as permanent (you no longer have an address in Finland) or temporary (you keep a Finnish address). A temporary move is normally shorter than one year, but in a special situation DVV can register it as temporary for up to a maximum of three years if you retain a closer connection to Finland (DVV: moving abroad). Notify DVV of any later change to your foreign address so Finnish authorities can still reach you on pension, benefit and other matters (DVV: moving while living abroad).

Tax exit: the Finnish Tax Administration (Vero) does not let citizens off the hook immediately. Under the three-year rule, a Finnish citizen who moves abroad normally remains a Finnish tax resident for the year of the move and the three following years, unless you specifically request nonresident status and can show you no longer have essential ties (home, family, economic interests) to Finland (Vero: Finnish citizens and the 3-year rule). Foreign citizens leaving Finland permanently generally become nonresidents from the day of the move (Vero: moving away from Finland). The U.S.-Finland tax treaty prevents most double taxation, but you should tell Vero your new circumstances and file for the departure year.

3. Ports and transit times

Finland’s largest port — and its largest container port — is the Port of HaminaKotka, formed when the ports of Hamina and Kotka merged into a single port company in 2011 (Port of HaminaKotka Ltd). The Port of Helsinki (Vuosaari) is the other major container hub. From either, transatlantic household shipments are almost always transhipped through a large Northern European hub (such as Rotterdam, Antwerp or Bremerhaven) before crossing to U.S. East Coast ports like New York/New Jersey, Norfolk or Baltimore.

The following are freight-industry estimates, not official figures, and they vary with sailing schedules, transhipment waits, weather and U.S. port congestion:

• Sea freight, door to door: roughly 6–10 weeks for a full or shared container, Finland to a U.S. East Coast destination; West Coast is longer.
• Air freight: roughly 1–2 weeks door to door for a smaller consignment, at several times the cost per kilo.

Treat these as planning ranges only. Build slack into your timeline and do not rely on the shipment arriving on a fixed date.

4. The U.S. import side: CBP clearance

Because most household shipments arrive by sea after you fly in, your goods are "unaccompanied," and the core document is CBP Form 3299, "Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles" (CBP Form 3299). Part I is completed by everyone seeking free entry; it asks for your full name, date of birth, date of U.S. arrival, U.S. address and port of arrival. You also provide a detailed inventory (a generic label like "household effects" is not enough for clearance) and, typically, a copy of your passport/visa and the bill of lading.

Personal and household effects eligible for duty-free entry need not accompany you — you can have them shipped later to your U.S. address (CBP: importing household goods). New items bought within the last year, items for sale, and certain restricted goods (alcohol above allowances, some foods, plants) can attract duty or be prohibited, so declare everything accurately. A licensed customs broker or your mover’s U.S. agent usually files the entry on your behalf at the port of arrival.

5. Pets: rules on both ends

Leaving Finland: the EU places no exit barrier on taking your own pet to a third country, but you must satisfy the destination’s import rules, so plan around the U.S. requirements below and your airline’s crate and health-certificate rules.

Entering the USA — dogs: under CDC rules effective from 1 August 2024, all dogs must appear healthy on arrival, be at least 6 months old, be microchipped, and have a CDC Dog Import Form online-submission receipt (CDC: bringing a dog into the U.S.; CDC Dog Import Form instructions). Finland is not on the CDC’s high-risk-for-rabies list, so it counts as a rabies-free/low-risk country, and for a dog that has only been in such countries in the previous 6 months the CDC Dog Import Form is the only required CDC document (CDC: dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries). You must also meet USDA and destination-state rules (USDA APHIS: bringing a pet into the U.S.).

Entering the USA — cats: CDC requires cats only to appear healthy on arrival and does not require proof of rabies vaccination for import, though some states and airlines require a rabies vaccine or a veterinary health certificate — check your destination state (CBP: bringing a cat).

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

Vehicles: a car bought and used in Finland is built to EU, not U.S., standards, and importing it means meeting EPA emissions and DOT safety (FMVSS) requirements — often impractical for a modern car (CBP: importing a motor vehicle). The big exception is the 25-year rule: a vehicle at least 25 years old is exempt from FMVSS and enters on Box 1 of the HS-7 Declaration, with the 25 years counted from the date of manufacture (CBP: importing classic/antique vehicles). For most movers, selling the car in Finland is cheaper than importing it.

Money: there is no limit on how much cash you may carry, but you must report to CBP any transport of more than USD 10,000 in currency or monetary instruments (cash, traveller’s cheques, certain bearer instruments) into or out of the USA, using FinCEN Form 105. Failing to report can mean seizure of the funds and heavy penalties (USAGov: how much money can you bring).

Commonly forgotten: keep the Tulli export decision and MRN; carry your pet’s CDC form receipt; do not ship prohibited foods, plants or certain wooden items without checking; keep an itemised valued inventory for insurance and CBP; and confirm your U.S. state’s driver-licence, vehicle-registration and pet-vaccination rules, which sit on top of the federal ones above.

How Flyto handles your Finland to the USA move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — so the Finnish packing, export paperwork and port handling stay under our direct control. For the ocean leg and the U.S. arrival we combine a carefully chosen partner and subcontractor network with trusted local partners in the USA for customs clearance and final delivery. We coordinate the whole corridor end to end without pretending to own every link in it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to file a Finnish export declaration for my own furniture?
Yes, in practice. A private individual must declare removal goods to Tulli when the consignment’s value exceeds EUR 1,000 or its weight exceeds 1,000 kg, which a household move almost always does (Tulli: export declaration).

Will I pay U.S. duty on my used belongings?
Generally no, if you qualify as a returning resident or immigrant and the effects were used abroad for at least a year and are for your own use, not for sale. You declare them on CBP Form 3299 (CBP: importing household goods).

Am I still taxed in Finland after I move?
As a Finnish citizen you normally remain a tax resident for the move year plus three years under the three-year rule, unless you prove you have cut essential ties (Vero: 3-year rule).

What does my dog need to enter the USA?
Microchip, minimum age 6 months, healthy appearance, and a CDC Dog Import Form receipt. Coming from Finland (low-risk), that form is the only CDC document required (CDC: dogs from rabies-free/low-risk countries).

Can I bring my Finnish car?
Only if it meets EPA and DOT standards, which most modern EU cars don’t — or if it is 25 years or older, in which case it’s exempt and enters on the HS-7 form (CBP: importing a car).

What about moving back to Finland later?
Returning from outside the EU, you can get duty relief on removal goods if your normal residence was outside the EU for at least 12 continuous months, you owned and used the goods for at least 6 months, and you declare them within 12 months of the move — with a 12-month transfer restriction on the duty-free goods (Tulli: I am moving to Finland).

Sources

• Finnish Customs (Tulli): I am moving abroad
• Finnish Customs (Tulli): How to declare removal goods
• Finnish Customs (Tulli): Export declaration for private individuals
• Finnish Customs (Tulli): I am moving to Finland
• Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV): Moving abroad
• DVV: Moving while living abroad
• Finnish Tax Administration (Vero): Moving away from Finland
• Vero: Finnish citizens and the 3-year rule
• Port of HaminaKotka Ltd (background)
• CBP Form 3299: Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles (PDF)
• CBP: Process to move used household goods and personal effects into the U.S.
• eCFR: 19 CFR Part 148, Subpart D — Exemptions for Returning Residents
• CDC: Bringing a dog into the U.S.
• CDC: Dog Import Form and Instructions
• CDC: Entry requirements for dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries
• USDA APHIS: Bring a pet from another country into the United States
• CBP: Requirements for bringing a cat into the United States
• CBP: Importing a Motor Vehicle
• CBP: Importing classic or antique vehicles for personal use
• USAGov: How much money can you bring into and out of the U.S. (FinCEN Form 105)