Finnish Customs (, ) is the customs service of the

Republic of Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. It is a

government agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

steered by the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

. The Finnish Customs is a part of the customs system of the European Union and has around 1,900 employees.

History

On February 12, 1812, the founding of The General Customs Directorate of the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed from 1809 to 1917 as an Autonomous region, autonomous state within the Russian Empire. Originating in the 16th century as a titular grand duchy held by the Monarc ...

was approved by

Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...

as the

Grand Duke of Finland The Grand Duke of Finland, alternatively the Grand Prince of Finland after 1802, was, from around 1580 to 1809, a title in use by most Swedish monarchs. Between 1809 and 1917, it was included in the title of the emperor of Russia, who was also t ...

. By the 1850s, customs duties' share of total tax revenue was over 40 percent. The directorate was renamed the Board of Customs in 1881. The customs service of the Grand Duchy of Finland was autonomous from the customs service of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, and thus the transition to the customs service of an independent Finland in 1917 was smooth. Customs duties formed the backbone of the Finnish state economy until the 1930s, but the fiscal importance of duties has decreased drastically due to the international reduction or elimination of trade barriers since the 1950s. Finland joined the EU and its Customs Union in 1995, but this caused no significant challenges for Finnish Customs.

Current activities

The tasks of Finnish Customs include the facilitation of the trade in goods, the protection of society and the environment, and the collection of customs duties, charges and taxes on import goods. It also compiles the official statistics on international trade. X-ray_scanner_truck_at_Nuijamaa_border_crossing

X-ray_scanner_truck_at_Nuijamaa_border_crossing

Directors

* Gustaf Hjärne 1812–1816 * Claes Jakob Gripenberg 1816–1822 * Jacob Snellman 1822–1828 * Julius Conrad Antell 1828–1831 * Christian Avellan 1831–1841 * Berndt Federley 1841–1847 * Carl Gustaf Enckell 1848–1849 * Frans Olof af Brunér 1849–1855 * Johan August von Born 1855–1865 * Konstantin Wikman 1865–1881 * Herman Peter Höckert 1881–1890 * Birger Fridolf Winter 1890–1901 * Bernhard Anton Harald Indrenius 1902–1903 * Knut Gustaf Nikolai Borgenström 1903–1905 * Eugraf Nyman 1905–1907 * T. J. Boisman 1907–1910 * Axel Fabian af Enehjelm 1910–1915 * Pavel Strauch 1915–1917 * Wilhelm Gabriel Poppius 1917–1935 * Ilmari Killinen 1936–1942 * Eljas Kahra 1942–1945 * Auno Halonen 1945–1951 * Nikolai Saarnio 1951–1968 * Jorma Uitto 1968–1988 * Jermu Laine 1988–1994 * Berndt Olof Johansson 1994–1998 * Tapani Erling 1998–2012 * Antti Hartikainen 2012 * Antti Hartikainen 2012–2013 * Leo Nissinen 2013–2019 * Hannu Mäkinen 2019–2024 * Sami Rakshit 2024–Current

References

External links

* {{Government agencies and public bodies of Finland Customs services Government agencies of Finland

History

Current activities

Directors

See also

References

External links