Before you buy — settle these first

• Set a total landed budget — purchase price, shipping, import VAT, customs clearance, and delivery to site combined. The purchase price is not the number that matters; the landed figure is.
• Confirm the machine's country of origin — UK-manufactured (potentially qualifying for 0% duty under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement) vs continental European origin (free circulation within the EU; no customs if the machine stays in the EU, but if it has been exported to the UK and is being re-imported it is a different question). Confirm per machine.
• Confirm whether the machine is agricultural/forestry machinery or construction plant — the import pathway for used agricultural machines from the UK is different from construction plant (see below).

Before you import — understand the two tracks

Post-Brexit, the UK is a third country relative to the EU. That means a UK-to-Finland movement is a customs import event, whatever the machine is. The two tracks differ in what else sits on top of customs.

Track 1: Used construction and earth-moving plant (excavators, telehandlers, dumpers, rollers, compactors)

• Customs declaration required (filed through Tulli, Finland's customs authority).
• No plant-health certification required — construction plant is not on the EU's regulated list for phytosanitary controls.
• General expectation: the machine arrives clean and free from soil and organic debris.
• Import VAT applies (see below).

Track 2: Used agricultural and forestry machinery (tractors, cultivators, harvesters, forestry equipment)

• Customs declaration required.
• Phytosanitary certificate required (issued by the relevant authority in the country of export before the machine leaves the UK).
• TRACES CHED-PP notification required — pre-notification through the EU's TRACES system before arrival.
• Entry through an approved border control point in Finland.
• Documents are checked on all consignments; a proportion are physically inspected — and if the machine is flagged or the documentation is incomplete, expect inspection.
• Ruokavirasto (Finnish Food Authority) is the competent authority for plant-health controls at the border.
• Machine must be visually clean and free of soil and plant debris before inspection.

Regulatory basis: EU Regulation 2016/2031 + Implementing Regulation 2019/2072 Annex XI.

If you are unsure which track applies to your machine, confirm with your Finnish customs broker before the machine ships.

Sourcing the machine

• Search across multiple sources — dealer stock, online auctions, private sellers in the UK, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, France.
• No single listing platform shows the whole market. Auction stock rarely appears on retail platforms.
• If you need a specific model, spec, or year range: note it precisely before searching. Vague searches produce vague results.

Verifying the seller

• Confirm the business exists on the relevant national company register.
• Confirm the business is actively trading.
• Confirm that bank account details match the registered company name.
• Check there is a real address and working landline.
• Assess trading history — how long have they been in business?
• Never pay a deposit to a seller you cannot verify. Pressure to transfer money quickly before a deal is agreed is a fraud signal.

Inspection

• Inspect the machine in person — or have someone do it for you — before any money moves.
• Start the machine cold and work it; don't just walk around it.
• Check undercarriage condition on tracked machines: tracks, rollers, idlers, sprockets. This is the most expensive wear item and the easiest to hide in photos.
• Check for oil leaks, hydraulic condition, emulsified oil.
• Cross-check displayed hours against visible wear.
• Photograph and record everything honestly.

Cleaning — applies to both tracks

Regardless of machine type, a used machine that has worked outdoors will carry soil, plant material, and organic debris in hard-to-reach places.

• Commission a professional machinery clean before shipping — not a basic wash.
• Target: undercarriage and track frames, wheel arches, engine bay, cab interior and floor, belly plates, buckets, blades, all ground-engaging attachments, hollow sections and chassis cavities.
• Obtain a record from the cleaning contractor documenting what was done.
• Photograph the machine after cleaning and before loading.

For agricultural/forestry machinery specifically, a clean machine is a condition of the phytosanitary certificate process — it is not optional.

Export from the UK

• UK export declaration lodged correctly.
• Commercial invoice prepared: accurate machine description and declared value.
• Bill of lading obtained from the shipping line.
• Packing details prepared.
• Proof of origin documentation prepared if claiming 0% duty under the EU–UK TCA (origin statement on invoice or EUR.1 movement certificate) — confirm with your UK exporter or customs broker.
• For agricultural/forestry machinery: phytosanitary certificate obtained from the UK plant-health authority before export; TRACES CHED-PP pre-notification submitted before arrival at the Finnish border.

Finnish customs and import VAT

• Customs declaration lodged through Tulli (Finnish Customs) on arrival from the UK.
• Import duty: 0% if the machine genuinely originates in the UK and preferential origin is correctly claimed under the EU–UK TCA. If the machine was manufactured outside the UK and merely resold through the UK, preferential origin may not apply — confirm per machine. EU MFN duty on most common machinery headings (HS 8429, 8430, 8432, 8433, 8701) is also low to nil under the EU Common Customs Tariff — confirm the exact TARIC line with your Finnish customs broker.

Machinery compliance considerations

• Construction plant and agricultural machinery used in Finland must meet relevant EU machinery safety requirements. If the machine is being placed on the Finnish market or used by a third party for the first time after import, confirm CE marking, ROPS/FOPS certification, and any lifting-equipment obligations with a machinery compliance specialist before sale or use — these are separate from customs.
• For machines that will travel on public roads (tractors, telehandlers), Finnish road registration requirements may apply — confirm per machine type.

Summary — the safe sequence

1. Confirm the machine type: construction plant or agricultural/forestry — this determines which track applies.
2. Verify the seller before any money moves.
3. Inspect the machine in person (or have someone do it for you).
4. Agree the full landed cost — machine, freight, import VAT, duty (if any), phytosanitary compliance (if agricultural), broker fees, delivery.
5. Clean the machine to the required standard; obtain a cleaning record.
6. Confirm HS classification and origin status before finalising the purchase price.
7. For agricultural/forestry machinery: ensure phytosanitary certificate and TRACES pre-notification are in place before the machine ships.

Prefer a PDF you can print or send on? Download the original checklist.