Guide · Finland
Driving a UK-registered car in Finland: how long you can keep UK plates, what autovero and registration cost, and what to do instead
Finland charges a car tax at first registration on top of the customs duty and VAT that every UK car now attracts. This guide covers how long you can stay on UK plates, the registration steps and costs, and the alternative.
Last reviewed September 2026
How long can I keep it on UK plates?
Non-residents may use a foreign-registered car temporarily while its home registration, inspection and insurance are valid. Once you are resident in Finland the car must be registered here; the UK registration cannot be kept from abroad because the V5C needs a UK address and the MOT and UK insurance lapse.
Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?
Right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Finland. The katsastus will require headlamps adjusted for driving on the right, and Finnish buyers pay less for right-hand drive.
What registering it involves
- Customs clearance as a non-EU import through Finnish Customs (Tulli), paying duty and VAT.
- Car tax (autovero) declaration and assessment by the Tax Administration.
- Registration inspection (rekisteröintikatsastus) at an inspection station.
- Registration with Traficom: Finnish plates and registration certificate.
- Finnish motor insurance.
What it costs
- Customs duty: 10% of the customs value unless UK origin is documented under the EU–UK agreement.
- VAT: 25.5% on the value plus duty.
- Autovero: a percentage of the taxable value scaled by CO2 — low for efficient cars, substantial for older or high-emission ones.
- Inspection, headlamp work, plates and fees.
Moving home? Transfer-of-residence relief
If you lived in the UK for at least 12 months and owned and used the car for 6 months or more, transfer-of-residence relief normally removes customs duty and VAT when you move to Finland; car tax relief for removal goods was abolished, so autovero is still payable. The car cannot be sold for 12 months after customs relief.
The alternative: sell it back to the UK
Selling back to the UK trade avoids all of it. We buy UK-registered cars in Finland as they stand, collect free from any address, handle the export paperwork, and pay in pounds sterling on the day.
Get a free valuation for your car in Finland
Free collection anywhere in Finland, all export paperwork handled, paid in pounds sterling (£) on the day.
Value my UK carCommon questions
Can I estimate the autovero first?
Yes — the Tax Administration publishes the CO2-based percentage table and an online calculator.
What if the MOT has expired?
Not a problem — we buy cars with expired MOT or SORN and collect by transporter.
How long does collection take?
Allow one to two weeks from acceptance; Finland is the longest run we make.
Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of September 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority or a customs agent before relying on it.
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