All passengers can now buy tax-free shops’ products, such as sweets, cosmetics and gifts. For the time being, tobacco and alcohol products can only be sold to passengers travelling outside of Finland.
Purchases by domestic passengers include VAT and excise duties, the same as with purchases by passengers travelling to other EU countries. Sales to passengers travelling to a destination outside the EU will continue to be tax-free.
For Finavia airports, tax-free shops can be found at Helsinki Airport in both the Schengen and non-Schengen areas.
“We are delighted that there are now more shopping opportunities for domestic passengers at the airport! We believe that domestic passengers will find their way to the wide range of products offered by the tax-free shops at Helsinki Airport,” says Nora Immonen, Finavia’s Director of Commercial Services at Helsinki Airport.
“We have been looking forward to this change. Finland has been an exception in European terms, and it has been difficult for passengers such as tourists from Central Europe travelling to Lapland via Helsinki Airport to understand why they cannot buy anything from our shops. We are very happy that we are now able to serve all passengers at the airport and offer them a wide range of products from top international brands and popular domestic brands, with the help of our expert sales staff,” says Sini Syväjärvi, Finland General Manager of WDFG Helsinki Ltd, which operates Dufry shops at Helsinki Airport.
In the past, tax-free shops at airports could only sell VAT-free products to passengers travelling to a destination outside the EU. It has also been possible to sell products to passengers travelling outside Finland to other EU countries, but in this case the sale has been subject to tax.
The tax-free sales amendment entered into force on 25 February 2022.
