fi.bev-cuvee.org · AS OF 2026-11-10
Finland
The business-to-business (B2B) hub for beverage alcohol: the trade rulebook for beverage alcohol, country by country, each section with its official sources.
As of 2026-11-10
Market status
State monopoly. Alko holds the state retail monopoly, subject to statutory exceptions. Other licensed retailers may sell fermented drinks up to 8% alcohol by volume and other alcoholic drinks up to 5.5%. Qualifying farm wines and craft beers have separate exceptions. Private wholesale licensing remains available; the retail monopoly is not a wholesale monopoly.
Sources
Who can trade
Customs identification: An Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number is required for business customs operations.
Import: Commercial beverage imports do not require a separate beverage-import licence, but the importer needs the licence appropriate to its business activity for drinks above 2.8%. Commencement of commercial import or export activity is notified to the Finnish Supervisory Agency.
Wholesale and distribution: A wholesale licence requires suitable expertise, storage and a self-monitoring plan. A manufacturing licence includes wholesale rights for alcoholic beverages without a separate wholesale licence. Manufacturers and wholesalers sell only to licence holders for the licensed purpose and record sales by buyer and licence.
Business-to-business (B2B) online sale: Specific electronic wholesale contracting conditions: Not yet sourced. Consumer delivery and cross-border distance-sale provisions commencing on 3 January 2027 are not treated here as current wholesale permissions.
Sources
Customs and duty
Tariff headings: Beer made from malt: 2203. Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wine and certain grape must: 2204. Other fermented beverages, including cider, and qualifying mixtures: 2206. Spirits, liqueurs and other spirituous beverages: 2208.
Import duty: The European Union common customs tariff applies to third-country imports. Detailed classification, origin, preferences, quotas and other tariff measures determine the duty. The Integrated Tariff of the European Union (TARIC) supplies the applicable measures; a four-digit heading alone does not establish the payable duty.
Excise: Beer and spirits use ethyl-alcohol quantity, with category and strength distinctions. Wine and other fermented drinks, including qualifying cider, use beverage volume and strength bands. Intermediate products have separate bands. Beverage packaging tax and available packaging-system reliefs: Not yet sourced.
Territorial treatment: Mainland Finland is within European Union customs and excise territory. Åland is within customs territory but outside the Union excise and value added tax territories. Åland-specific national licensing and tax-border procedures: Not yet sourced.
Sources
- https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32016R1872
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/common-customs-tariff-cct/calculation-customs-duties_en
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/online-services/online-services-and-databases-customs/eu-customs-tariff-taric_en
- https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/taxation/vat/vat-directive/how-does-vat-work/territorial-scope_en
- https://vero.fi/en/businesses-and-corporations/taxes-and-charges/excise-taxation/excise-duty-on-alcohol-and-alcoholic-beverages/Excise-duty-table-for-alcohol-and-alcoholic-beveragesoholijuomaverotaulukko
- https://www.vero.fi/en/businesses-and-corporations/taxes-and-charges/excise-taxation/excise-duty-on-alcohol-and-alcoholic-beverages/
Labelling
Required language(s): Finnish and Swedish. For products marketed only in a monolingual municipality, that municipality’s language is sufficient.
Mandatory warnings: Ingredient-dependent statements apply, including relevant sweetener and aspartame warnings. A general national alcohol-health or pregnancy warning: Not yet sourced.
Alcohol strength: Beverages above 1.2% alcohol by volume declare their actual alcoholic strength; wine follows its sector-specific rules.
Allergens: Relevant allergens require declaration. Without an ingredient list, the declaration uses “contains” followed by the allergen. Sulphur dioxide and sulphites above 10 milligrams per kilogram or litre, expressed as total sulphur dioxide, require declaration.
Origin: Wine requires provenance. Other beverages require origin where omission misleads; an origin claim can trigger primary-ingredient origin requirements.
Wine particulars: Ingredient and nutrition declarations apply, with transitional treatment for wine produced before 8 December 2023. Electronic disclosure is conditional; allergens and energy remain on the physical label.
Sources
Age and sale limits
Legal purchase age: 18; retail purchase of strong alcoholic drinks above 22% alcohol by volume requires age 20. On-premises service requires age 18.
Sale-hour and channel limits: The statutory retail-sales window is 09:00–21:00, excluding drinks up to 2.8%. This is a retail rule. Wholesale-specific hour restrictions: Not yet sourced. Delivery provisions with a 3 January 2027 commencement date are not yet in force.
Sources
Protected names
Protection framework: The European Commission maintains the legal registration database for protected food, wine and spirit names, alongside a register of protected traditional wine terms. Registration status and product specifications determine the applicable protection.
Verified examples: Rioja and Champagne are protected designations of origin for wine. These examples are not an exhaustive list.
Additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Sources
GTIN authority
Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) member organisation: GS1 Finland.
Sources
Not yet sourced
Electronic wholesale contracting conditions; beverage packaging tax and reliefs; Åland-specific national licensing and tax-border procedures; wholesale-specific hour restrictions: Not yet sourced.
General national alcohol-health or pregnancy warning; additional named spirit, beer and cider protections: Not yet sourced.
Library catalogue: bev-cuvee.org · this page as data: mcp.bev-cuvee.org/mcp (get_rulebook, code fi)