I am in the US and will be for a few years. Eventually we will be moving to the Kirkkonummi Finland area. I have looked at the web and called a few places there but all they say is I need to come in to the office. Hard to do that when I am here in the US. I was wondering about what is needed to import a (probably unfinished) hotrod. Will have a good Missouri title for the car but not for the other parts. Example car build; 40 ford coupe, early caddy or hemi engine, auto transmission, 9" rear diffy.
Or if someone is willing to go to the trouble to ship it across the world, it will actually get built...I've never sent one to Finland but in Norway, you just need a good title and bill of sale. You pay the import fees when it comes in the country and then the road tax fees whe it is road ready..
I am an American that is marrying a Finnish woman. We plan on retiring in Finland and I need my American Iron with me there.
Small world these days-- I get em from here and there and send em back to there for where... And then across the other side again... So whutz yer point there fts55? cost to haul one across the US starts at about a grand.. I just TODAY loaded up FOUR headied to Sweden.. Cost for ONE container 3 grand. GEEZ, that is less than it costs to send them cross country. I loaded up 4 MORE yesterday that went to FINLAND.. Same deal.. You want 'em to stay here -- buy 'em. As for me I am trying my dang best to get some of our U.S. money back in the U.S.... Who else is trying to balance the foriegn trade?
As part of an international move when you are immigrating, its a lot easier than everybody is trying to make you believe. I believe if you can prove its been in your name for a certain number of years, you dont even pay any import duty ( or maybe its just a small amount ) Just start asking questions at the consulate, and dont let them brush you off...
Sounds like a good plan... Welcome. What comes into bringing a hot rod over with you: Yes. No problem. However it might be good to know few things: First, you really need to have a title. Then the size of motor. They have strighten the regulations recently and it might be difficult to get a '40 Ford inspected with a Hemi or such. Other than that it's quite straightforward stuff. Importing tax for such an old car is only few euros which is not required to pay. You can build and finish the car in your garage and before you can get it registered here in Finland you need to show it (and paperwork) at the customs office. The taxing procedure takes app. 3 mths and after that you are able to get plates (if the DMV inspection was passed). Chassis etc. need to be technically OK hence we have this annual DMV inspection for all cars. So you can easily bring over a project car. Modification legislation is OK at the moment (you have probably heard some European horror stories). If you're not trying to build a fucked up rat rod you will be just fine with the regulation. You can pm. me if you have any questions. --mika
I think Metalshapes is on the right lines here. A quick google of 'Importing Personal goods Into Finland' provides a wealth of info. You'll need to wade through that to establish what if anything it's going to cost you, but you'll need to do that for all of your other stuff anyway. As far as eventually registering your car(s) for use in Finland, well that's another matter, and that's already been outlined. Important to keep a clear distinction between the tax / duty aspects and the eventual vehicle registration, especially when it's your own stuff that you've owned for some time. Welcome to Europe! Chris
with you being an American citizen maybe it will be possible for you to go around Finland and Europe keeping the car with US plates and papers (if you finish it and register it before coming to Europe) but you'll have to find an US insurance that works on this side of the pond and everything... I live pretty close to the Aviano Air Base here in Italy, it's an American Army base located close to Venezia, and going around that area you can see US cars with US plates on Italian ground, they have regular US plates and "AFI" plates (I believe Air Forces or something) and they're alloud to keep the different lights and everything (for example new mustangs imported to Italy get orange direction indicators instead of red ones and this kind of stuff, but the ones with US plates have regular red indicators) I think that this could be the easier solution, also because you won't have to pay taxes and duties (or at least you'll have to pay less taxes)
Welcome to Finland! This sure isn´t the easiest country to be a hot rodder and at least this summer wasn´t too shiny. Gas is expensive in Europe but you get used to it soon. Mika is correct about those rules. It´s good to know that it´s actually insane to try register car with less than under 50% original in Finland. If they think in MOT that there´s more than half changed parts on your car you are in danger to get paid new car taxes and that´s a lot of money. Selfmade frame is big no-no! It would be nice to have original VIN stamps on car before registration. I think old hemi is OK if you show from old shop manuals etc. that the engine weight has increased under 20% and maybe with dyno papers that it´s not more than 20% more powerful than original flathead used to be. That old imported car is easier ro register than new ones because the lights and turn signals doesn´t have to be marked with present directive seals. Actually laws from 1940 conserns to your car. I´ve been even told that somebody drives fenderless hot rod everyday in our country. If you have a goal you can get it. So please join to hot rodders of this small country of tar, swamps and Sisu... Rod Ari
Believe me,Finland is much better place for old American iron than China Good luck with the shipping.There are few companies in states that ships old American iron to Finland.They are managered by Finns,one is in Houston,Texas. I guess thats the nearest company from Missouri.They do international moving too. Their website: http://www.halmari.com/
Make sure all your bases are covered and get insurance for any loss or damage ,get the shipper to take a pic when it's loaded in the container and YOU be there when it's opened,these pricks always blame each other,so be carefull,one guy here pay'd big$$$ for a car he imported from Cal,the container fell and the car was a w/off,he was reimbursed for the car but had to pay the $4K for shipping,now don't that suck ,good luck, Gaz!
Yes, like 'Metalshapes' said, when you're immigrating it might be alot easier to bring a car and other personal goods with you. Hamb member 'Kustom Dick' just informed me that regulation is different (=easier) when bringing a car over when immigrating and not just buying and shipping cars over. Also you might want to study immigration things more precisely, it might (note might) be good business to bring over a newer car (sports car etc.) with less tax and sell it here after a certain period. --mika
Thanks for the info. It will be a few years before I can retire and move there. Presently I do not have a car but would like to buy a car this winter. Would hate to buy something and not be able to bring it with me. I will not be over there until June 2013. Its only for a week and I am getting married then. Probably will not have much time to get info. I have asked my bride to be to check about what is required but she knows nothing about cars. Sports car.......might be something to think about.
http://www.tulli.fi/fi/yksityisille/autoverotus/muuttoajoneuvot/index.jsp Note: in that link it is said that you need to own your car over 6 months before importing that car as an immigrant vehicle! (to have tax benefit for a newer car) Usually people bring over an easy-selling car, like Audi A4, Toyota RAV4 or something and sell it after the waiting period. A 40ft container takes 3 cars, so if you want you can easily bring your '40 Ford, a newer car and still some furniture or what ever with you. That's the case if you're willing to have a full container. Of course, as said earlier, it is easy tho let a hauling company to do all shipping work. Then you're not required to fill full container with your own stuff (as I did) but the company combines shipments. And also as said earlier, the insurance is a must. I had my '59 Chevy damaged somewhere between Seattle harbor -- Helsinki harbor and it took a year before I got my money. Before that a shipping company which I used got bankcrupted while my '65 Buick Electra conv. was sailing at the Atlantic Ocean... Luckily somebody called me after a month that my car is save in Germany... Like 'Rod Ari' said, your '40 Ford would be inspected based on old technical requirements (lights etc.) but the modifications might be checked more carefully. What comes into newer cars, you might need to notice that lights need to be accepted in Europe, which means that US lights need to be replaced with replacement ones having a letter E. Also you need to add a rear fog light and things like that. But that's pretty much business-as-usual, cars are shipped here all the time and there's even companies which do these modifications and paper work every day. --mika
The Jalopy Journal
