Declaration of a foreign student’s tax-exempt vehicle use, instructions

If you live permanently abroad but are a full-time student in Finland, you can use a vehicle that is registered abroad exempt from tax for as long as your studies in Finland last.

If you use the vehicle for more than 6 months during a period of 12 months, submit a declaration of tax-exempt vehicle use to the Tax Administration before the 6-month limit is reached.

After this, file a new declaration every academic year. The Tax Administration may also ask you to give an account of your studies at other times.

File the declaration in MyTax. MyTax opens on the Your tax types tab. Go to the Tax matters tab and then click the Activities relating to car tax link under Car tax. Then click the link for Declaration of tax-exempt use and Student use.

You can also use a paper form Declaration of a foreign student’s tax-exempt vehicle use (Form 1245e).

When you have submitted the declaration in MyTax, you will receive a confirmation from the Tax Administration. You will immediately receive the confirmation letter in MyTax, where you can print it. You will also receive the letter by post to your address in Finland, unless you have activated Suomi.fi messages and chosen not to receive paper mail. Keep the confirmation message with you in the vehicle either as a print-out or in a mobile device. You must be able to present the confirmation to supervisory authorities, such as the police or Customs, if requested.

Read more about student use of vehicles

1 Student

Fill in your personal details. Enter your country of permanent residence and your address in Finland. If you file a declaration on behalf of someone else, enter the details of the person wishing to use the vehicle exempt from tax.

2 Vehicle

Enter the details of the vehicle you wish to use exempt from tax. If needed, you can refer to the vehicle’s official documents, such as the certificate of conformity or the vehicle’s foreign registration certificate.

Make

Vehicle make.

Model

Vehicle model.

Vehicle identification number (VIN)

Enter the vehicle identification number (VIN). The VIN is a unique series of numbers and letters that is used to identify a vehicle.

Enter the VIN in the same format as in the official documents. The VIN is normally made up of 17 characters and may contain special characters. The VINs of EU and EC type-approved vehicles usually do not have the letters o, i or q, because these may be easily mistaken for numbers. These letter and character limits do not apply to the VINs of other than EU and EC type-approved vehicles. Letters o, i and q may thus appear in the VINs of vehicles imported from the USA or Japan, for example.

Registration number

Vehicle’s registration number.

Country of registration

Country where the vehicle has been registered.

Start of vehicle use in Finland

The date when you started or will start using the vehicle in Finland. The use of a vehicle starts on the day when the vehicle is first used in traffic within Finland. 

Vehicle category

Select the vehicle category in which the vehicle is registered.

3 Studies

Name of the educational institution where you study in Finland

Address of educational institution

Start date of studies

Academic year

Enter the start date and end date of the academic year, for example 1 August 2022 and 31 May 2023. The academic year is a period of approximately one year, and it may consist of several terms with holiday periods in between.

Description of studies and work, where applicable

Give an account of your right to study and of any work you may have done. You can also give the account of your studies and work as an attachment and add other documents, such as a certificate of registration at your educational institution.