Applying for waste shipment permit
Before waste shipments can begin, the competent authority of the Finnish Environment Institute, the recipient country and any transit countries must accept the waste shipment notification, i.e. authorise the waste shipment. As a rule, a waste shipment permit is valid for no more than one year.
Do you need a waste shipment permit?
The need for a waste shipment permit and the fulfilment of the conditions for shipment are determined by the classification, processing, destination country and any export and import restrictions. The preparation of the waste shipment declaration should begin well in advance of the planned waste shipments. Where necessary, you can contact the Finnish Environment Institute to ensure the obligation to submit a waste shipment notification. For contacting the Finnish Environment Institute, the following information should be available:
- waste description
- waste producer and notifier
- destination country and institution
- a brief description of the waste processing method.
This information can be used to assess, for instance, whether more than one notification is needed.
One or several notifications?
Several waste shipment notifications are required if:
- the shipment contains waste under different categories,
- waste is transported along different routes, or
- waste is exported from several points of origin or to several recipients.
If waste requiring a waste shipment permit is shipped without a waste shipment permit, the waste shipment may be illegal. An illegal shipment of waste to an operator may be subject to a penalty under the Waste Act or the Criminal Code.
Who is responsible for applying for a waste shipment permit?
The waste exporter, i.e. the notifier, submits a waste shipment notification to the competent authority in the country of origin, which in Finland is the Finnish Environment Institute. As a rule, the original producer of waste under the jurisdiction of the country of origin may be the notifier, but it may also be the authorised waste collector or registered broker. The waste broker may be authorised to carry out the notification procedure by the waste producer. Provisions on acting as a notifier are laid down in Article 2(15) of the EU regulation on shipments of waste.
Good to know before submitting a notification
Financial guarantee shall be provided for international shipments of waste, covering, where appropriate, the costs incurred by the authority for returning the waste to the country of origin, storage and the alternative processing of the waste.
As a rule, a permit for the international shipment of waste is valid for no more than one year.
If it is necessary to make changes to the waste shipment approved in the permit, the waste shipment authorities must always be notified of the changes and, where necessary, a new notification must be submitted for the waste shipment permit.
The waste shipment authorities of the countries involved in the shipment will charge a fee for processing the notification and monitoring the batches shipped according to their own price lists.
A waste shipment permit may also be withdrawn if the waste shipment is not carried out in accordance with the permit.
Financial guarantee
An international shipment of waste must have financial guarantee in accordance with Article 6 of the EU regulation on shipments of waste. The eligible forms of financial guarantee include a guarantee, insurance or pledged deposit. The financial guarantee provider shall be a credit institution, and insurance company or other professional financial institution domiciled in a state within the European Economic Area.
The financial guarantee taken by the company must be submitted to the Finnish Environment Institute in the form of a bank guarantee. For waste shipments, the Finnish Environment Institute recommends an On demand type bank guarantee. The Finnish Environment Institute recommends an indefinite collateral.
Guidelines, forms and document templates
Amount of the financial guarantee
The applicant shall provide a financial guarantee covering, where appropriate, the costs of returning the waste to the country of origin, storage (90 days) and the alternative processing of the waste incurred by the authority. The costs shall be determined based on the actual data provided by the notifier.
The collateral financial guarantee shall cover:
- Transport costs arising from the return of the waste to Finland from the country of destination, which are mainly calculated on the basis of tender data.
- Storage costs are calculated for 90 days. The storage costs should be determined, for instance, in the warehouses of the ports of departure or arrival.
- The costs of alternative processing are determined on a case-by-case basis. The starting point is the cost of waste processing in Finland, such as the cost of landfills or hazardous waste disposal sites. In the case of hazardous waste, the list prices of national operators are usually used as reference data. In the case of waste with a positive value, the processing costs may be excluded from the financial guarantee calculation at the discretion of the parties.
In the case of shipments of waste from Finland, the financial guarantee may be lodged in part for one or more shipments. The minimum amount of financial guarantee is EUR 2,000.
Provision of financial guarantee
In the case of shipments within the EEA, lodging financial guarantee in favour of the competent authority of the country of departure is sufficient. The financial guarantee document shall be submitted to the competent authority of the country of origin.
When waste is imported to Finland from outside the European Union, Norway or Switzerland, financial guarantee must usually also be lodged for the benefit of the Finnish Environment Institute, even if the authority of the country of origin has also requested financial guarantee.
Financial guarantee may be lodged after the Finnish Environment Institute has approved the financial guarantee calculation submitted by the notifier.
Validity of the financial guarantee
The financial guarantee must be valid for at least 480 days after the last date of departure approved in the waste shipment permit. If the waste is exported for interim treatment, for example for sorting, the financial guarantee shall be valid until the final processing of the waste. In such cases, the financial guarantee must be valid for at least 845 days after the final date of departure approved in the waste shipment permit. The Finnish Environment Institute recommends an indefinite financial guarantee.
Acceptance of financial guarantee
The Finnish Environment Institute approves the financial guarantee lodged for the waste shipment in connection with the notification procedure, i.e. when applying for a permit.
Financial guarantee monitoring
The financial guarantee shall cover the open waste shipment quantity. The shipment shall be open from the date of departure indicated on the shipment document until the date of processing on the shipment document. The shipment of waste to interim processing may be open until the certificate of final disposal.
Return of financial guarantee
The financial collateral guarantee may be returned once the competent authorities have obtained the necessary evidence that the waste batches have been received and processed as specified in the permit.
Authorisation for interim waste treatment
The authorisation and approval procedures vary somewhat depending on whether the waste is shipped for an interim operation, i.e. pre-processing, to a warehouse or for actual operation. Article 15 of the regulation on shipments of waste concerns interim recovery and disposal operations. The basic principle for these shipments is that all activities from interim operations to final disposal of the waste are monitored in authorising and controlling the shipment.
Where necessary, it is the responsibility of the recipient to submit a new notification, if the waste is shipped to the original country of origin, another Member State or a third country for processing after the interim operation has been completed. If the final processing takes place in the same country as interim operation, the Annex 1 form of the Contact Person Guidelines No. 3 shall be used for the shipment.
If waste is shipped for interim operation, additional provisions will be included in the agreement between the notifier and the recipient of the waste which is required by the regulation on shipments of waste. The Finnish Environment Institute has prepared an agreement template for interim operation.
Waste covered by producer responsibility
The Waste Act defines some waste as covered by producer responsibility. This means that under the Waste Act, manufacturers and importers of products have the primary right and, on the other hand, the obligation to organise the collection, transport and waste management of products to be decommissioned. Waste subject to producer responsibility includes batteries and accumulators, vehicles, tyres, electrical and electronic devices, paper and paper products, packaging, certain single-use plastic products and fishing gear containing plastic. For exports of waste covered by producer responsibility, the exporter shall demonstrate that it cooperates with the producer or producer organisation.
More information on producer responsibility is available on the ELY Centre website.
Period of validity of the waste shipment permit
As a rule, a waste shipment permit is valid for one year. The Finnish Environment Institute grants a permit for the period applied for in field 6 of the notification document (Annex IA) or for a period shorter than this.
A waste shipment permit may be issued for a maximum period of three years for pre-consented facilities, provided that all the authorities concerned agree to this.
Pre-consent for waste recovery facilities
A permit under the border-area agreement between Finland and Sweden may be valid for a maximum of five years.
Permit under the border area agreement
The border area agreement between Sweden and Finland on waste shipments entered into force on 15 August 2016. The agreement will ease the administrative burden when shipping waste between the region of Lapland and the region of Norrbotten or from the region of Åland to Sweden. The agreement applies to non-hazardous waste generated in the geographical area covered by the agreement and hazardous waste for which the municipality is obliged to organise waste management in the country of origin.
Border area agreement 51/2016 (in Finnish) (Finlex)
Agreement facilitations:
- the possibility of a five-year permit
- shipment batches need not be reported to the authorities; reporting on a quarterly basis is sufficient
- a written notification to the authorities supervising the shipment of waste is sufficient for passing through another country, and no shipment permit is required.
The agreement is based on the EU regulation on shipments of waste, which mainly continues to determine the waste shipment procedures to follow.
Changes to the waste shipment permit
The following changes to the notification require an amendment of the decision:
- change in the number of batches shipments while the total tonnage remains unchanged
- change of collateral
- minor route change, e.g. adding an alternative port.
If you want to add a new carrier to the notification, no new notification or decision change is required. In this case, it is sufficient to inform all the competent authorities concerned in writing (e.g. by e-mail).
Changes must be approved by all relevant authorities.
A new notification is required if you want to make the following changes to the notification:
- significant route change
- prolongation of the validity of the waste shipment permit
- adding a new transit country
- increasing the amount of waste to ship
- change in the composition of waste.
Payments
The notifier is charged a fee for the processing of the waste shipment notification and the supervision of the shipment batches. The invoice will be sent separately after the permit decision. A fee is also charged for modifying or cancelling the decision on the shipment of waste, the pre-consent of a facility and an inspection visit. The fees are based on the decree of the Ministry of the Environment on chargeable services of the Finnish Environment Institute (206/2024). The notifier must also be prepared for permit fees in the receiving country and transit countries.
Notifications initiated between 1 April 2022 and 30 April 2024:
Payment table 1 April 2022 - 30 April 2024 (in Finnish, Swedish and English) (pdf, 145 KB)Notifications initiated between 1 May 2024 and 31 December 2025:
Payment table 1 May 2024 - 31 December 2025 (Finnish, Swedish, English) (pdf, 145 KB)
Failure to comply with permit conditions
Failure to comply with waste shipments may result in the withdrawal of the waste shipment permit and also the rejection of future waste shipment notifications. The approval may be withdrawn, if, for example:
- the composition of the waste does not comply with the notification
- the conditions set for the shipment are not complied with
- the waste is not recovered or disposed of in accordance with the permit granted to the receiving facility; or
- the waste shipment is to be carried out or has been carried out, or the waste has been processed or is to be processed in a way that differs from the information provided.
International shipments of waste may be prohibited if:
- the recipient or notifier has been found guilty of an illegal shipment of waste, or
- the notifier has failed to pay the processing fee for the previous waste shipment notification.
Instructions for applying for a waste shipment permit for waste exported from Finland
As a rule, a notification for a waste shipment permit is submitted via an electronic service. Notifications concerning waste shipments are also made through the electronic service. The Finnish TFS electronic service maintained by the Finnish Environment Institute is in English.
Authorisations to the electronic service
The Suomi.fi service is used to log in to the Finnish TFS service. Suomi.fi service is available for Finnish companies. To log in, the company's basic information must have been added to the system, and the person submitting the notification must have the required Suomi.fi authorisations. Authorisations for the electronic service are granted by a person with the right to sign for the company.
Suomi.fi authorisations for international waste shipments
If the company has not previously carried out international waste shipments requiring a permit, request that the company be added to the system by sending the company's name, contact details, business ID, contact person's name, email address and telephone number to wasteshipments@syke.fi.
Below you will find step-by-step instructions for submitting a waste shipment notification.
Electronic service for transfrontier waste shipments – Finnish TFS
Log in to the electronic service by logging in through the suomi.fi service. Notifications concerning waste shipments can also be made through the electronic service.
Go to the electronic service (Finnish TFS)
Instructions for electronic service - waste shipment permit (in Finnish) (pdf, 428 KB)-
Log in to the electronic service
Log in to the electronic service and fill in the information on the intended waste shipment in the system. You can save the information you have entered and supplement it later where necessary.
Based on the information provided, the system fills in the notification document (Annex IA) and the shipment document required for waste shipments (Annex IB). You can monitor the progress of the processing in the electronic service.
In the electronic service, you will provide information such as the following:
- the quantity of waste to be shipped and the number of shipments;
- intended periof of shipment;
- the nature and packaging of the waste;
- waste classification;
- authorities of transit and destination countries, if any;
- information on any further waste treatment facilities, if the waste is taken to interim operation, such as sorting or storage.
Shipment for interim operation
The authorisation and approval procedures vary somewhat depending on whether the waste is shipped for an interim operation, such as pre-processing, to a warehouse or for an actual operation. Article 15 of the regulation on shipments of waste concerns interim recovery and disposal operations. The basic principle for these shipments is that all activities from interim operations to final disposal are monitored in authorising and controlling the shipment. Information on post-interim waste processors is provided in the waste shipment system. If the final processing takes place in the same country as interim processing, the ‘Annex 1 form of the Contact Person Guidelines No. 3’ shall be used. The form is filled in automatically with the information provided in the system.
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Add the required attachments
You will need the following documents for the waste shipment notification:
- a contract between the notifier and the recipient in accordance with the regulation on shipments of waste. If waste is shipped for an interim operation, such as pre-processing or storage, additional provisions will be included in the conract between the notifier and the recipient of the waste which is required by the regulation on shipments of waste.
- financial guarantee calculation
- waste description and waste generation process
- description of the treatment process at the receiving facility
- the environmental permit of the receiving facility or an extract from its essential information
- the quantity of substances recovered in relation to the residual products and the method of processing the unrecovered part
- route description
- certificates of registration as a waste carrier
- the original financial collateral is provided separately.
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If you are shipping waste for interim recovery, please take the additional provisions into account
The basic principle for these shipments is that all activities from interim operations to final disposal are monitored in authorising and controlling the shipment. Information on subsequent waste treatment is provided in the waste shipment system.
If the final processing takes place in the same country as interim operation, the ‘Annex 1 form of the Contact Person Guidelines No. 3’ shall be used. The form is filled in automatically with the information provided in the system.
If waste is shipped for interim recovery, additional provisions will be included in the contract between the notifier and the recipient of the waste which is required by the regulation on shipments of waste. The Finnish Environment Institute has prepared a contract template for interim operations.
Contract template - interim operation (docx, 21 KB) -
Send notification for a preliminary check
The notification and its annexes are sent to the Finnish Environment Institute for a preliminary check before the signing of the notification document (Annex IA). Thanks to the preliminary check, it is possible to speed up the processing of the notification in the country of origin.
You can send a waste shipment notification for a preliminary check via the system once all the necessary information has been provided. An effort will be made to carry out the preliminary check without delay.
Where necessary, Syke will request that the information provided is corrected or supplemented. Resubmit the notification after the corrections.
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Sign the application after the preliminary check
When the information in the notification is sufficient, Syke requests that the signed notification document, i.e. Annex IA, be sent. The document can be printed from the Finnish TFS system. The document is signed by the notifier and, where necessary, the producer of the waste, if the notifier is a broker, for example.
Signed Annex IA is sent to Syke
- in electronic format (pdf file) via the Finnish TFS system, or
- the original is posted to the Finnish Environment Institute / transfrontier waste shipments, Latokartanonkaari 11, 00790 Helsinki.
In most cases, it is sufficient that all documents related to the notification are submitted electronically. The authorities of some countries require that either the original signed notification document (Annex IA) or the notification document and all attachments be sent by post. Where necessary, Syke requests the paper versions of the documents.
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Syke sends the application to other relevant authorities
Following the receipt of the signed Annex IA, the matter is formally pending. Syke sends the waste shipment notification and its annexes to the other relevant authorities within three working days. The original signed Annex IA and the annexes to the notification are sent to the authority of the receiving country by post where necessary.
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The authorities of the destination and transit countries shall verify the application
The authorities of the destination country and any transit countries may request additional information in accordance with Annex II of the regulation on shipments of waste. Supplements to the notification and additional information must always be sent to the competent authorities of the country of origin, transit and destination countries.
The authorisation for shipments shall not be granted if, despite requests, the notifier fails to provide the necessary additional information, if the information is submitted late or if the information provided is incorrect.
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Receiving country issues an acknowledgement of receipt
Where the authority of the destination country considers that the application contains all the necessary information, it shall issue an acknowledgement of receipt by signing field 19 of the notification document.
The acknowledgement of receipt shall be sent to the notifier, the consignee and all competent authorities. After this, all authorities have 30 days to make a decision. The decision may be positive or negative based on Article 11 or 12 of the regulation.
Instead of a written decision, transit countries may give tacit consent, i.e. their consent to the shipment may be assumed 30 days after the acknowledgement of receipt. The so-called silent consent is valid for one year.
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Submit the financial guarantee to Syke
The transfrontier shipment of waste must have financial guarantee. Syke approves the guarantee calculation in connection with the preliminary check of the application.
The financial guarantee is delivered to Syke no later than after receiving the acknowledgement of receipt. Syke only makes the decision after the original financial guarantee has arrived at Syke.
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Decisions of the authorities on the shipment of waste
Syke makes the decision after the acknowledgement of receipt once the original financial guarantee has arrived at Syke. The permit decision made by the Finnish Environment Institute can be appealed to the Administrative Court.
The authorities of the receiving and potential transit countries also make a decision on the shipment of waste. Instead of a written consent, the authorities of the transit countries may give tacit consent.
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Launching waste shipments
Waste shipments may begin once positive decisions have been made by the authorities of the country of origin, the destination country and, where applicable, the countries of transit and the time period specified in the permits is in effect.
Contacts for additional information
The Finnish Environment Institute is the competent authority for international waste shipments in Finland. For questions related to international waste shipments, please contact wasteshipments@syke.fi.
Other contact details are available on the Contact persons and information for waste shipments page.
More information
Guidelines, forms and document templates
Supervision and inspection of transfrontier shipments of waste