Finland

Mail dimensions

Card:

length measuring between 140 and 235 mm*, width between 90 and 120 mm*.

Rolls:

length (L) + 2 diameters between 170 and 1,040 mm*, where the largest dimensions may not exceed 100 mm*, the length may not exceed 900 mm*.

Other mail formats:

length (L) + Width (W) + Height (H) = 900 mm (where the length may not exceed 600 mm*).

* with 2 mm leeway.

Address guidelines

The address provides crucial information used by La Poste to handle and distribute mail and parcels.

The proper postal address format guarantees the speedy and efficient processing of your mail. To ensure that this process goes smoothly, the address must be presented correctly and contain complete, up-to-date, valid information. The following guidelines are for informational purposes only and do not represent a binding contract for standard mail.

Writing international addresses

To make sure your mail hits its target, the most basic step is writing the address correctly. Be sure to read up on postal standards for mail sent from France and double-check the recipient’s postal code.

Placement of the address on the envelope

Once it arrives in our treatment centres, mail is automatically sorted with optical address readers. This step is all the more smooth and efficient when address guidelines are respected. Proper placement of the address is essential for :

• quickly finding the destination address with an optical reader;
• facilitating hand sorting and distribution.

Items prohibited

Principal prohibited items :

Content of mail :

Mail items must be securely packaged so that other mail cannot get lost in it. Packaging must be adapted to the form, content, and transport conditions. La Poste prohibits mail with unsanitary, dangerous, or banned content.

For air traffic safety reasons, certain commonly used items such as aerosol products and perfumes are banned from air transport.

List of prohibited items :

Various types of prohibitions apply to items sent by La Poste: universal bans (see below), country-specific bans (which stem from national import regulations), and bans enforced by national postal operators (applying to merchandise that is legally authorised for import but banned by postal regulations). A partial list of these items is included below. The sender is held responsible for noncompliant mail even if La Poste accepts it. The items listed below are prohibited regardless of the chosen destination. La Poste is not responsible for misinformation or omissions as this list of merchandise is subject to great variation.

• Perishable biological materials, infectious or non-infectious
• Items that due to their nature or packaging are hazardous to postal workers or may soil or damage other mail or postal facilities
• Illegal drugs and psychotropic substances
• Live animals; however, bees, leeches, and silkworms may, under strict packaging conditions, be sent from France by La Poste if they are authorised by the postal regulations of the country of destination
• Obscene or immoral items
• Counterfeit goods
• Explosives, inflammable products (alcohol, perfume, etc.) or other dangerous materials such as compressed gas (aerosol products, etc.), radioactive materials, and corrosive liquids
• Jewels, precious metals, banknotes, bearer securities, money, and other items of value (unless they are sent by registered mail with declared value).

Sales carried out through a “snowball” procedure, or any other similar process consisting in offering merchandise to the public by suggesting the prospect of receiving products either for free or in exchange for a sum that is inferior to their real value. These sales require the presentation of vouchers or tickets to third parties, membership, or subscriptions.

Senders are held fully responsible for imprecise customs declarations and failure to respect any customs bans or restrictions. They are thus urged to seek information from relevant organisations (Chambers of Commerce and Industry, embassies, consulates, foreign country trade missions in France).

Customs formalities

Attention: Exports such as products and technologies with civil and military uses, weapons, ammunition, military equipment, medications and psychotropic substances, alcohol, mineral oils, tobacco, and cultural property whose traffic is regulated may be subject to special customs formalities. La Poste invites its customers to seek information from the relevant customs authorities before conducting export operations.

Invoices

The sales invoice must be drawn up in duplicate, with at least one original copy. It is obligatory for merchandise destined for sale in order to avoid any delivery delays. It must be printed on company stationery and should be written in English for non-Francophone countries whenever possible. Companies may justify the VAT exemption by citing the corresponding General Tax Code provision (“article 262 I of the General Tax Code” for exports, “article 15 of the sixth VAT directive” for shipments to the European Union).