Foreign driving licences more widely accepted

From the beginning of February all driving licences issued in states recognised by Finland will be accepted for driving in mainland Finland.

This amendment in the Act on Driving Licences will apply to other driving licences than those issued in a European Union or European Economic Area Member State or a signatory country to the Geneva or Vienna Road Traffic Convention. Other foreign driving licences are accepted for one year following the licence holder's entry into Finland, provided that the licence is valid in the issuing country and meets certain requirements of form.

The information contained in a foreign driving licence must be in Latin alphabet and indicate the right to drive or there must be a translation of the information by a reliable party, such as an authorised translator, into Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, English, German or French. If the driving licence holder has been entered into the Population Register, the period during which the licence will be accepted will start from the date of the register entry.

In order to prevent driving licence tourism, a licence qualification requirement is that the person's habitual residence was not in Finland at the time of issuing the licence.

The Government proposed on 11 January 2018 that the amendment to the Act on Driving Licences be adopted. The President of the Republic is expected to approve the bill on Friday, 12 January.

Inquiries:

Senior Government Adviser Eija Maunu, tel. +358 295 34 2571.