Driving licences in Finland

You can only drive a car in Finland if you have a valid driving licence. Driving licences issued in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland are valid directly in Finland, but there are restrictions for driving licences issued in the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which you can read more about on this page. 

If you live in Finland, you can exchange your driving licence for a Finnish licence under certain conditions. You can only hold one EU driving licence at a time.

Driving licences issued in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and other EU and EEA countries entitle you to drive in the categories indicated on the licence in Finland. You do not need to exchange your driving licence for a Finnish one.

A driving licence issued in the Faroe Islands and Greenland allows you to drive in Finland for one year from the date when the licence holder entered the country. The driving licence must then be exchanged for a Finnish licence.

If you live permanently in Finland and you lose your foreign driving licence or it is stolen or damaged, you must apply for a Finnish driving licence to replace it.

Read more below under Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Finnish licence and in Ajokortti-info.

If you want, you can exchange a driving licence issued by Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland or another EU or EEA country for an equivalent Finnish driving licence without a new driving test if you live permanently in Finland or have studied in Finland for at least six months. A provisional licence cannot be exchanged. To exchange your driving licence, visit an Ajovarma service point. For more information,  see Ajokortti-info.

If you want to exchange a driving licence issued in the Faroe Islands or Greenland for a Finnish driving licence, you must take a Finnish driving test. Read more in the Ajokortti-info section Driving licences not granted by an EU, EEA or Contracting State.

The requirements for obtaining a Finnish driving licence depend on the category of licence.

What type of driving licence do you need?

The driving licence categories used in Finland are recognised throughout Europe and entitle you to drive different types of vehicles. For example, to drive a passenger car you need a category B licence and to drive a motorcycle you need a category A1, A2 or A licence, depending on the size of the motorcycle. Read more about the different licence categories on the Ajokortti-info website.

What is required to obtain a Finnish driving licence?

You must be a permanent resident of Finland and meet the other conditions for obtaining a driving licence. If you have come to Finland to study at a higher education institution and want a driving licence, you can apply for a driving licence after you have studied in Finland for at least six months. 

To obtain a Finnish driving licence, you always need a driving licence permit and a driving test, which consists of a theory test and a driving test. In addition, most licence categories require driving instruction before taking the driving test. 

The age limit for driving licences and tests is different in different licence categories. For example, you can apply for a moped driving licence permit at the age of 14 and take a driving test at the age of 15. You can apply for a driving licence permit for a passenger car at the earliest at the age of 16 and take the driving test at the age of 18 or, with an age derogation, at the age of 17. 

In addition, a medical certificate may be required to obtain or renew a driving licence. If you have a driving ban or temporary driving ban in Finland or another EU or EEA country, you cannot get a driving licence permit in Finland. Read more on the Ajokortti-info website. 

If you are planning to get a new driving licence, you need to get instruction either at a driving school, with a driving instruction permit or at a training establishment. Read more in Ajokortti-info.