Finland - Exchange a Foreign Driver License

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Procedure

1. Go to a police department to exchange your foreign driver's license to a Finnish driver's license.
2. Complete the application form.
3. Prove your identity and submit the required documents stated below.
4. Pay the application fee.

Note:
A driver license permit is delivered to the holder by posting it to their home address entered in the Population Information System. If the holder doesn't have a Finnish home address or cannot be posted for some other reason, the driving license permit will be delivered to the police department that granted it.

For more information on driving licences and driving tests for mopeds and light quadricycles, contact your local police or the Finnish Transport Safety Agency Trafi.

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Required Documents

Exchanging a Foreign Driving License to Finnish Driving License

• 2 photographs(if the applicant has handed in photos for a driving license since 1 January 2010, new photographs will not be necessary as a rule)
• a valid driving license (if the driving license has been lost, a written report of how it was lost)
• a medical certificate for a driving license on the same criteria that apply to renewing a Finnish driving license

Exchanging a Driving License Issued in a State Party to the Geneva or Vienna Conventions on a Road Traffic for a Finnish Driving License

• 2 photographs (if the applicant has handed in photos for a driving license since 1 January 2010, new photographs will not be necessary as a rule)
• a doctors certificate for a driving license (dated no more than six months previously), or
• a comprehensive medical report, if the applicant has turned 70 at the time of submitting the application
• information showing that the applicant has been driving in Finland for a minimum of six months (for example, a freely worded account signed by two witnesses stating that the applicant has been driving in Finland for a minimum of six months)
• a valid driving license issued by a country participating in the Convention
• if the national driving license is not consistent with the model included in the Convention or it is in a language that is not understood at the police department, in addition to the driving license, an authorized translation of it into Finnish or Swedish is required.

Office Locations & Contacts

To find a local police station to your area, click on the link below:
Police Contact Information: https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/www/contactus

Eligibility

Foreigners who are living permanently in Finland or has bee studying for at least six months in Finland.

Fees

Driving license duplicate and other driving licenses - 42
Issuing a driving license permit: short-term driving license followed by the permanent driving license - 60
Issuing a driving license permit: new short-term driving license - 58
Issuing a driving license permit in other cases - 51

Validity

• Driving licenses for cars and motorcycles will as a rule be issued for 15 years, and driving licenses for lorries and buses for 5 years at a time.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents which can be used by people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

Please explain the processing your application.    

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

• A driving license issued in EU and EEA countries can be exchanged without taking a driving test, if no more than two years have passed since the expiry of the holders previous Group 1 driving license, or if no more than one year has passed since the expiry of the holder's previous Group 2 driving license.
• A person living permanently in Finland may exchange a driving license issued in a state that is party to the Geneva or Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic for a category A1, A2, A or B driving license upon application without taking another driving test. To see the list of states that belong to the Geneva or Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic, please click here: https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/7BC84F796C2FDF02C22578FF002AF590?opendocument
• A driving license permit application must always be submitted to the police in person.

Required Information

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the Document

A person who is living permanently or has been studying in Finland for at least six months could apply to exchange issued in another EU or EEA country, for an equivalent Finnish driving license without having to take a new driving test.

Information which might help

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Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Exchanging a foreign driving license to a Finnish driving license:
https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/C763F069E58E52D1C2256C37002D6F36?opendocument
Exchanging a driving license issued in a state that is party to the Geneva or Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic for a Finnish driving license:
https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/769365D4CBCC5321C2256C37002DC64F?opendocument
States that are party to the Geneva and Vienna Conventions on Road Traffic:
https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/7BC84F796C2FDF02C22578FF002AF590?opendocument
Prices for Police Services: https://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/pages/1C6E6CB545F4B16BC2257B0C0031E6F3?opendocument

Others

More information which might help people.