Driving in Finland
EU licences work in Finland while valid; convention-country licences for 2 years after you settle. Winter tyres 1 Nov to 31 Mar; drink-driving limit 0.5‰.
You can drive in Finland on a valid EU or EEA licence for as long as it stays valid, and on a licence from a Geneva or Vienna road traffic convention country for two years after you move here permanently, according to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom's licence exchange guide. A licence from any other country lets you drive for one year after you are entered in the population register, and exchanging it always requires a driving examination. On the road, the default speed limit is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h elsewhere, headlights are on whenever you drive, and winter tyres are required from 1 November to 31 March whenever conditions call for them.
Foreign licences by issuing country
Traficom's exchange guide sets out three cases:
| Licence issued in | You may drive in Finland | Exchange | Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU or EEA country | While the licence is valid | At the latest when it is about to expire | About 2 weeks |
| Geneva or Vienna convention country | 2 years after moving permanently | Within the 2 years, with a medical certificate | 3 to 4 months |
| Any other country | As a tourist without time limit; 1 year after population register entry | Always with a driving examination and a medical certificate | About 3 to 4 months |
EU and EEA licences
You exchange the licence at the latest when it is about to expire. To exchange it, you must live permanently in Finland, or study here with studies that have lasted at least six months. You need a medical certificate only if the licence has already expired. A licence issued in Åland is treated the same way as an EU licence.
Licences from Geneva or Vienna convention countries
Many non-EU countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, India and the United Kingdom, are Contracting States of the Geneva or Vienna conventions on road traffic. Traficom lists them at the bottom of its exchange page, so check your country there.
To keep driving after two years, exchange the licence inside the two-year window, while it is still valid. Traficom states that "Exchanging a driving license issued in a Contracting State requires a medical certificate", valid for six months. You must also pass a driving examination, consisting of a theory test and a driving test, if you have lived permanently in Finland for more than two years, if your licence has expired, or if you are exchanging a BE, lorry or bus category.
Licences from other countries
If your licence comes from a country that is neither in the EU/EEA nor a Contracting State, Traficom lets you drive as a tourist without a time limit, and for one year after you have been entered in the population register. To keep driving, you exchange the licence, and that always includes the driving examination.
Exchange at Ajovarma
All exchanges start at Ajovarma, which handles driving licence services for Traficom. Book an appointment and bring:
- Your passport or other official ID
- Two passport photos (not needed if you hold a valid Finnish passport or ID card)
- A medical certificate, where required
- The foreign licence
- "a Finnish, Swedish or English translation of the licence by an official translator" if the licence does not clearly show issue and expiry dates and categories
Traficom keeps your foreign licence while it processes the exchange. For a non-EU licence you get a temporary licence valid only in Finland in the meantime, as long as your foreign licence would still be valid here. The glossary entry on the ajokortti explains Finnish licence terms.
Winter tyres
Finnish winter tyre rules changed in 2020 and again in 2024, and older guides still quote the previous dates.
The road safety organisation Liikenneturva states: "Winter tyres should be used according to weather or driving conditions from 1 November until 31 March." Studded tyres are allowed during the same period, and outside it if conditions require. Traficom recommends changing early.
Liikenneturva and Traficom set these technical limits:
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Winter tyre tread depth | At least 3 mm in the main grooves |
| Summer tyre tread depth | At least 1.6 mm |
| Non-studded winter tyre marking | Three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on cars and vans from 1 December 2024 |
The older M+S marking alone no longer counts. Traficom's reminder states: "In December, you cannot use non-studded winter tyres that do not have the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol in winter conditions." Good winter tyres are a large cost when you buy a car, so check them and ask whether a second set of wheels comes with it.
Speed limits
The Road Traffic Act sets the default limits; motorway limits are signed:
| Road | Default limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up areas | 50 km/h |
| Outside built-up areas | 80 km/h |
| Motorways | Up to 120 km/h, as signed |
Many residential streets have signed limits of 30 or 40 km/h, and main roads 100 km/h. Many roads have lower winter speed limits, posted on the road signs, so read the signs each season.
Speeding offences beyond the fixed-penalty range are punished with day fines, which scale with your income. A serious offence can cost a high earner several thousand euros, and speed cameras are common on main roads.
Rules that surprise newcomers
- Headlights on at all times. The Road Traffic Act requires headlights or daytime running lights whenever a motor vehicle is driven, day and night, all year.
- Yield to the right. At junctions without signs, traffic from the right has priority. This catches drivers in residential areas and car parks.
- Trams have priority in most situations in Helsinki and Tampere.
- Pedestrian crossings. You must give way to a pedestrian who is on or stepping onto a crossing, and you must not overtake a car that has stopped before a crossing.
- Buses leaving stops. In built-up areas, give way to a bus signalling to pull out from a stop.
- Phones. Holding a phone while driving is prohibited; use hands-free.
- Children. A child shorter than 135 cm must use a child restraint, such as a child seat or booster, when the car has seat belts.
Drink-driving limits
Liikenneturva sets out the thresholds: drink-driving starts at a blood alcohol content of 0.05% (0.5 per mille) or 0.22 mg of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, and aggravated drink-driving at 0.12% or 0.53 mg/l. Police breath-test between 1.2 and 1.8 million drivers a year, according to Liikenneturva. Tests run in the morning as well as at night, and the morning after a party is when residual alcohol catches drivers.
Moose, deer and reindeer
Moose and deer cross roads across most of Finland, and the risk is highest in the dark months, at dusk and at night, when animals are moving and visibility is poor.
- Take game animal warning signs seriously, and slow down where they appear.
- Watch the verges, and remember that a moose seldom travels alone.
- A moose is tall enough that its body hits the windscreen, so a collision at speed can be fatal.
- In Lapland, reindeer walk on the road and do not move out of the way. Slow down as soon as you see one.
If you hit a game animal, call the emergency number 112 even if the animal ran away, so a hunter can track it.
Insurance and inspection
Every vehicle registered in Finland must have motor liability insurance (liikennevakuutus). It covers injuries and damage your car causes to others. Damage to your own car is covered only by voluntary vehicle damage insurance (kasko). Premiums depend on your claims history, so ask your previous insurer for a written claims history certificate before you move; many Finnish insurers take it into account. See vakuutus in the glossary.
Cars must also pass periodic inspection (katsastus). The inspection intervals depend on the vehicle's age, and Traficom, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, is the authority to check your car's next inspection date with.
Vehicle tax and car tax
Two different taxes apply to cars in Finland:
- Vehicle tax (ajoneuvovero) is an annual tax collected by Traficom, which states that it "may consist of a basic tax, a tax on driving power, or both." For passenger cars the basic tax is based on the CO2 emissions value. Cars powered by something other than petrol, such as diesel or electricity, also pay a motive power tax based on total mass.
- Car tax (autovero) is a one-time tax collected by the Tax Administration. It states: "You must pay car tax when you import a vehicle to Finland and you need to register it." If you move here permanently with a car registered abroad, you register it and pay car tax before using it on Finnish roads, subject to limited exemptions. Check the Tax Administration's rules before you ship a car.
First winter checklist
- Keep an ice scraper and a snow brush in the car from October.
- Use an engine block heater. Many car parks and housing company spaces have electrical posts for heaters (lämmitystolppa). Preheating saves fuel and wear in freezing weather.
- Fill the tank with frost-rated washer fluid, since road salt and slush cover the windscreen fast.
- Check road conditions in Fintraffic's traffic services before long trips.
- Leave more distance. Braking distances on ice are many times longer than on dry asphalt.
If you do not need a car every day, read public transport in Finland and the wider transport in Finland guide.
The law behind it
Speed limits, lights, priority rules, child restraints and studded tyre periods are governed by the Road Traffic Act (tieliikennelaki, 729/2018), which sets the 50 km/h limit in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them where no sign shows otherwise. Driving licences, including the exchange of a licence issued abroad, are governed by the Driving Licence Act (ajokorttilaki, 386/2011).
The date that matters falls two years after you move to Finland permanently if your Contracting State licence is still unexchanged: from that date you need the full driving examination, and Traficom's processing takes 3 to 4 months.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive in Finland with a US or UK driving licence?
Yes, for two years after you move here permanently. Both countries are convention Contracting States, so Traficom's exchange guide lets you exchange the licence at Ajovarma within that window with a medical certificate. After two years the exchange requires a driving examination.
When do I need winter tyres in Finland?
From 1 November to 31 March, whenever weather or road conditions require them, according to Liikenneturva. Non-studded winter tyres must carry the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol, and the main grooves need at least 3 mm of tread.
What are the speed limits in Finland?
The Road Traffic Act sets 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h elsewhere unless a sign shows another limit. Motorways allow up to 120 km/h in summer and drop to 100 km/h in winter, and many 100 km/h roads drop to 80 km/h.
How long does it take to exchange a foreign driving licence in Finland?
Traficom's exchange guide gives about two weeks for an EU or EEA licence and 3 to 4 months for a Contracting State licence. Start a Contracting State exchange well before your two-year window closes.
What is the drink-driving limit in Finland?
0.05% blood alcohol (0.5 per mille) or 0.22 mg per litre of exhaled air, according to Liikenneturva. From 0.12% or 0.53 mg/l the offence is aggravated drink-driving.
Sources
- Traficom, Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Finnish driving licence, checked 1 October 2026
- Traficom, Remember to check the condition and symbols of winter tyres, checked 1 October 2026
- Traficom, Vehicle tax, checked 1 October 2026
- Liikenneturva, Car tyres, checked 1 October 2026
- Liikenneturva, Drink-driving, checked 1 October 2026
- Tax Administration, Car tax, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Tieliikennelaki 729/2018, checked 1 October 2026
- Finlex, Ajokorttilaki 386/2011, checked 1 October 2026
Last updated: October 2026