Question about driving license

Iohannes · Post by **Iohannes** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 5:28 pm

Hi all. I'm interested where I can get the information (in English) about driving license. I have one but it is not from EU. So I don't know whether it's valid here or not.

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Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Mon Feb 04, 2008 6:19 pm

Iohannes wrote:Hi all. I'm interested where I can get the information (in English) about driving license.

Finnish Police is the authority in driving license related questions and issues.

debonaire · Post by **debonaire** » Tue Feb 05, 2008 10:35 am

Iohannes wrote:Hi all. I'm interested where I can get the information (in English) about driving license. I have one but it is not from EU. So I don't know whether it's valid here or not.

Hi....It doesnt matter if your driving license is issued in EU or not as long as your home country is a member of the Geneva Convention...
Basically I have a friend who is from Brazil...not an EU country...He has a valid Brazilian driving license and got it exchanged for a Finnish driving license...The cops only asked him to fill up the application form for finnish driving license and provide statements from two witnesses who have seen him driving...

Iohannes · Post by **Iohannes** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 3:28 am

Thank you people for fast and clear replies.

hychamaz · Post by **hychamaz** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:51 pm

Ok let me clear this up a bit. I am an American going through the same thing. Before you can go and exchange your license for a Finnish one, you must be here for a minimum of 6 months practicing. So in other words I have to wait 6 months from when my permanent residence was issued until myself and the 2 other winesses can fill out the document at the police station to receive a Finnish license. You can though keep your non EU drivers license (according to the Jarvenpää police) for up to 2 years before you have to switch to a Finnish one.

rauginta_kojine · Post by **rauginta_kojine** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:07 pm

Do you guys know what about EU country driving licence? if I am from one of EU countries, will I have to change my driving licence into a finnish one in the future? Or can I keep my lithuanian one for all the time?

Thanks replying.

hychamaz · Post by **hychamaz** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:26 pm

If you are from an EU country you can keep yours.

coltsmild · Post by **coltsmild** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:23 pm

hychamaz wrote:Ok let me clear this up a bit. I am an American going through the same thing. Before you can go and exchange your license for a Finnish one, you must be here for a minimum of 6 months practicing. So in other words I have to wait 6 months from when my permanent residence was issued until myself and the 2 other winesses can fill out the document at the police station to receive a Finnish license. You can though keep your non EU drivers license (according to the Jarvenpää police) for up to 2 years before you have to switch to a Finnish one.

Two questions:

Do my witnesses have to be there in person or can they fill it out and then I return alone to apply for it?

I'm here on a student visa but have applied as a resident here in Helsinki. I'll be here for at least two years. Will it pose a problem when I apply for a licence?

espooman · Post by **espooman** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:08 am

hi
how are you everybody ...
i just want to answer to this post , so your drive licence is valid for one year , and this is mean
you should change it to finnish one before spend more than 1 year.
i mean you have right to change it after 6 months , and you get the finnish one , so it cost 40 euros
you should complete about 3 papers + Certificate from the doctor + ( maybe they ask kyou to translate you original drive
licence in finnish ) , i m sure they will ask that .
so be reay for that , and you need also 2 person who can sign and put them names , to say for police , that you been
drive a car for 6 months in finland .

i hope that my answer will help ,kiittos , moi moi

rob34 · Post by **rob34** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:33 pm

hychamaz wrote:I am an American going through the same thing. Before you can go and exchange your license for a Finnish one, you must be here for a minimum of 6 months practicing. So in other words I have to wait 6 months from when my permanent residence was issued until myself and the 2 other winesses can fill out the document at the police station to receive a Finnish license. You can though keep your non EU drivers license (according to the Jarvenpää police) for up to 2 years before you have to switch to a Finnish one.

As an American, you can not apply for the driver's license until you have been here for 6 months. After 12 months, your license is no longer valid. After 18 months, you are no longer allowed to switch over your American license to a Finnish one. (I know this for a fact, as I went through the process myself).

If you are EU, you can not apply for the driver's license until you have been here for 6 months. After 18 months, your license is no longer valid, and you are no longer allowed to switch over your EU license to a Finnish one. (I know this via proxy, so I'm not entirely sure about the 12-18 month period, whether or not your EU license is valid). Just go ahead and switch at 6 months.

coltsmild wrote: Do my witnesses have to be there in person or can they fill it out and then I return alone to apply for it?

I'm here on a student visa but have applied as a resident here in Helsinki. I'll be here for at least two years. Will it pose a problem when I apply for a licence?

The two witnesses do not have to be there in person, they just sign their name on a piece of paper. The witnesses can not be a relative or anyone who shares a residence with you.

You can not apply/swap for the license until you have lived and driven in Finland for 6 months.

hychamaz wrote:If you are from an EU country you can keep yours.

This is incorrect.
From the poliisi: "A permanent resident must apply for a Finnish driving license within 18 months of the original entry date into Finland."

espooman wrote:hi
you should change it to finnish one before spend more than 1 year.

Everything you say is correct for American drivers. I think it's worth noting, that you CAN apply for the finnish driver's license in the 12-18 month range, however your license is not valid during this period. In my case, I applied at 17 months and 3 weeks. Oops!

---Other notes---
Finnish Poliisi will not accept the photos from the booths at the train stations (e.g. the photo booth you probably used when you first immigrated).
I had to go to a photography studio and get my pics taken for 10 bucks.

Make sure the Dr. knows what he is doing when he is filling out the forms. I had some friends have to go back and forth to the Dr. several times, since the Dr. didn't fill out the information for all the individual classes of licenses (in his case, he was classed to drive small to medium sized trucks, campers, rvs, etc). The Dr.'s visit involves eyes, blood pressure, no bloodwork. It helps if you visit a Dr. who you have seen before, because he can just mark "I know this person" and it really simplifies the visit.

In America, I had an CM driver's license. C for Car, M for Motorcycle. Both C and M transferred over with no problem. In Finland, they classify motorcycles by size... my American M gave me the right to all the Finnish motorcycle classifications, to the envy of my Finnish (and British) friends.

To prove my date of entry into Finland, I just brought the receipt from the Poliisi station from the day I registered my residence. Nothing else.

And for God's sake, if you have a Finnish boyfriend/girlfriend, take it with you, since it gives you a tonne of credibility and makes the virkamummo's more willing to answer your questions.

interleukin · Post by **interleukin** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:12 pm

f you are from an EU country you can keep yours.

This is incorrect.
From the poliisi: "A permanent resident must apply for a Finnish driving license within 18 months of the original entry date into Finland."

I think this is not correct, this is I think a case of errors in translation to English.
With an EU drivers licence, you can use it in Finland for as long as it is valid. If you want, you CAN change it to a Finnish one, but you do not need to.
The Swedish version of the poliisi site is quite clear on this point, and this issue has also been discussed several times in several threads on this forum.

/interleukin

rauginta_kojine · Post by **rauginta_kojine** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:25 pm

Fiuch... I thought I will have to do all those papers..
Thanks Interleukin - I calmed down now.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:28 pm

Yes Interleukin is on the spot - I just emphasise the valid, now then if you have a drivers licence that expires...say in 3 years. You *can* exchange it within the stipulated period. Now if you do not exchange it *within the time period* you *can not* exchange it after the 18 months any more. So then you are in deep s* as probably your home country asks for proof of residence and if you have "become a Finn"... oopsydaisy...

So people with truck licences or regular ones awaiting for your 65th birthday... hrm...

rauginta_kojine · Post by **rauginta_kojine** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:01 pm

What do You mean??

Do You mean that, when my driver licence expires (it expires only 2017, when I don't know if i will be still living here), I will not have an opportuinity to exchange it for finnish driver licence, because 18month period expired from my arriving date in Finland???
What a @#$%? Is it normal to know what are you gonna do in 10years? 10 years is a @#$% long time! Many things can happen..

@#$%, I have one year to decide what I will do after 9 years. thats an absurd.

Still, I hope that I didn't understand it correctly, Hank.

Hank W. · Post by **Hank W.** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:32 pm

Here is wisdom:

a) EU people do not have to exchange the licence as long as it is valid
b) any licence of Geneva/Vienna convention countries can be exchanged after 6 months of residence, which you must do before 18 months of residence.. (1)
c) you got an EU licence that expires in 2017...

Come 2017:

a) you don't have a valid EU licence, so thats not the Finnish Polices problem as its not a license they have given...
b) so you didn't exchange it before the 18 months that was 10 years ago, so thats not the Finnish Polices problem...
c) so you can't drive until you get your expired licence renewed wherever was issued (again not the Finnish polices problem) or then drive a Finnish licence (by 2017 costing a few megabazillion) which still...

But note - you did not *have* to do anything. You might *should* have done something you were told, but you didn't. Full freedom, and a local choice, just as the EU requires.

(1)Note if you decide to leave, say in 2010, you can exchange the old licence back, they keep them on file.

Is it normal to know what are you gonna do in 10years?

No, thats why you need to do it now as you are told because you know you cannot exchange it after that time and you don't know if you can renew it in 2017. "Finnish logic"... it makes perfect sense if you know its sense(lessness)

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