Swapping my driving license

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

You have to renew it after ten yrs, right?

Mines up in 2. Dunno what I'll do, don't wanna take the test. Need my car for work.

Might do it through my folks address.

[Kai]

As an ID it works fine, it´s the only one i´v got barring my passport which does not fit in my wallet. after a few moments searching for the ID number they ask were is it and I give it verbally, great when passing off all those stolen credit cards

[Kai]

Due to a stanley knife/thumb interface at work today i scored a weeks free holiday so I now have time next week to visit the police station for a trade in and find out their opinion on this subject.

[AldenG]

You have to renew it after ten yrs, right?

You mean the new ones or the old one I asked about?

My old one says it expires when I turn 70. I got it at the age of 28.

[Kai]

You have to renew it after ten yrs, right?

You mean the new ones or the old one I asked about?

My old one says it expires when I turn 70. I got it at the age of 28.

The photocard ones only last ten years to keep the photo up to date

EDIT: UK ten years, France till your pension, dunno about the rest.

[dave071061]

http://www.poliisi.fi/poliisi/home.nsf/ ... endocument

40euros and two passport photos

What are the categories that you need a medical to keep? I have only done a car and a bike test (UK) but i have a bunch of extra categories that you don't get when passing a Finnish driving test, a Finnish friend is adamant i will loose these extra categories when i swap for a Finnish license but i am sure i will keep them so there is a 100euro bet riding on this.

Unless you ask to keep them and take a medical you lose cat C1 and C1E which is vehicles between 3500 and 7500kgs, it´s one of the categories you only have on your UK license without a separate test if you got your license before some date in the distant past

Useful for moving house or towing a big boat

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

You have to renew it after ten yrs, right?

You mean the new ones or the old one I asked about?

My old one says it expires when I turn 70. I got it at the age of 28.

The photocard ones only last ten years to keep the photo up to date

EDIT: UK ten years, France till your pension, dunno about the rest.

Yeps - I got one of them fancy new ones...which is actually pretty cool. Wish I had my old one to show...a little warn out after many a night 'in the pit'...Stupid system the paper ones.

Kai - be good if you can get some answers cos it seems there is a few conflicting stories here....

[Rob A.]

...

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

Oh nice...so I'll have to change it in 2 years then change it again a few years later...

[Kai]

Finally got round to exchanging my licence a few weeks ago. As I believed the 18 month rule does not apply to EU licences, if your EU licence has not gone past the expiry date printed on it, it is good for exchange, I have been here for four years.

I went to my local police station, told them what i needed and they wanted the following:

Driving licence
Fill in an application form
Sign a statement that you are not banned from driving
Two passport photos
40 euros
Medical certificate (38 euros)*

Wait two weeks and go and collect new licence.

*Having passed my driving test 20 years ago (+ bike test a bit later) in blighty I had categories A,B,BE,C1,C1E,D1,D1E which lets me drive up to 7.5tons or 16 passengers plus trailer. Had i wished to skip the medical I would have got a A,B licence,(bike, car) but if I wanted the other catagories back at a later date it would cost well over a 1000 euros here so the 38 euros seemed well spent.

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

Thanks for the info & update, Kai. I need to do mine soon. Much appreciated.

[paulrenn]

I had categories A,B,BE,C1,C1E,D1,D1E which lets me drive up to 7.5tons or 16 passengers plus trailer.

Yeah, I have exactly the same - I'm not 100% sure anymore (was 2006 when I got the Finnish card) but there might even have been additional categories which didn't "translate" to Finnish ones. I do remember that it caused some confusion at the Oulu poliisi trying to figure out what the hell the categories were (but that might just be Oulu, if I applied for reindeer license it might have been quicker ).

Good to keep those truck categories, you need them if you move house and want to drive the big truck yourself

[Kai]

but there might even have been additional categories which didn't "translate" to Finnish ones. I do remember that it caused some confusion at the Oulu poliisi trying to figure out what the hell the categories were (but that might just be Oulu, if I applied for reindeer license it might have been quicker ).

Good memory Paul,I forgot that already "fklnp" allegedly included in the standard Finnish licence.

From "DVLA INS 57 Rev. Mar/97" (not that I am the sort of person that keeps leaflets issued to me in boxes for decades )

f = agricultural tractors
k = pedestrian controlled vehicles (up to 3 wheels and not ever 410kg)
l = electric vehicles
n = duty exempt vehicles
p = mopeds

at the time the girl in the police station expected me to explain what they were!?! I said they were steam rollers n stuff

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

...pogo sticks, yaks and milk floats.

[Pursuivant]

The "lower grades" as in T abd Be are included in A & B

Then again with th new EU dierective you need to take a test for commercial C