Page 92 - DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES IN FINLAND

• A valid foreign driving licence, which has been issued by a country that has acceded to the Geneva or Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, shall, as a rule, entitle the licence holder to drive a motor vehicle in Finland during the person´s and family member´s posting in Finland. The driving licence needs to be in agreement with the above mentioned Conventions. Alternatively the holder of the driving licence can present an international driving permit, which is in agreement with the above mentioned Conventions, or an official translation of the driving licence into Finnish, Swedish or English together with the driving licence. The licence holder must be at least 18 years old and fulfil the health requirements set in Finland for a similar licence. If the driving licence does not include a picture of the licence holder, a picture ID is also needed.
• Also other valid foreign driving licences which have been issued in foreign states recognised by Finland are, as a rule, valid for driving a motor vehicle in mainland Finland during the person´s and family member´s posting in Finland. Driving licences issued in other foreign states are valid for driving categories A1, A2, A or B. The information in the foreign driving licence must be written in a Latin alphabet or accompanied by a translation into Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish English, German or French by a reliable source. The licence holder must be at least 18 years old and fulfil the health requirements set in Finland.
The renewal of a foreign driving licence is taken care of by the domestic authorities of the licence holder.
Obtaining a Finnish driving licence
Even though most foreign driving licences are usually valid in Finland during the person´s posting, a foreign driving licence can be changed into a Finnish driving licence.
To obtain a Finnish driving licence, a person who holds a valid foreign driving licence which does not entitle the person to drive a motor vehicle in Finland must submit the following documents to the Protocol Services:
• a verbal note from the Mission including a request for the change of a foreign driving licence to a Finnish one
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