Old driving licences no longer need to be returned to Traficom
From the end of May, old driving licences no longer need to be returned to Traficom. Instead, licence holders can invalidate and dispose of them themselves. In addition, certain motoring-related permits can now be presented electronically to supervisory authorities.
When the amendments to the Driving Licence Act enter into force on 29 May 2026, old driving licences will no longer need to be returned to the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom. Until now, old driving licences have had to be returned to Traficom using the return envelope enclosed with the new licence.
“From now on, new licences will come with instructions for invalidating and disposing of the old driving licence. It is important to do this to ensure that the personal data on the licence do not fall into the wrong hands,” says Henna Antila, Head of Department at Traficom.
If they wish, licence holders may still return their old driving licence to Traficom’s service provider for disposal. The old driving licence ceases to be valid once the new licence has been issued.
Certain permits can now be presented electronically
The amendments to the Driving Licence Act also make it possible to present certain motoring-related permits electronically to supervisory authorities. These permits include driving instruction permits, motorcycle training licences, age exception permits and driving instructor permits.
“These permits may now also be presented electronically to the authorities responsible for traffic enforcement, that is, the police, customs officers and border guards.”
“However, it is important to know that a photograph of an old paper permit is not sufficient. An electronic permit may be presented through an official service channel, that is, through Suomi.fi or Traficom’s My e-Services, or as a file downloaded from the service on a mobile phone,” emphasises Antila.
A paper permit document remains a valid way of proving that a permit is valid.
More information
Approximately 170,000 old driving licences were returned to Traficom last year. By no longer requiring licences to be returned, the agency will save approximately EUR 220,000 per year (VAT 0%).
Official messages from public authorities became primarily digital on 14 April 2026. This means that an increasing number of people receive Traficom’s messages through Suomi.fi Messages instead of by post. The change is based on legislation requiring public authorities to use electronic delivery methods as their primary communication channel. In 2025, Traficom sent approximately 3.4 million messages through Suomi.fi Messages.
Enquiries: Henna Antila, Head of Department, henna.antila@traficom.fi, tel. +358 29 534 5277