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Traficom may grant permission to acquire a passenger car driving licence already at the age of 17 if long distances, public transport connections or other special reasons regularly impede travel to and from school, work, training taking place at the workplace or hobbies.

THE PROCESSING TIME OF APPLICATIONS HAS ACCELERATED

At present, there are approximately 1800 applications waiting to be processed. Applications are processed in the order in which they are received. We are currently processing applications that have arrived 7.9.2024 (The processing situation will be updated on Mondays).

Enquiries about applications and attachments do not speed up processing. If you sent your application around or after the date above, we kindly ask you not to contact us yet about the status of your application. Answering enquiries only leads to further delays.

We will contact you, if we need additional information to process your application. If not, you will receive the decision by post. You can see the issued permit in Traficom’s e-Services (External link), where you can log in using your online banking codes or a mobile certificate. If you have sent your application to Traficom before the date mentioned above and suspect that we have not received it, you may ask about the status of your application by contacting Traficom’s customer service. (External link)

 

Do the following

1

Please read the instructions

Young persons can apply for an age exception permit four months before turning 17 (at the age of 16 years and 8 months). The permit can be issued at the earliest three months before the age requirement is met, but the driving examination cannot be completed before turning 17. However, all mandatory driver instruction (at a driving school or under a driving instruction permit) can be completed at the age of 16, before an age exception permit is issued. The driver instruction completed does not expire. It is also possible to apply for a driving licence permit in advance. This way you can take the examination as soon as you have been issued an age exception permit.

Applications for an age exception permit are submitted via Traficom’s e-Services. Only adults (at least 18 years old) can log into the e-Services, which means that the permit application must be submitted by the young person’s parent or guardian. By submitting the application, the parent or guardian gives his or her consent to the young person obtaining a driving licence under the age of 18 and confirms that all the information provided is correct, including that the journeys the young person needs to travel exceed reasonable travel times or distances.

All certificates must be duly signed. To speed up processing, make sure you complete the application carefully and submit all the required documents.

2

Submit your application

Submit your application online via Traficom’s My e-Services. You can find the application under the heading Driving licence (‘Ajokortti’ in Finnish). The application must be submitted by your parent or guardian, who must log into the e-Services. 

The application fee must be paid in My e-Services. The fee is EUR 110. The money will not be refunded if the decision is negative and your application is rejected. 

All additional information required for a decision on an age exception permit is submitted via the electronic service. The certificate required as proof of the reason for applying for the permit is added as an attachment to the electronic application. The application and attachments are entered in Traficom’s processing queue once you have paid the application fee and reached the final confirmation page in the electronic application. You can also save an incomplete application and complete it later. You cannot submit additional documents or information to your application online once you have sent the application. Any additional information must be sent to the Traficom Registry by post (postal address: Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, PO Box 320, FI-00059 TRAFICOM)

3

You will receive the decision electronically or by post, depending on your preference.

The permit issued can be seen in Traficom’s My e-Services (External link) under the young person's information. Logging into the service requires online banking details or a mobile certificate. If an age exception permit is granted, you will receive the positive decision by email, where you have to print the decision yourself, or by post to your home address. Permit holders must carry the permit decision with them whenever driving until the age of 18. They must also have the decision with them at the driving test and present it to the police, if required.

After the permit is granted, a 17-year-old may take the theory examination in category B and, after having received the permit decision, the driving test. Taking the driving examination requires a driving licence permit, which must be applied for with a separate application. To apply for a driving licence permit (External link) for category B you must be at least 16 years old.

The age exception permit does not allow its holder to drive in the Åland Islands, Sweden or Estonia. The validity of a driving licence for a 17-year-old in these regions has been checked with the local authorities. For other countries, the validity of a driving licence must be checked with local authorities in those countries.