International freight transport permits are issued by Traficom.
Freight transport permits
Bilateral permit
The permit enables a carrier that holds a Community licence issued by a competent authority to run international commercial freight transport by vehicle or vehicle combination between Finland and a non-EU country. The permit does not give the right to operate cabotage services.
The permit enables you to run bilateral freight transport operations between the two countries in question including transits. For example, the permit enables a vehicle to be loaded in Finland and unloaded in Kazakhstan, or vice versa.
A bilateral permit is issued for a single journey, but is valid for a calendar year and 1 month of the following year.
Third-country permit
The permit enables a carrier that holds a Community licence issued by a competent authority to run international freight transport by vehicle or vehicle combination between Finland and a non-EU country. The permit does not give the right to operate cabotage services.
This permit entitles you to run third-country transport operations between two states when neither state is the vehicle's registration state (Finland). For example, the third-country permit for Estonia and the third-country permit for Turkey allow you to load your vehicle in Estonia and unload your vehicle in Turkey, or vice versa.
A third-country permit is issued for a single journey, but is valid for a calendar year and 1 month of the following year.
CEMT permit
The permit entitles a transport operator that holds a Community licence issued by a competent authority to engage in international commercial transport of goods between all CEMT countries. Within the areas of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, a Community licence is sufficient.
A CEMT permit is recognised as a transport licence for bilateral and third-country transport and transit in all CEMT member countries.
A permit is needed when a CEMT member country’s vehicle is loaded or unloaded in countries outside of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, unless bilateral or third-country permits are used. For example, the permit entitles you to load a vehicle in Turkey and unload it in Germany, or vice versa.
The permit is transport operator-specific and can be used for different vehicles, but not for more than one vehicle at a time.
The permit entitles a carrier to run road transport operations for a maximum of three (3) laden trips, after which the vehicle must return to its registration state (Finland).
The vehicle must be compatible with the EURO standard of the permit. The towing vehicle must have a certificate of conformity for the EURO category of the towing vehicle in question H143e as well as a certificate of periodic inspection H145e and a trailer certificate H144e. The certificates, including the certificate of periodic inspection, must be kept in the vehicle throughout the journey. The permit and the accompanying logbook are in an electronic form starting from 1 January 2026 and they can be read from a mobile device or from a printed QR code, if there is no mobile device available.
The towing vehicle certificate can be requested from the importer and the certificate of periodic inspection and trailer certificate from an inspection station.
The logbook that accompanies the permit must must be filled in with the following information:
- the dates of departure or arrival,
- the place of loading and unloading,
- the odometer readings at departure and arrival,
- the vehicle’s registration number and the trailer's registration number (if applicable) and
- the gross vehicle weight.
A CEMT permit is valid for one calendar year.
CEMT removal permit
The permit enables the holder to carry out international removals in a private vehicle or vehicle combination for a fixed period and to drive such vehicles empty between all CEMT member countries.
A vehicle being used for CEMT removals does not require a Community licence.
Additional notes
Community licence is sufficient for freight transport within the areas of the EU, EEA and Switzerland.