This page contains information on the validity periods of new and old driving licences and the validity of duplicates.
All new driving licences in Finland are issued for a fixed period. The validity period depends on your age and driving licence category: a driving licence is valid for 2, 5 or 15 years at a time. Once its validity period expires, the driving licence must be renewed.
Validity of new driving licences
- Group 1 (passenger car, motorcycle):
- 15 years, however at most until the holder turns 70.
- Licences issued at the age of 65 or later: valid for 5 years.
- Group 2 (lorries and buses):
- 5 years, however at most until the holder turns 70.
- Licences issued at the age of 68 or later: valid for 2 years.
Validity of old driving licences
Driving licences issued before 19 January 2013 will be valid at most until 18 January 2033, even if a later expiry date is shown on them. This is due to the new Driving Licence Act, which also changed the validity periods of old licences.
When you renew your driving licence, the validity periods under the new Act will apply to it. This also means that if you upgrade your driving licence, its validity period will be determined under the Act that is currently valid.
Validity of duplicate driving licences
The validity of duplicate licences is determined based on whether your original driving licence was issued before or after 19 January 2013. If the current Driving Licence Act applies to your driving licence, in other words it is valid for 2, 5 or 15 years, and you order a duplicate licence, the duplicate will have the same validity period as the original licence.
If your original licence was issued before 19 January 2013, the validity periods under the current Driving Licence Act will apply to a duplicate:
- Group 1:
- 15 years, however at most until you turn 70.
- A duplicate issued at the age of 65 or later: valid for 5 years.
- Group 2:
- 5 years, however at most until you turn 70.
A duplicate issued at the age of 68 or later: valid for 2 years.