Your driving licence in Finland: valid until the expiry date, and the two-year rule that does not apply to you

No, you do not need to exchange your Dutch driving licence in Finland as long as it is valid. The Finnish transport agency Traficom says so without reservation: a licence from the EU or the EEA is valid in Finland for the period stated on it. Only when it expires do you apply for a new one in Finland, and that takes an appointment at Ajovarma and two passport photos. The finding: the two-year rule found on many sites applies to licences from other countries, not to yours. The pitfall lies elsewhere: whoever lets a Dutch licence expire and only comes in afterwards needs a medical certificate.

Where does that two-year rule come from?

Traficom sorts foreign licences into three groups, and each group has its own rule. Whoever mixes the rules up thinks they must exchange within two years.

Licence from	Driving in Finland after moving	Exchanging
EU or EEA country, such as the Netherlands	for as long as the licence is valid	at the latest when it expires
Contracting State (Geneva or Vienna), such as the US	two years after moving	well before those two years; takes three to four months
Other recognised country	one year after entry in the population register	well before that year

For a Dutch citizen, the first rule is the only one that counts. There is one condition that applies to everyone: you must have obtained your licence before you moved to Finland. A foreign licence obtained while you already lived in Finland is not valid here.

When is exchanging sensible?

You may exchange as soon as you live in Finland permanently, or if you study there for at least six months. You must do so at the latest when your licence expires. Between those two moments you choose.

Whoever has a Dutch licence that expires only in eight years has little reason to do anything now. Whoever has a licence that expires within a year or two is better off doing it in one go, while it is still valid, for a reason given in the next paragraph.

What do I need, and how much effort is it?

Exchanging is done at Ajovarma, the service provider that handles it for Traficom. You fill in the application form there and bring:

• two passport photos (if you have a valid Finnish passport or Finnish ID card, they are not needed);
• a study certificate, if you study in Finland but your permanent residence is elsewhere.

A medical certificate is not needed as long as your Dutch licence is still valid. If it has already expired, it is, and that certificate is valid for six months. That is the reason not to wait until the last week: an expired licence costs you a doctor's visit.

At the counter you get a temporary licence, valid in Finland and the other Nordic countries. The actual Finnish licence arrives by post at your home address within about two weeks. It is valid for a maximum of fifteen years.

Make sure your address is right. The new licence goes by post to your home address. Whoever moves and forgets the notification of move to DVV waits for a card that lands in the previous occupant's letterbox. And according to DVV, the right to a Finnish driving licence hangs on your kotikunta, your Finnish municipality of residence.

May I drive a Finnish car with my Dutch licence?

Yes. The licence is about you, not the registration plate. You do have to meet the Finnish age and health requirements for that category. What has to happen to the car itself is another story, with other clocks: that is in your car to Finland.

Which traffic rule surprises Dutch drivers most?

Not the licence but the tyres. In a passenger car, winter tyres are mandatory from November to March if the weather requires it, with a tread of at least 3.0 millimetres. From the beginning of December, non-studded winter tyres must also carry the symbol with the three mountain peaks and the snowflake; without it you may not use them in winter conditions. Traficom advises changing a week too early rather than a day too late, and points out that tyres harden after six years and reach their indicative maximum ten years after manufacture.

Rule	What Traficom says
Winter tyres, passenger car	mandatory from November to March if the weather requires it
Minimum tread depth, winter tyre	3.0 mm
Three-peak mountain snowflake symbol	mandatory from early December for non-studded winter tyres
Age of the tyre	less grip after six years; ten years after manufacture as indicative maximum

Whoever arrives in autumn on Dutch summer tyres therefore needs a set of winter tyres within a few weeks. Include them in the moving budget, next to the costs in the cost estimate for Finland.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.7: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Finland or go straight to step 5.7 in the open plan.