With the help of these instructions, buying a car, motorcycle, moped or any other vehicle will be easy and safe. Please note that some of Traficom’s e-services and PDF forms are only available in Finnish and Swedish.
Please note that if the previous holders or owners of the vehicle have any overdue vehicle taxes, this will prohibit you from using the vehicle. The due date of the previous holder's or owner's current vehicle tax period may not yet have passed, which means that the tax will fall due only after you have bought the vehicle.
To check whether your vehicle has any due or overdue vehicle taxes, use Traficom’s e-Services (External link).
How to act
Check the register and tax information as well as the owner’s identity before making the transaction
You should only buy a vehicle from the owner entered in the register. This avoids problems related to ownership, motor vehicle liability insurance and vehicle tax. As the buyer you can insist that the seller register the vehicle in their own name before the deal.
Check from the registry information that the vehicle has been commissioned
You must not drive a vehicle that has been decommissioned (External link) before is has been commissioned (External link) for use on the road. Even if it is fitted with registration plates, the vehicle may still have been decommissioned. The consequence of using a vehicle that has been decommissioned is a tax surcharge of at least 1,000 Euros.
Make sure that the seller has submitted a notification of transfer or ask the seller for a valid digital certificate or part II
If the seller submits a notification of transfer for you, you do not necessarily need a digital certificate or part II to register the vehicle.
Following the submission of the notification of transfer, the vehicle appears in Traficom's e-Services on the page that contains the details of your vehicles. You can register yourself as the owner of the vehicle by reporting a change in its ownership. You can also verify this information by contacting Traficom's registration advisory service (External link).
A certificate is a digital code that is valid for two weeks. You can use it to register the vehicle to yourself using Traficom’s or your insurance company's electronic service (External link), or at a registration office.
You can register a vehicle in your name using part II of the registration certificate , but in this case registration must be done at a registration office at a higher price (External link).
Always make a deed of sale or a transfer document for yourself and for the seller
You can use certificate of transfer as a deed of sale or certificate of transfer of ownership. Keep the certificate of transfer in case of any possible disagreements.
Take out car insurance and register the vehicle in your name
If the vehicle has been commissioned, motor vehicle liability insurance is a prerequisite for registering a change of owner . Take out car insurance within 7 calendar days after the transaction.
Insurance companies’ services (External link) enable you to insure a car and register a change of owner at the same time.
You can use Traficom's e-Services to report a change in ownership once insurance has been taken out in accordance with requirements.
Exceptional situations
The instructions above are sufficient for most transactions. Sometimes additional advice may, however, be required. These are the most common exceptional situations:
You are purchasing a vehicle which does not have any papers.
You are purchasing a vehicle from someone other than the owner recorded in the register.
You are purchasing a rescue vehicle, a hearse or a veterinary vehicle.
You want to register a vehicle that belongs to an estate
You want to procure a vehicle in the name of an estate.
