Apply for an age exception permit for a driving licence
A 17-year-old can be granted an age exception permit for a driving licence for a car if travel, for example to school or work, is particularly difficult. The guardian submits the application.
On this page
- Grounds for granting an age exception
- Guardian: How to apply
- Processing time for age exception permit applications
- Grounds and preconditions for granting an exception permit
- Driving with an exception permit is prohibited at night between 00.00 and 05.00
- Sign identifying an underage driver mandatory from 1 October 2026
- More information about exemption permits
- Forms
- See also
Grounds for granting an age exception
The most common reasons for obtaining an exception permit are long distances or slow or entirely lacking public transport connections to:
- school
- work
- a goal-oriented hobby.
The young person’s need for transport must be continuous and regular.
Read more in the section Grounds and preconditions for granting an exception permit on this page.
Guardian: How to apply
- Step 1
Make sure the young person meets the requirements for an age exception permit
You can apply for an age exception permit for special reasons at the earliest when the young person is 16 years and 8 months old.
We will grant a permit at the earliest when the young person is 16 years and 9 months old.
The young person may take the theory test at the earliest one month before turning 17. Read the instructions and make sure the special reasons apply.
- Step 2
Fill in the application electronically
Apply for an age exception permit in Traficom’s My e-Services. Choose the role Personal services. You can find the application form under Driving licence.
Fill in your own details and the personal details of the young person for whom you are applying for an age exception permit. You can apply for the permit electronically only if you are the young person’s official guardian.
Select the reason for applying for the permit in the application.
By submitting the application, you confirm that
- the young person’s regular need to travel is at least four times a week, and
- the need to travel meets at least one of the following conditions:
- the walking distance in one direction is more than seven kilometres and no public transport connections are available for the journey, or
- the journey in one direction by public transport takes at least 1.5 hours.
- Step 3
Attach the required supporting document to the application
The required supporting document varies depending on the grounds for the application. Make sure the grounds for the application are indicated in the signed attachment.
The following attachments are accepted:
- certificate of attendance from an upper secondary educational institution if you are applying for an exception permit on the basis of school travel
- certificate issued by the education or training provider if you are applying for an exception permit for workplace-based training included in vocational education and training
- employment contract for an employment relationship lasting at least two months if you are applying for an exception permit for commuting to work
- certificate of a goal-oriented hobby issued by a sports federation or education provider if you are applying for an exception permit for travel to a goal-oriented hobby
- medical certificate indicating which health-related reasons make it difficult or impossible for the young person to travel without a car.
Use the ready-made certificate templates available at the bottom of this page.
- Step 4
Pay for the application
Pay for the application in the service. The application fee is 127 euros. The fee will not be refunded, even if the permit cannot be granted.
We will contact you during the processing if additional information is needed for the application.
You can also supplement your application afterwards. Add a new attachment in the service under My Activities. Select the Case details button for your application. Adding an attachment does not extend the processing time.
Submit only one application. If needed, supplement the application that is already being processed.
- Step 5
You will receive the decision in Suomi.fi Messages or at home
As the applicant, you will receive the decision on the age exception permit in Suomi.fi Messages. Activate Suomi.fi Messages before submitting the application in the service.
If you do not use Suomi.fi Messages, the decision will be posted to your home address.
The young person must carry the age exception permit with them when driving. The age exception permit may be presented electronically on a phone to traffic control authorities.
You can forward the age exception permit received in Suomi.fi Messages to the young person, for example as a message, email or image.
If you are not the young person’s official guardian or cannot otherwise use e-services, you can apply for an age exception permit using a form.
- Fill in, print out and sign the age exception permit application. A handwritten signature is required.
- Attach the required attachment or attachments.
- Send the application to: Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, PO Box 320, 00059 TRAFICOM.
- An invoice will be sent to you once the decision has been made.
The application form and ready-made certificate templates are available at the bottom of this page.
Please note that each submitted application is processed as a separate case. A processing fee is charged separately for each application. The fee is also charged if the decision is negative.
Processing time for age exception permit applications
The average processing time for applications is about 1 month. This applies to applications that do not require additional information. Applications are processed in the order they are received.
The Driving Licence Act was reformed on 29 May 2026. The legislation in force at the time the application was submitted will be applied when processing the application. Applications submitted before 29 May 2026 will be processed under the old legislation. Applications submitted on or after 29 May 2026 will be processed under the current legislation.
If we need additional information for your application, we will contact you. Inquiries about the processing stage will not speed up the handling of your application.
Grounds and preconditions for granting an exception permit
Limits for reasonable journeys
An age exception permit can only be granted if the young person has a justified and regular need to travel by car and the limits for reasonable journeys are exceeded.
The limits for reasonable journeys apply to all grounds for application:
- the young person’s regular need to travel is at least four times a week, and
- the need to travel meets at least one of the following conditions:
- the walking distance in one direction is more than seven kilometres and no public transport connections are available for the journey, or
- the journey in one direction by public transport takes at least 1.5 hours.
Check the duration or length of the journey in a journey planner, map service or other commonly used travel service. Use the default settings of the journey planner or other travel service.
If the journey exceeds seven kilometres in one direction, a return journey is counted as two times
School travel
For an exception permit to be granted, school travel to upper secondary education must exceed the limits for reasonable journeys.
Attach to the application a certificate of attendance from the educational institution for upper secondary studies.
The educational institution’s own certificate is also accepted if it includes the required information.
Travel to workplace-based training
An age exception permit can be granted for workplace-based training if the journey to the training place exceeds the limits for reasonable journeys.
Submit as an attachment an employment contract or a certificate of workplace-based training. The educational institution’s own certificate is also accepted if it includes the required information.
Commuting
An age exception permit can be granted on the basis of employment if the commute exceeds the limit for reasonable journeys.
The permit can only be granted once the job has already been agreed.
Submit an employment contract as an attachment, indicating whether the job is permanent or fixed-term. If the employment relationship is fixed-term, the contract must specify its duration.
Travel to a goal-oriented and regular hobby
Attach to the application:
- a certificate issued by a member federation of the Finnish Olympic Committee on goal-oriented training, or
- a certificate issued by a provider of basic education in the arts operating under a licence granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture
The sports federation or education provider assesses whether the hobby meets the requirements for goal-oriented training.
Only a certificate issued by the sports federation or education provider is accepted as an attachment to the application.
Certificates issued by an individual coach, club, school or association are not accepted.
The young person's health-related reasons
A young person may be granted an age exception permit if health-related reasons make regular travel difficult or impossible.
Attach to the application a medical certificate no older than six months in which the doctor clearly states why the age exception permit is necessary for health-related reasons.
A driving ban prevents the granting of an age exception permit
An age exception permit cannot be granted if the young person is or has been subject to a driving ban or temporary driving ban.
Driving with an exception permit is prohibited at night between 00.00 and 05.00
An underage holder of a category B driving right may not drive a vehicle requiring a category B driving right between 00.00 and 05.00.
The restriction has applied since 29 May 2026. It also applies to minors who obtained their driving licence before 29 May 2026.
The restriction applies until the driver turns 18.
Violating the restriction may result in a fine and a driving ban for unauthorised operation of a vehicle. A fine may also be imposed on a person who hands over a vehicle to a minor.
Sign identifying an underage driver mandatory from 1 October 2026
An underage driver must use a separate sign in the car from 1 October 2026.
The sign must be attached to a visible place at the rear of the car when the vehicle is driven by a minor. The sign may be removed when the vehicle is driven by an adult.
The signs will be widely available in different shops by autumn.
Failure to use the sign may result in a traffic penalty fee being imposed on the driver.