Monitoring fitness to drive – submitting medical reports to the police
Your fitness to drive may vary during the validity of your driving licence. Physicians are obliged to notify the police if there are any changes in your fitness to drive.
A driver’s fitness to drive may change during the validity period of the driving licence and may affect the scope or duration of the right to drive. The police are responsible for monitoring fitness to drive and may, if necessary, require the driver to take a driving test.
Traficom checks your fitness to drive when you apply for your first driving licence and when upgrading or renewing your driving licence. During the validity period of the driving licence, doctors are obligated to report any changes in your fitness to drive to the police, even if the visit is not related to a driving licence matter. Nurses or public health nurses may also submit a report to the police.
When must a medical report be submitted to the police?
You must submit a medical report to the police if any of the following apply to you:
Age-based obligation
You received a driving licence for a lorry or a bus before 19 January 2013, and your driving licence is valid until you turn 70. You must submit a medical report to the police every five years from the age of 50, that is, at the ages of 50, 55, 60 and 65.
Traficom will send you a letter about submitting the medical report approximately one month before your birthday. The medical report must be submitted to the police no later than two months after you turn 50, 55, 60 or 65.
However, you do not need to submit a medical report if you have submitted a report related to your driving licence or another road traffic permit to the police or Traficom within the previous five years. If necessary, check with the police licence services before visiting a doctor.
Doctor’s order
A doctor has ordered you to submit a medical report to the police earlier than would otherwise be required. The order may be based, for example, on advanced age or an illness that requires monitoring. Traficom will send you a letter about submitting the medical report to the police when it becomes relevant.
Police order
The police have ordered you to submit a medical report. The order may be based on an observation made by the police during traffic supervision or on a report submitted to the police by a doctor concerning a deterioration in your state of health.
Even if you do not receive a letter, this does not remove your obligation to submit the medical report. If you fail to submit the report by the deadline, the police may impose a driving ban.
Agree with your doctor on who will submit the medical report to the police. As the driver, you are responsible for ensuring that the police receive the medical report by the deadline.
For more information about monitoring fitness to drive, please contact the police.
Driving Test by Order of the Police
In the driving test, the impact of an illness, defect, or injury on the licence holder’s ability to drive a vehicle is assessed. At the same time, any necessary changes to the vehicle’s controls or the driver’s right to drive are evaluated.
The driving test is taken upon the order of the police. Usually, the background is a notification made by a doctor to the police about a change in the driver's fitness to drive and its potential effect on driving ability.
You can only participate in the driving test if you are not under a driving ban and your driving licence is valid.
The driving test is conducted by Traficom’s service provider Ajovarma.
Once you have received the police order for a driving test, book an appointment with Ajovarma.
What happens in the driving test?
In the driving test, a vehicle provided by the customer is used. The vehicle must have the necessary controls to allow the test to be carried out safely. If needed, check in advance with Ajovarma that your vehicle is suitable for the test before arriving.
At the start of the driving test, the examiner will ensure that you can safely operate the vehicle’s driving controls. After that, the test continues with driving in regular traffic.
The driving test lasts at least 45 minutes. However, the test may be stopped earlier if driving is deemed unsafe.
What happens after the driving test?
Once the driving test has been completed, the test examiner submits a driving assessment to the police, indicating any necessary changes to your driving licence and/or the vehicle's control equipment. If needed, the examiner may also recommend a new driving test.
After that, the police will decide on any required modifications to your vehicle's control equipment as well as on any special conditions or limitations to your driving licence.
Once the police have made the necessary changes to your licence, you can order a new driving licence via our Order a new driving licence -service or at Ajovarma.