Ukrainian driving licences and vehicles

You can drive in Finland with a Ukrainian driving licence

You can drive in Finland with a Ukrainian driving licence. You do not need a translation or an International Driving Permit (IDP) in addition to your driving licence. For the time being, Finland also accepts Ukrainian driving licences that expired after 24 February 2022 because they cannot be renewed due to the war.

If you do not have your driving licence with you, your right to drive may also be accepted based on other reliable evidence. This could be, for example, a photo of your driving licence. The photo must show your personal details and information on your right to drive clearly enough. Your identity must also be verifiable.

If you move permanently to Finland, you may drive with your Ukrainian driving licence for two years from the date you become permanently resident in Finland.

If you are granted temporary protection in Finland, you may drive with your Ukrainian driving licence for as long as your temporary protection is valid. This means that you may continue to drive with your Ukrainian driving licence even if more than two years have passed since you became permanently resident in Finland.

You can exchange your Ukrainian driving licence for a Finnish driving licence

If you live permanently in Finland, you can apply to exchange your Ukrainian driving licence for a Finnish driving licence.

If you want to exchange your licence without taking a driving examination, submit your application before you have lived permanently in Finland for two years. Exchanging a driving licence takes approximately 3–4 months, so apply well in advance.

If you have lived permanently in Finland for more than two years when you apply for the exchange, you must take a driving examination.

More detailed instructions are available on the page “Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Finnish driving licence” under the section “Driving licence issued in a Contracting State”.

• Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Finnish driving licence

You can get a Finnish driving licence based on temporary protection

If you are granted temporary protection and do not have a permanent address in Finland, you can apply for a Finnish driving licence corresponding to your Ukrainian driving licence.

You can apply for a driving licence if your valid Ukrainian driving licence:

• was left in Ukraine when you fled the war
• has been lost
• has been destroyed

In this situation, you do not need to have a permanent address in Finland or take a driving examination to get a Finnish driving licence. You can also use a Finnish driving licence to drive abroad.

If you are issued a Finnish driving licence based on temporary protection, a special condition will be added to the licence. The licence will be valid for no longer than your temporary protection. Temporary protection has currently been extended until 4 March 2028.

Apply for a Finnish driving licence in person at a service point of Traficom’s service provider.

Attach the following to your application:

• a copy of the decision on temporary protection
• a medical report showing that you meet the fitness-to-drive requirements for the relevant driving licence categories
• a facial photograph that meets the requirements for passport photos
• any available evidence of your Ukrainian driving licence, such as a photo of the licence, a driving licence extract or your driving licence details from the Ukrainian DIIA application

Also bring a document proving your identity, such as a Ukrainian passport, so that your identity can be verified.

• Find your nearest service point for road traffic examination and permit services and the service provider’s contact details

Using a Ukrainian vehicle in Finland

If you live permanently abroad, you may use a passenger car, van, trailer (maximum 3,500 kg), moped, motorcycle or similar vehicle category registered abroad that you have brought into Finland for your own use. You may use the vehicle in Finland for a maximum of one year from the date you entered the country.

However, if you take a passenger car, van, motorcycle, light quadri-mobile (moped car) or quadricycle into use in Finland, you must submit a declaration to the Finnish Tax Administration within six months of importing the vehicle. The Finnish Tax Administration may extend the six-month period of tax-exempt use by a maximum of one year if you apply for an extension.

If the Finnish Tax Administration has extended the tax-exempt use period, you may use the vehicle in Finland for 1.5 years without having to register it in Finland.

Conditions for use:

• the vehicle has the registration plates and nationality sign of the country where it is registered
• the vehicle inspection is valid
• the vehicle has valid motor vehicle liability insurance

If a vehicle is registered in Ukraine, its Ukrainian vehicle inspection must be valid when the vehicle is used in road traffic in Finland. You may use a vehicle inspected in Ukraine in traffic in Finland.  

A Finnish vehicle inspection station cannot inspect a vehicle registered in Ukraine.

A vehicle registered in Ukraine may be driven by the owner or holder named in the register. If someone else uses the vehicle in Finland, this may lead to tax consequences in Finland. The Finnish Tax Administration decides on tax consequences based on supervision observations made by the police and Finnish Customs. For more information about traffic supervision and related interpretations, such as how the police check registration data from non-EU countries during traffic supervision, contact the police directly.

• Read when you can use a vehicle in Finland tax-exempt (Finnish Tax Administration) Ulkoinen verkkopalvelu.
• Apply for an extension to the maximum period of tax-exempt use (Finnish Tax Administration) Ulkoinen verkkopalvelu.

Vehicle registration

Finland and Ukraine have different requirements for vehicle registration. Before paying car tax, make sure that the vehicle meets the Finnish requirements.

If you want to register a Ukrainian vehicle in Finland, you must take the vehicle to a vehicle inspection station for a registration inspection. During the inspection, the vehicle’s identification details and other information needed for registration will be checked. The registration inspection also checks that the vehicle meets the applicable rules and regulations and that it is in good condition. A vehicle registered in Ukraine must have an international certificate of roadworthiness for international traffic.

Mandatory motor vehicle liability insurance

To use a vehicle registered abroad in Finland, the vehicle must have valid motor vehicle liability insurance in Finland.

You can find more information about insurance on the websites of the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre and Finnish Customs.

• Read about insuring a vehicle registered abroad (Finnish Motor Insurers’ Centre) Ulkoinen verkkopalvelu.
• Read about EU sanctions and customs clearance (Finnish Customs) Ulkoinen verkkopalvelu.