As the manufacturer, importer or vendor of a watercraft or engine or other equivalent trader, you may use an unregistered watercraft, for instance for test driving or marketing, if Traficom has issued a test plate certificate to the company.
The test plate certificate will be valid until further notice, and it consists of a letter and a series of numbers.
A watercraft equipped with a test plate certificate may not be used for recreational purposes, and it may not be used for the other business activities of the trader.
Where necessary, the test plate may be transferred from one watercraft to another.
If your company has several watercraft which are simultaneously used for test driving, each watercraft must be equipped with a unique test plate, since watercraft used for traffic on water must be identifiable in all circumstances for security and surveillance reasons. The necessary number of test plate certificates will be issued according to your needs.
A test plate certificate may be revoked if the trader notifies cancelling the test plate certificate in writing, or if the test plate certificate has been used unlawfully. Traficom may also cancel the test plate certificate, for instance when the company’s business activities come to an end in terms of the sector concerned.
Applying for test plate certificate
Send a form to Traficom either by post at the address indicated on the form, or by e-mail at kirjaamo@traficom.fi . The application is processed within 30 days.
After the test plate certificate is issued, you will receive by post a decision subject to a fee (EUR 35).
The test plate to be attached to the watercraft must be obtained personally. The test plates must be attached to both sides of the watercraft so that it is clearly visible when the watercraft is used for traffic.
Requirements for the test plate
- The letter and the numbers should preferably be black on a white background
- The height of the numbers and the letter of the test plate should be at least 7.5 centimetres, and the line width should be at least 1.5 centimetres
- The spacing between the numbers should be at least 2 centimetres, and the spacing between the letter and the numbers should be at least 4 centimetres, and no more than 10 centimetres
- The test plate should be rectangular and at least 12 centimetres high, and it should extend at least 2.5 centimetres on both sides of the test plate