Apply for a driving instruction permit

Driving instruction for getting a driving licence can also be provided under a driving instruction permit. On this page, we explain what the driving instruction permit is and how it can be applied for. The average processing time for applications is 5 weeks.

What is a driving instruction permit?

As a holder of a driving instruction permit you can instruct another person to drive. The permit is granted for a specific learner, i.e. you can only use it to instruct the learner who has been registered on the permit.

The permit for getting a driving licence for a car is valid for three years or until the learner has completed the driving examination. When instructing the driving of other vehicles, the permit is valid for nine months or until the student has completed the driving examination.

The number of driving instruction permits is not restricted if the instructor is a close relative of the learner. Close relatives include the learner’s parent, legal guardian, grandparent, sibling, child or grandchild.

If the learner is not a close relative, you are allowed to instruct a maximum three (3) learners within a three-year period.

In driving instruction, you are responsible for the driving errors the learner makes. When driving a moped, light quadricycle or motorcycle, the learner is responsible for the driving errors themselves if you are not accompanying the learner in the vehicle.

A driving instruction permit can be used to replace part of the instruction provided by a driving school. Please note that the Training for candidates for the first driving licence and risk training for a passenger car licence cannot be provided under a driving instruction permit.

You may be granted a driving instruction permit if

you are at least 25 years old
you have held a driving licence corresponding to the driving licence category you are going to instruct for at least five years, and it has been issued in Finland or an EU/EEA Member State
you are not subject to a driving ban
You have not been subject to a driving ban in the past 5 years due to a conviction for drunk driving, aggravated drunk driving, having been found guilty of causing a serious traffic hazard or causing a traffic hazard in a manner indicating gross negligence of traffic safety.
within the previous year, you have not been subject to a driving ban due to being found guilty of recurrent traffic violations, driving without a licence or other traffic offences
based on other criminal records or information in the register of fines, you are considered unsuitable for the instruction task.
when granting a driving instruction permit for a passenger car, the person you are instructing has turned 16. For other vehicle categories, a driving instruction permit may be issued no earlier than six months before the student meets the minimum age for getting a driving licence.

Read more about the conditions for granting the permit in the section Conditions for issuing a driving instruction permit per driving licence category

How to apply for a driving instruction permit

Read carefully the instructions on this page.

You can apply for a driving instruction permit to instruct one learner in one driving licence category. If several instructors teach the same learner, each instructor must apply for their own instruction permit in the service.

If you want to instruct two or more pupils, fill in a separate application for every learner

Answer the questions presented in the service carefully. If necessary, you can save the application as incomplete and continue filling it in later.

The application fee is EUR 25. The payment will not be returned if the permit is denied.

You will find the application in the service under “Driving licence”.

Check the status of the application queues on this page under the section “Processing time for driving instruction permit applications”.

Once the application has been paid, it will be transferred to Traficom for processing.

We will contact you if we need more information or if the permit cannot be granted.

Once the instruction permit has been granted, it will be delivered to your home address by post. You can also see the details of the granted driving instruction permit in the e-service under “Driving licence”.

Keep the permit with you when giving driving instruction..

Before starting the instruction, make sure that the equipment of the vehicle used for instruction are in order

My e-Services - private customers, private entrepreneurs, representatives of the company(External link)

E-Service

You can only apply for a driving instruction permit through Traficom’s service provider Ajovarma in the following situations:

if you would like to have two instructors and/or two learners on the same permit. Instructors and learners must be close relatives of each other. Close relatives include a parent, grandparent, guardian, child, grandchild, and sibling.
- either instructor can record the instruction in the student’s certificate of instruction and examination (E100).
if you apply for driving instruction permit for a lorry or a bus.

• You are acting on behalf of another person

When acting on behalf of another person, you need a power of attorney.

If two instructors are listed on the driving instruction permit, you will need a power of attorney from the other instructor.

You can find the power of attorney form at the bottom of the page.

At the Ajovarma service point, the driving instruction permit costs EUR 36.

The average processing time for applications is 5 weeks. The processing time applies to applications that do not require additional clarifications.

A longer processing time is usually due to the need to request additional information or attachments from the applicant.

You can view your submitted application in the e-service under My Activities. After the day you submitted the application, its status will change to "Resolved". This means your application is waiting to be processed.

You can see the details of the granted driving instruction permit in the e-service under “Driving licence”.

Dual break padel

When providing driving instruction, a dual brake pedal for the driving instructor is mandatory in the following vehicles:

passenger cars, light quadricycles, quad bikes and tractors when the seats are side by side.
motorcycles as well as light quadricycles and tractors where the passenger seat is behind the driver’s seat if the instructor accompanies the learner in the vehicle.
a bus if the learner does not have a category C right to drive.