New taxi act 2026: all the changes on one page
The new taxi act 2026 is two acts that amend the Act on Transport Services: Act 612/2026 and the temporary Act 613/2026. Both entered into force on 1 September 2026, and for the driver the biggest change is the 21-hour training before the exam from 1 November 2026. In addition, renewing the driver licence includes a 7-hour supplementary training, the list of offences that bar a licence has become wider, price information must be given before the ride and the taximeter becomes mandatory on 1 February 2027. Below are all the changes in a table: what changed, when and for whom.
Note: The training is given in Finnish, and the taxi driver exam is held only in Finnish or Swedish (Traficom regulation, section 3), with no interpreter or dictionary allowed.
Two acts, one change
Act 612/2026 and the temporary Act 613/2026 were issued on 26 June 2026, and they amend the Act on Transport Services (320/2017). Act 612/2026 is permanent. Act 613/2026 is valid from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034, and it contains the supplementary training for renewing the driver licence and a temporary wording on the licence of training providers. The table below tells what the provisions now say, when they start and who they concern. Where Traficom is the source, it is marked in the text.
What changed, when and for whom
| What changed | When | For whom and what |
|---|---|---|
| For the driver | ||
| 21-hour training as a condition for the driver licence | 1 September 2026. Transitional provision: a licence could be granted without training when no training was available, until 31 October 2026 at most. Traficom: 21-hour training as a condition for the exam from 1 November 2026. | People applying for a first driver licence. Act 612/2026: training of at least 21 hours, taking the exam requires the training, and the exam must be passed no more than a year before the application (section 25, section 25 a). More: A 21-hour training course is required for the first taxi driver licence. |
| Updated taxi driver exam | 1 September 2026 | People applying for a first driver licence. Traficom regulation: 60 questions, 45 minutes, five topics. Traficom says the new topic "rights and duties of the driver" adds 10 questions to the exam. More: Taxi driver exam: 60 questions, 45 minutes. |
| Medical certificate at most 6 months old | 1 September 2026 | People applying for or renewing a driver licence. With the certificate you show that you meet the group 2 health requirements (section 25). |
| List of offences that bar a driver licence widened | 1 September 2026 | People applying for or renewing a driver licence. A licence is not granted if you have, as shown by the criminal record, committed the listed offences within five years before the application is decided (section 25). Traficom: the list now includes, among others, offences against liberty, offences against public finances, and fraud, payment instrument and firearms offences. For fines, the three-year limit applies to, for example, drink driving. |
| 7-hour supplementary training for renewing the driver licence | Act 613/2026 is valid from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034. Renewing without the supplementary training was possible until 31 October 2026 at most. Traficom: the supplementary training is part of renewing from 1 November 2026. | People renewing a driver licence. At least 7 hours, taken only once, not required if you have completed the 21-hour training. Renewal may be applied for at the earliest six months before the licence expires (section 26, section 26 b). More: Licence renewal: 7-hour supplementary training. |
| Cheating in the exam | 1 September 2026 | Candidates in the taxi driver exam and the entrepreneur exam. For cheating, the exam is interrupted and failed, and Traficom sets a six-month ban on taking the exam. The exam result is also failed if the cheating is noticed only after the exam (section 246 a). |
| For the licence holder and driver: prices, meter, vehicle | ||
| Price information before the ride | 1 September 2026 | Licence holders and providers of dispatch services. Before the ride starts or the order is confirmed, the consumer must be told the total price of the ride including tax or, if the exact price cannot be given in advance, the grounds on which the price is determined. For rides that are not pre-ordered or have a variable price, the driver must give the price information on request before the ride. The price or the grounds must not change during the ride (section 152). |
| Traffic fines | 1 September 2026. The licence holder's 100 euro fee for neglecting the use of the taximeter (section 15 a) from 1 February 2027. | 200 euros for the licence holder if price information is not given. 100 euros for the driver if they neglect to use the taximeter when no fixed price has been agreed. 100 euros for the licence holder for neglecting section 15 a (section 268 a). |
| Taximeter and trip data | 1 February 2027 (section 15 a, subsections 1 and 3) | Licence holders. The vehicle must use a taximeter that meets the requirements of the Measuring Instruments Act and that collects electronically, for every trip, the identification data of the entrepreneur, vehicle and driver, the time, length and duration of the trip, and the price and payment method data. Traficom issues the technical regulations. Traficom: the taximeter becomes mandatory in all taxis on 1 February 2027. |
| Vehicle linked to the transport licence | For taxi transport licence holders by 1 January 2027 at the latest (Act 612/2026, entry-into-force provision). Traficom: for those operating taxi transport by notification from 1 September 2026. | Licence holders and those operating by notification. The vehicle is entered in the register of transport matters (liikenneasioiden rekisteri) in the licence holder's exclusive possession and linked to a valid transport licence (section 17). |
| Taxi licence plates | Traficom: issued from 1 January 2027, mandatory from 1 July 2027. | Licence holders. This date is from Traficom's pages, not from the texts of Acts 612/2026 and 613/2026. |
| For the taxi entrepreneur and licence applicant | ||
| Entrepreneur exam moves to Traficom | 1 September 2026 | Applicants for a taxi transport licence and persons responsible for transport. Traficom is responsible for organising the entrepreneur exam, and taking the exam requires entrepreneur training (section 6 a). More: Becoming a taxi entrepreneur in 2026 and Taxi entrepreneur exam: 50 questions, 120 minutes. |
| Conditions of the taxi transport licence | 1 September 2026 | Applicants for a taxi transport licence. A condition for the licence is an actual and permanent place of business in Finland. The person responsible for transport and the management of the legal person (managing director, chair of the board, the only full member, partners with unlimited liability) must be of good repute (section 6). Traficom: from 1 September 2026, the assessment of good repute also takes into account offences against life and health, sexual offences, and fraud and payment instrument offences. |
| For training providers | ||
| Licence for organising all taxi training | Act 613/2026 (section 35 a, section 265) is valid from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034. The wording of Act 612/2026 on these sections enters into force on 1 September 2034. | Training organisations. Organising taxi driver training, supplementary training, special group driver training and entrepreneur training requires a Traficom licence. Organising without a licence is punishable by a fine. More: Taxi driver training 2026. |
| Provider's notifications and supervision | 1 September 2026 | Training organisations. The training programme, time and place are notified to Traficom no later than ten days before the start, and the details of those who completed the training within two weeks. The details are kept for six calendar years following the year of completion (section 36 b). Traficom supervises providers (section 193 a). |
Dates at a glance
- 1 September 2026: Act 612/2026 and Act 613/2026 enter into force. Traficom's new regulations on exams and training apply.
- 31 October 2026: the transitional provisions under which a driver licence could be granted or renewed without training were valid until this date at most.
- 1 November 2026: according to Traficom, the 21-hour training is mandatory for getting to the exam and the 7-hour supplementary training is part of renewing the driver licence.
- 1 January 2027: vehicles of taxi transport licence holders must be linked to the transport licence by this date at the latest. According to Traficom, taxi licence plates are issued from this date.
- 31 January 2027: the regulation Traficom earlier issued under section 152, subsection 2, is valid until this date.
- 1 February 2027: section 15 a on the taximeter and trip data enters into force.
- 1 July 2027: according to Traficom, taxi licence plates are mandatory.
- 31 August 2034: the temporary Act 613/2026 ceases to be valid.
- 1 September 2034: the wording of Act 612/2026 on section 35 a and section 265, subsection 1, point 1, enters into force.
What changed for the entrepreneur
For the taxi entrepreneur, the changes pile up at the start of 2027. Traficom organises the entrepreneur exam from 1 September 2026, and the conditions of the licence include an actual and permanent place of business in Finland. Price information must be given to the consumer before the ride, and neglecting it can lead to a 200 euro traffic fine. Vehicles must be linked to the transport licence by 1 January 2027 at the latest, and the provision on the taximeter and the collection of trip data enters into force on 1 February 2027. The path, length and fees for someone planning to become an entrepreneur: Becoming a taxi entrepreneur in 2026.
What changed for the driver
The path of someone applying for a first driver licence is now training, exam and application. The content of the training, remote training and the provider's licence: Taxi driver training 2026. The whole path: Taxi driver licence step by step. Fees: How much does a taxi driver licence cost in 2026. Someone renewing a driver licence needs the 7-hour supplementary training: Licence renewal: 7-hour supplementary training.
Read more about the 21-hour training
Frequently asked questions
When does the new taxi act enter into force?
Both Act 612/2026 and the temporary Act 613/2026 entered into force on 1 September 2026. Some provisions enter into force later: section 15 a on the taximeter and trip data enters into force on 1 February 2027, and the wording of Act 612/2026 on section 35 a and section 265, subsection 1, point 1, enters into force on 1 September 2034.
Do I need the 21-hour training if I already have a taxi driver licence?
The training is a condition for granting a driver licence and for taking the exam. If you have a valid driver licence, renewing it includes a supplementary training of at least 7 hours, which you take only once. It is not required if you have completed the 21-hour taxi driver training.
What changes for the taxi entrepreneur?
Traficom organises the entrepreneur exam from 1 September 2026. The licence holder must give price information before the ride, the conditions of the taxi transport licence include an actual and permanent place of business in Finland, the vehicle must be linked to the transport licence by 1 January 2027 at the latest and the taximeter becomes mandatory on 1 February 2027.
What follows if price information is not given?
A 200 euro traffic fine can be imposed on the licence holder if they intentionally or through negligence fail to give price information. A 100 euro traffic fine can be imposed on the driver if they fail to use the taximeter as the law requires.
Sources
- Act 612/2026 amending the Act on Transport Services, Finlex (in Finnish)
- Act 613/2026 on the temporary amendment of the Act on Transport Services, Finlex (in Finnish)
- Traficom: The taxi legislation is being reformed, what changes (in Finnish)
- Traficom: Apply for a taxi driver licence (in Finnish)
- Traficom: I want to become a taxi transport entrepreneur (in Finnish)
- Traficom regulation Taksiliikenteen koulutukset (taxi transport training), Finlex (in Finnish)
- Traficom regulation Taksiliikenteen kokeet (taxi transport exams), Finlex (in Finnish)
Sources read on 31 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice.