Law and permits

Taxi driver licence step by step from 1 November 2026

31 October 2026 · Taksiuutiset editorial team

You become a taxi driver in five steps: you check the conditions, get a medical certificate, take the 21-hour training, pass the exam and apply for the driver licence at a service point of Traficom's service provider. The licence is valid for five years.

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.

Summary: the path step by step

1. Check the conditions: driving licence, health, criminal record.
2. Get a group 2 medical certificate, at most 6 months old on the day of application.
3. Take the taxi driver training, at least 21 hours.
4. Pass the taxi driver exam.
5. Apply for the driver licence and pay for the application at the service point.

1. Conditions

Traficom lists the following as conditions for the driver licence.

• Driving licence: you have a class B driving licence that you received at least a year ago in Finland or another EU or EEA country. The law says the same: a valid right to drive, but a class B car driving right received at least a year ago.
• Age: Traficom's guidance page sets no separate minimum age for the taxi driver licence. In practice the limit is set by the fact that you need a class B driving licence at least a year old. If you have turned 68, the licence is valid for two years, and the medical certificate must take into account the effects of ageing.
• No driving ban.
• Health: you meet the group 2 driving health requirements, and this is shown with a medical certificate.
• Reliability: there are no entries in the criminal and fines register that prevent granting the licence.

Criminal background and reliability

A licence is not granted if you have received, in the last five years, a conditional or unconditional prison sentence for certain offences, for example drink driving. A fine for certain traffic offences, such as drink driving, bars the licence for three years. The changes made to the law on 1 September 2026 widened the obstacles: they include, among others, offences against liberty, offences against public finances, and fraud, payment instrument and firearms offences.

2. Medical certificate

A medical certificate on meeting the group 2 driving health requirements is attached to the application. The certificate may be at most six months old when you submit the application. You do not need the certificate if you have delivered it in connection with another matter during the six months before applying. So time the certificate close to the application, not to the start of the course. The price of the certificate is covered in the article How much does a taxi driver licence cost.

3. Taxi driver training, at least 21 hours

The Act on Transport Services requires taxi driver training lasting at least 21 hours. The training includes five topics: assisting passengers and safety, the special needs of different passenger groups, customer service situations in taxi services, the rights and duties of the driver, and factors affecting the safety of transport and traffic. Traficom says the mandatory 21-hour training for new drivers enters into force on 1 November 2026. The transitional provision under which a licence could be granted without training while no training was available was valid until 31 October 2026 at most. More: A 21-hour training course is required for the first taxi driver licence.

After you have completed the training, you need the entry about it in the register of transport matters (liikenneasioiden rekisteri) at the exam site.

Read more about the 21-hour training

4. Taxi driver exam

Taking the exam requires that you have completed the training. The exam is a digital theory exam at a service point of Traficom's service provider. According to the Traficom regulation, the exam contains 60 questions, there are at most 45 minutes, and to pass you need 45 correct answers and the minimum number from every topic. A failed exam can be retaken at the earliest on the working day after the exam. The exam is valid for a year: you must submit the driver licence application within a year of the exam. Details of the exam: Taxi driver exam: 60 questions, 45 minutes.

5. Application: where and how

Apply for the driver licence at a service point of Traficom's service provider. In 2026 Ajovarma receives licence applications and driver examinations at its service points, and it recommends booking an appointment. The application is filled in and paid for at the service point. Bring:

• a passport or an identity card,
• a medical certificate,
• a photograph, if you do not have a valid passport, identity card or an earlier card photo already held by Traficom,
• a driving licence from an EU or EEA country, if you do not have a Finnish right to drive.

The average processing time of applications is two weeks when no additional clarifications are needed. The driver licence card is delivered by post within about two weeks. Fees: How much does a taxi driver licence cost.

Validity and renewal

The driver licence is valid for five years from the date of granting, and for two years if you have turned 68. You can apply for renewal at the earliest half a year before the licence expires. If you renew the licence between 1 November 2026 and 31 August 2034, you must complete the 7-hour supplementary training. You can find the renewal steps, a calculator and instructions at ajoluvanuusiminen.fi (in Finnish), and the rules of the supplementary training in the article Licence renewal: 7-hour supplementary training.

Frequently asked questions

How do I become a taxi driver?

You need a class B driving licence at least a year old, a medical certificate that meets the group 2 health requirements, and you must have no entries in the criminal or fines register that bar the licence. You take the 21-hour taxi driver training, pass the exam and apply for the driver licence at a service point of Traficom's service provider. The driver licence is valid for five years.

Do I need the training before I can apply for a taxi driver licence?

Yes. Taking the exam requires completed taxi driver training lasting at least 21 hours (Act 612/2026, section 25 a). The exam must be passed no more than a year before the application is submitted.

How long is a taxi driver licence valid?

According to Traficom, the driver licence is valid for five years from the date of granting. If you have turned 68, the licence is valid for two years.

Where do I apply for a taxi driver licence?

The application is filled in and paid for at a service point of Traficom's service provider. In 2026 Ajovarma receives licence applications at its service points.