Overhaul of the Driving Licence Act now under way to improve road safety

The Ministry of Transport and Communications has launched a legislative project to introduce a comprehensive reform of the Driving Licence Act, as the new Driving Licences Directive and the updated driving disqualifications rules of the EU shall be transposed into national legislation. The Directive calls for amendments to the driving licences regulation throughout the EU.

“The Finnish regulation on driving licences is now being extensively reformed to improve road safety and ease the practicalities. We welcome stakeholders to participate widely in the preparation process so that we can produce a legislative package that will function optimally,” says Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne.

The new Driving Licences Directive entered into force on 25 November 2025, together with the amended driving disqualifications rules. The purpose of the new legislation is to improve road safety. The updated provisions include rules on novice drivers. From now on, driving disqualifications imposed for the most serious road traffic offences in any EU Member State will also be recognised across the entire EU.

Driving Licences Directive regulates on novice drivers

Under the new Directive, 17-year-olds can now be issued with an EU driving licence for the passenger car category. In accordance with the new accompanied driving model, 17-year-old drivers must be accompanied, up to the age of 18, by an experienced driver. Finland currently applies a procedure allowing for an age-based exception so that a 17-year-old may be granted the right to obtain a driving licence for the passenger car category. Such an exception may be granted based on a young person’s transport needs to attend school or hobbies, for instance, and the licence is valid for driving a passenger car exclusively in Finland. The new Driving Licences Directive allows to either maintain the age-based exception in parallel with the accompanied driving model, or to abandon it.

Introduction of the digital or mobile driving licence is a new requirement. The digital driving licence, to be used on mobile devices such as mobile phones, will gradually be introduced as the main driving licence format all over the EU.

The provisions on driving examinations have also been amended. From now on, candidates for a driving licence will have to demonstrate, among other things, that they are aware of risks associated with blind spots and know how to use driver assistance systems. Moreover, a probationary period of a minimum of two years will be applied to novice drivers. During this period, drivers will be subject to stricter rules for driving under the influence of alcohol, for example.

Driving disqualifications imposed for the most serious road traffic offences in any Member State will be extended to apply in the entire EU. These include drink-driving, fatal traffic accidents, and gross speeding.

The new EU legislation also introduces changes to the provisions on medical fitness for driving, exchange of driving licences issued by third countries and extension of the right to drive certain categories of heavy vehicles.

More extensive scrutiny of Driving Licence Act

In parallel with the national transposition of the new EU legislation, the Finnish legislative project will also assess other needs for amending the current Driving Licence Act, with a view to improving road safety and updating the Act accordingly.

Consideration will be given to issues such as amendments to national provisions on driving disqualifications and changes to drink-driving limits, and whether the age-based exception procedure regarding driving licences for 17-year-olds will be continued.

Ongoing road safety work

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is preparing amendments to the Driving Licence Act with the aim of improving road safety for young drivers in particular. Circulated for comments until 14 December 2025, the proposal includes stricter conditions regarding age-based exceptions for granting driving licences to 17-year-olds for passenger cars.

In December 2025, the Ministry launched a project to update the National Transport Safety Strategy. The Strategy is driven by the vision that, by 2050, all modes of transport are so safe that no one will die or be seriously injured in traffic. Improving transport safety is also one of the objectives of the National Transport System Plan, known as the Transport 12 Plan.

Next steps

The intended date for the entry into force of the amendments to the Driving Licence Act is autumn 2028. Stakeholders will be invited to comment on the draft government proposal no later than early 2028.

Inquiries:

Saara Louko, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 342 048, [email protected] 

Monika Mutanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 342 204, [email protected]