All you need to know about driver’s licences in Ireland

You may not know this, but there are 15 different types of driving licences and learner permits to choose from when driving in Ireland. What you probably do know is that you will need the appropriate driver’s licence before you can embrace the open road.

The regulations for each of the 15 licences are unique and cover a range of different types of vehicles. Some of the rules related to driving licences in Ireland are straightforward, while other regulations are a little more obscure in nature, but they all exist for good reason. If you plan on driving in Ireland, you need to make sure that you familiarise yourself with the driving licence that is most relevant to you as you will be required to carry it with you at all times while on the road.

Regardless of whether you plan on driving in Ireland for work or pleasure, you need to make sure that you have the correct driving licence in your possession. Failure to have the correct driving licence is a serious offence, and one that could result in a fine, penalty points or both.

There a number of factors that will affect your ability to drive legally in Ireland, the most important of which may be your nationality or the country that issued your license (if you do not yet have an Irish license). With that in mind, here are some important points for/EEA (EU member states plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and non-EEA drivers to keep in mind.

For EEA drivers:

If you are from an EEA state, then you may drive in Ireland with your full, valid licence. You can also exchange your driver’s licence for an Irish licence, provided it is within a 10-year period of the expiration of your licence.

For non-EEA drivers:

If you are coming to Ireland from a non-EEA country, then you can drive for up to one year in Ireland using your current, valid driver’s licence. Upon taking up ‘normal residence’ (that is, when you have lived in Ireland for at least 185 days in the calendar year), you must either exchange your driver’s licence or apply for a new one from the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS).

How to exchange a driver’s licence in Ireland

Whether you are a citizen of an EEA country or not, it may make sense to exchange your domestic driver’s licence for an Irish one. To do this, you must submit a D401 Driving Licence form with your most recent driver’s licence. You will be charged an application fee of €55 for this service.

One important point to note about driving licence exchange in Ireland is that if you wish to drive a vehicle with a manual transmission in Ireland, then you will need to be able to prove that you passed the test in such a vehicle, otherwise you will be confined to one with an automatic transmission.

Once this is done, you will need to make sure that you provide the following documents to complete the driving licence exchange process:

• Photographic identification (passport, national identity card)
• Personal Public Service (PPS) number and your most recent address
• Evidence of residency entitlement
• A completed  NDLS eyesight report form, dated within one month of your application
• A completed  NDLS medical report form, dated within one month of your application
• Finally, if you plan to drive buses or trucks, you will also need to provide a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).
  

If you don’t have your most recent licence with you, you need to present an original letter of entitlement or a driver statement from your national driving licence authority, and you must declare it lost or stolen in the presence of a member of An Garda Siochana (Ireland’s national police service). All letters of entitlement must be submitted with an official translation if they are not in English.

If you are returning to Ireland as an Irish citizen and want to exchange a non-Irish licence for an Irish driver’s licence, you can do so provided you are returning from a recognised state. Be sure to do this within a year of returning, with a letter of entitlement, or you will be required to apply again from starting from scratch.

The recognised states that Ireland has a reciprocal licensing arrangement with are:

• Australia
• Canada (only if you were resident of and hold a licence issued by Ontario, Manitoba, Newfoundland & Labrador, or British Columbia)
• Gibraltar
• Guernsey (GB)
• Isle Of Man (GB)
• Japan
• Jersey (GB)
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Switzerland
• New Zealand
• Taiwan

Finally, the unfortunate fact of the matter is that if you are arriving from a country with whom Ireland does not have a pre-established agreement, your process will be more complicated and will, in all likelihood, result in you having to obtain an Irish driving license through the full driver license procedure.

How to obtain an Irish driver’s licence

If your stay in Ireland will exceed 12 months, and you are not from an EEA country, then you may need to consider applying for an Irish driver’s licence. However, to do so, you will need to go through the full driver licensing procedure. There is no doubt that this is a more time-consuming and costly process than merely exchanging your license, but if you plan on making Ireland your home for the long-term, it is a small price to play for obtaining the right to drive on Irish roads.

The steps that you need to complete for this process are as follows:

• Apply for and pass the driver theory test.
• Apply for a learner permit.
• Complete the Essential Driver Training (EDT), made up of 12 one-hour lessons with an approved driving instructor (ADI). It should be noted that as of January 21, 2019, people with a full but non-exchangable licence will now be able to take the driving test after a reduced programme of six rather than 12 EDT lessons. 
• Sit and pass your practical driving test in Ireland.
• When you pass your practical exam, you may apply for your full licence.

All you need to know about the Irish Learner Permit

Once you have passed your driver theory test, the next step is to apply for a first time Learner Permit. One important point to remember is that once you obtain an Irish Learner Permit, this will take precedence over your full foreign driving licence and you will have to abide by the rules for learner drivers.

In Ireland, you must hold a Learner Permit for at least six months before applying to sit your test; the test is a prerequisite step towards obtaining a full license. However, if you have held a current, full driving licence for more than six months (in the same category), you are exempt from the requirement to hold a Learner Permit before sitting the test. You must still complete your EDT, present your current driving licence, and provide a letter of entitlement from your hometown licensing authority. The minimum age for learning to drive a car in Ireland is 17, and you can book your theory test online here.

Finally, if you want more information on any aspect of the Irish driving test or licensing process, then a quick visit to the three following websites is a great place to start:

1. The Rules Of The Road
2. The National Driving Licence Service
3. Road Safety Authority

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Other frequently asked questions about Irish driving Llicences

As well as the topics covered above, there are many other intricacies that need to be considered when it comes to driving licenses in Ireland. Some of the questions that we receive most frequently are detailed below. We trust that the answers provided will help you make the transition to Irish motoring all the easier.

My learner permit is about to expire, how can I renew it?

This is a very good question and one that applies to a significant number of new motorists in Ireland. The answer to this question is simple. If your learner permit is about to expire in the next three months or has expired in the last five years, and you have yet to pass the full licence driving test, then you need to complete a Learner Permit Application Form to obtain a new permit. The Learner Permit Application Form is also useful for those who want to replace a lost, stolen or damaged permit. It is also helpful for drivers who wish to change the personal details on their permit.

I’m a truck driver; do I need a medical report to drive in Ireland?

The quick answer to this question is yes. Any person who wishes to drive a truck in Ireland must complete a D501 medical report before they can take to the roads with a larger vehicle. This applies to both learner permits and full driving licenses. As well as those driving larger vehicles, the D501 medical report is obligatory for drivers with certain pre-existing medical conditions, particularly those with eye-related issues, and it is also mandatory for motorists aged over 70.

What documents do I need to fulfil the residency requirement for my driving licence? The first point to remember when it comes to proving residency for the purposes of a driving licence is that you have to be able to prove that you have lived in Ireland for 185 days of each calendar year. An exception is granted to Irish residents that are working or studying abroad but have family in Ireland and can prove that they return to the country regularly. Documents that are accepted as evidence of residency entitlement include:

• Irish long-form birth certificates.
• Current passports and national identity cards from a range of countries you can view here.
• Irish Certificate of Naturalisation and current Certificate of Registration (GNIB) cards for persons resident in Ireland who are not EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.

Is the minimum age requirement for all learner permits the same? No, the age requirements for learner permit applicants is vehicle-dependent. So, if you or a family member wants to drive a car then they will have to wait until they are 17 to do so. However, if you are content with a small motorcycle, moped or tractor, then it is possible to do so at 16. Larger motorcycles, small trucks and large vans all stipulate that you must be 18.

I want to make sure that my car is in roadworthy condition for my upcoming driving test, what should I focus on? In order to be able to take the practical driving test, you need to make sure that your vehicle is in roadworthy condition. This means that your vehicle must meet the following criteria:

• Lights, brakes, seatbelts, indicators and handbrakes in your vehicle need to be in full working condition.
• The tyres on your car, truck or bus must have a tread depth of at least 1.6mm, while a motorbike must have an equivalent treat depth of 1mm.
• If you are driving a car, truck or bus, then you need to make sure that your learner (L) plates are clear and visible. If you are doing the motorcycle test, then a high-vis tabard with L plates is required.
• The vehicle must be a ‘representative’ vehicle for the category of test you are taking. So, if you are taking the car test, don’t turn up with a minibus!