Minister for Transport Eamonn Ryan has signed an agreement with the United Kingdom that will allow the holders of UK licences resident here to exchange them for an Irish licence.
The mechanism that has allowed for the recognition and exchange of UK licences for an Irish one expired on December 31, 2020. The agreement signed by Minister Ryan means persons resident in Ireland with a UK licence will be able to continue to swap their licences for Irish licences. It will also allow anyone who has not exchanged their UK licence in time, before the December 31 deadline, to exchange it under this new agreement.
However, for anyone in this situation who did not exchange their UK licence by the deadline, their UK licence will no longer be valid to drive here in Ireland, it is only valid for exchange purposes.
This change only applies to holders of a UK licence who are resident in Ireland. It does not affect persons living in Northern Ireland or Great Britain who are visiting or driving in Ireland.
All holders of an Irish licence driving in the UK, whether they are UK residents or visiting there, do not need to take any action, as the UK has agreed that all licences held by a driver from any EU member state continues to be valid for driving in the UK.
Anyone resident here who is the holder of a UK licence, or anyone who intends to move to Ireland as their normal place of residence, can exchange their UK driving licence for an Irish licence by visiting www.ndls.ie
