Minister Ryan signs agreement with UK on exchange of driving licences

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has signed an agreement with the UK that will allow for the exchange of UK driving licences for an Irish licence, for holders of UK licences that are resident here.

At the end of the transition period at 11:00pm tonight (Thursday, December 31) the mechanism that has allowed for the recognition and exchange of UK licences for an Irish one will expire.

The agreement signed by Minister Ryan means that persons resident in Ireland with a UK licence will be able to continue to swap their licences for Irish licences.

This agreement will be of particular benefit to anyone planning to live in Ireland as it will allow them to exchange their UK licence for an Irish driving licence.

It will also allow anyone who has not exchanged their UK licence in time, before the deadline of 11:00pm tonight, to exchange it under this new agreement.

However, for anyone in this situation who didn’t 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. It is imperative that it be exchanged immediately, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said.

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.