Cathy Bennett
Question:132. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on efforts to secure increased mutual recognition of driving licences. [2875/26]
View answerThursday, 15 January 2026
Questions (132)
Written answers
As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports I wish to advise that Licence exchange agreements (LEA’s) are in place with 21 countries/regions outside the EU and the programme continues to expand.
Irish driver licensing operates within a framework of EU law - the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply. The standards for testing drivers are set at EU level. All EU driving licences are exchangeable when a person moves from one Member State to another.
To drive in Ireland, someone who is resident must hold an Irish or EU/EEA licence. A visitor to Ireland can drive on a driving licence from any state outside of the EU/EEA for up to one year provided the driving licence is current and valid. However, upon taking up normal residence in Ireland, the driver must exchange the licence or apply for a licence in Ireland.
A driving licence may be exchanged where Ireland has a reciprocal licence exchange agreement with the other jurisdiction. Ireland may make bilateral licence exchange agreements with non-EU jurisdictions. This is a technical, road safety-based process and reaching an exchange agreement is not a matter of political will. Agreements can be made only when both licencing authorities have compared licencing regimes and are satisfied that they are compatible.
For Ireland, this is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA). In reaching an agreement, the most important element is ensuring that the other jurisdiction applies standards for obtaining a licence which are compatible with our own. Where they do not meet these standards, no agreement is possible, no matter how desirable an agreement with that jurisdiction may be.
In considering licence exchange agreements, Ireland has, to date, given priority to countries that may be a source of professional drivers, in light of the shortages across the EU in that sector. In this regard, the RSA is engaging with relevant licencing authorities in Moldova and North Macedonia.
In addition, the Programme for Government commits to “Work to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the USA, Australia and Canada”. Ireland already has agreements with Australia and seven of the ten Canadian provinces and is completing a technical review for an eighth province (Nova Scotia).
Ireland does not have any LEAs with US states. In the US, driver licensing is run at state, not federal, level. Individual US states will need to be considered in the context of US licensing arrangements. The Department of Transport alongside the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), have identified US states with large Irish-born populations to be examined first. Three states New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts have been chosen for initial consideration.
The RSA is currently engaging with the Department of Motor Vehicles in New York to complete a technical review and has also contacted the licensing authorities in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Once the RSA's reviews of these three states have been completed and its recommendations have been reviewed, other US states may also be considered as candidates for exchange. As always, the road safety of Irish road users will be paramount when those decisions are made.
Where a licence exchange agreement is not in place, a person with a full but non-exchangeable licence must go through the normal driver learning process, but they can still avail of shorter Essential Driver Training (EDT) of 6 lessons, instead of the usual 12, and they do not have to be a learner for the usual minimum of 6 months before taking a driving test.
It must be re-iterated that it is not simply a matter of political will to make a Licence Exchange Agreement happen. The technical assessment is an independent process, that requires adherence to EU standards and the agreement of the counter party jurisdiction too. LEA’s must be reciprocal.
Ireland’s road toll has been rising in recent years. It is imperative, for the safety of all Irish road users, that people who are awarded Irish driving licences have been tested to the same standard as Irish drivers.
The recently published Driving Licence Directive, (EU) 2025/2205, allows the European Commission to enter into EU-wide LEAs on behalf of member states. This process is expected to commence by 2029 and will provide an alternative pathway to pursuing bilateral agreements with individual member states.
A driving licence issued in the following countries can be exchanged in Ireland without the requirement to sit a driving test where a person has taken up residence in Ireland.
Ireland has licence agreement with 21 non-EU jurisdictions:
Ø Australia*
Ø Canada, Alberta Province* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Canada, British Columbia Province* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Canada, Manitoba Province* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Canada, New Brunswick Province* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Canada, Ontario Province* (Cars only)
Ø Canada, Saskatchewan State* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Georgia
Ø Gibraltar
Ø Guernsey
Ø Isle Of Man
Ø Japan
Ø Jersey
Ø New Zealand* (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø Northern Ireland
Ø Republic of Korea
Ø South Africa
Ø Switzerland
Ø Taiwan (Cars & motorbikes only)
Ø United Kingdom
* Restricted to automatic transmission unless they can prove they were tested in manual.
Ireland is currently exploring entering into licence exchange agreements with the following jurisdictions:
Ø Moldova
Ø North Macedonia
Ø Nova Scotia
Ø New York
Ø New Jersey
Ø Massachusetts