Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
314. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport his views on the absence of reciprocal driving licensing agreements between Ireland, America and Canada (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70877/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise that Ireland already has licence exchange agreements in place with 7 of the 10 Canadian provinces, with the technical assessment for an agreement under way at present with Nova Scotia.
Ireland does not currently have agreements with any US state. In line with Programme for Government commitments regarding the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, the Department is exploring options for individual US states, as US driver licensing is regulated at state, not federal, level.
The technical assessment to prepare for a possible agreement is done by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and its counterpart licencing authority. Owing to the technical nature of the review process, the RSA can only conduct a limited number of reviews at any one time. In light of this, the Department has, with the Department of Foreign Affairs, identified states with large Irish-born populations. Three states, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, have been chosen as the initial states for consideration, due to the size of their Irish-born populations.a
New York is the first state for consideration, as it has the highest Irish-born population, and the RSA is engaging with the Department of Motor Vehicles in a review process. The RSA has also contacted the licensing authorities in New Jersey and Massachusetts.
