Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
107. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Transport the steps his Department is taking to ensure that returning Irish emigrants who have exchanged their Irish driving licence for a foreign one do not face excessive delays in getting their Irish driving licence back. [14881/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish thank the Deputy for raising this matter.
The Road Safety Authority, through the National Driver Licence Service, is responsible for driver licensing in Ireland, including the driving licence exchange process.
The average processing time for licence exchange applications is 30 working days. However, the length of time taken to complete a licence exchange may vary for a number of reasons. For example, the driver may need to submit outstanding information, such as a medical or eyesight report, or the physical licence itself in the case of an online application.
The most common reason for delays in exchanging a licence is the verification process. In the exchange of a non-EU licence for an Irish licence, the applicant's driving entitlements must be verified by the authority that issued the non-EU licence. Accordingly, the time taken for verification is dependent on the response time from the other licensing authority.
Vigilance is needed when processing a licence exchange application, to ensure a fraudulent document has not been submitted and to ensure a driving test was passed in the country in which the licence was obtained.
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. Road safety and keeping Irish roads safe for all road users remains the first priority in this matter.
