Under Covid19 Level 5 Government restrictions effective from midnight on Wednesday 21 October, for six weeks, applicants can attend an appointment at a National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) centre provided they are an essential worker involved in the provision of essential services or essential retail outlets. Details on what is included in the list of essential workers and retail outlets is available on www.gov.ie.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is continuing work to expand the online facility to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit application types to enable accessibility on-line rather than by calling to an office. The NDLS hopes to allow all application types to apply online by mid-November.
There is no plan to further extend the validity of driving licences. Irish driving licence law is based on a framework of EU law, and the current extensions bring us into line with the EU legislation.