Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 January 2010
497 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport his plans to work with the United States authorities to apply mutual recognition to full drivers licences between our respective states; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48347/09]
View answerIrish driver licence rules operate within the framework of an EU wide licensing system. The criteria used by Ireland to recognise licences from countries outside the EU including the United States are the testing and licensing regimes in place in those countries, and whether they meet the requirements of the EU Directive on driver licences. Driver testing and licensing in the United States vary between different states and not all of the states meet the EU requirements. In these circumstances driving licences issued in the United States are not considered as acceptable for mutual recognition in Ireland and there are currently no plans to amend this.
