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Driver Licences

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 March 2021

Thursday, 4 March 2021

Questions (15)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

15. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Transport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that those looking to renew their driver licence are experiencing difficulties in doing so online; and the options available to those without public services cards to renew their licence given that they cannot do so in person (details supplied). [12204/21]

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Written answers

A further extension to the expiry dates of driving licences has been introduced in response to the continued disruption caused by Covid-19 to driver licensing services in Ireland and across the EU. The extension will apply to different groups of licence holders including those who benefited from extensions in 2020.

The change will apply as follows-

- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed, and whose licence expired between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020 will have a new expiry date of 1 July 2021.

- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed, and whose licence expired between 1 June 2020 and 31 August 2020 will have thirteen months (which includes the previous extension) added to their expiry date. By way of example a licence which expired on 31 August 2020 will have a new expiry date of 30 September 2021.

- Any licence holder, who has not already renewed and whose licence expiry date is between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021 will have an extra ten months added to their expiry date. By way of example a licence which expires on 30 June 2021 will have a new expiry date of 30 April 2022.

To renew a driving licence, an applicant is required to present photographic ID, evidence of PPSN, evidence of address and evidence of residency entitlement. When the applicant applies in person at a National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) office, the required documentation can be examined and a face to face verification can be made.

When applying online, the same information is required and the challenge of verifying a person’s identity is more difficult than when someone presents in person at an NDLS office. A verified MyGovID account, which requires a Public Service Card (PSC), satisfies this requirement.

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