James Lawless
Question:289. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Transport if an Australian driving licence is valid for use in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17098/23]
View answerTuesday, 18 April 2023
Questions (289)
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Under the Convention on Road Traffic 1949 (Geneva Convention), visitors from contracting states with a valid driving licence may drive on each other’s roads for up to a year as a visitor. Australia is a contracting state of the Convention.
Only visitors may avail of the Geneva Convention provisions. A person who is resident in Ireland must have an Irish or EU driving licence to drive here. Ireland has licence exchange agreements with a number of non-EU countries and, in general, people resident in Ireland with licences from those countries may exchange them for an Irish licence.
An Australian driving licence is recognised for exchange in Ireland. A holder of an Australian driving licence can apply to the National Driver Licence Service to exchange their licence for an Irish one. Details can be found on www.ndls.ie/licensed-driver/exchange-my-foreign-driving-licence.html.