Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
191. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Transport the criteria applied by his Department with regard to the reciprocal recognition of international driving licences; the reason Ireland does not recognise driving licences from Bermuda; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55820/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIrish driver licensing law operates within a framework of EU law. It is important to remember that driver licensing law exists to ensure that people licensed to drive on our roads meet high standards of safety. The standards for testing drivers are set at EU level.
All EU driving licences are exchangeable when a person moves from one Member State to another. For non-EU jurisdictions, we may make bilateral agreements on licence exchange. They can be made only when the relevant authorities in each jurisdiction have studied and compared the two licensing regimes, so that each side can be satisfied that they are compatible. On the Irish side, this task is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
Ireland does not have a licence exchange agreement with Bermuda and therefore cannot recognise licences from Bermuda for exchange purposes.
When people come to Ireland with a non-exchange licence, we have no option but to require them to go through the process of obtaining an Irish licence. This is a matter of public safety. While many may have a safe driving record, we have no way of measuring this.
At present, people with a full but non-exchange licence go through the normal driver learning process. However, they must complete 6 Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons instead of the usual 12 and they do not have to be a learner for the usual minimum of 6 months before taking a driving test.
