An applicant is required to present photographic ID and evidence of PPSN, address and residency entitlement when applying for a driving licence or learner permit. Applications may be made in person at an NDLS office, where the required documents are examined and a face-to-face verification is made.
A public services card (PSC) is not required for an application made in an NDLS office. It may be used to establish identity but it is not mandatory and an applicant has several options for verifying their identity. For online applications, the same information is required but verifying a person’s identity is more difficult. Accordingly, a MyGovID account, which requires a PSC, satisfies this requirement.
Legal proceedings, in which the Department of Social Protection appealed an enforcement notice from the Data Protection Commission on processing of personal data for PSCs, were resolved in 2021. The agreement acknowledged that other public bodies specified in social welfare legislation may use the PSC for verifying the identity of the people they deal with, provided that they also accept other methods of authenticating identity. The Road Safety Authority is a specified body for the use of a PSC under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended by the Social Welfare and Pensions (No. 2) Act 2009).
The agreement also accepted that the Department of Social Protection and other specified bodies can continue to use MyGovID as the sole means of authenticating identity for the purpose of accessing online services, provided that an alternative service provision channel is made available.
