The Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415 of 2017), provide the legal basis under which proof of identification is required by an NCT test centre when a vehicle is presented for roadworthiness testing. The Regulations permit a test centre to withhold a vehicle’s test certificate until identification has been produced. The Data Protection Commissioner has deemed a driving licence to be the most appropriate form of identification for this purpose, as a driver is required to produce a driving licence when operating a vehicle in a public place.
The Regulations also permit the details from the identification to be recorded by a test centre. The data recorded is held for 12 months and then deleted. As the Data Protection Commissioner would not permit recording and retention of passport details, the use of a passport for identification was discontinued. If a driving license cannot be produced at the test centre, a Public Services Card may be used.