Irish driving licence for non-national resident

ballooba

I read on the following site that non-nationals are supposed to get Irish licences within 12 months of becoming ordinarily resident. Is this what happens in practice? Also, can non-national drivers accrue points?
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/driver_licensing/exchanging_foreign_driving_permit.html

dr.fuzzenstein

Non nationals with another EU licence do not have to replace them and cannot be penalised by the insurance companies.
Some insurance company wanted to penalise me to the tune of 25% for having a German licence, call to the ombudsman sorted that.
Still have my German licence, been driving on it here since 1994 and never had any hassle with it.
If I do something that warrants points, they will show up on the national database, but won't be applied to my licence.
What will happen if I hit 12+ points? No idea, don't have any points.

ballooba

It says within 12 months of becoming resident. To be ordinarily resident you need to reside here for more than 185 days in a year. This would seem like non-nationals have at least 18 months from arrival to get an Irish licence. Unless intent forms part of the ordinarily resident requirement.

If you are driving on a foreign driving licence in Ireland and acquire penalty points here, you will receive the normal statutory fine but the penalty points will not be added to your foreign driving licence. If you subsequently exchange your foreign driving licence for an Irish driving licence, your Irish penalty points will then be activated on your new Irish driving licence.

This seems like the authorities have gotten more clever. I wonder how this plays out in practice though. Do they start a driver file with your foreign licence and update it with your Irish license number once you switch?

dr.fuzzenstein

OSI wrote: »

Pretty sure that only applies up until the licence is due for renewal, at which point you need to swap it for an Irish one, although I think the German only expires when you're 70 or something.

Mine just says "Gueltigkeit unbefristet", which means "valid indefinitely", so it actually never expires.
This is a disadvantage in as much as a German will have to give up his licence voluntarily, which can lead to problems with elderly drivers who really are not capable anymore, like my dad, who only by some miracle hasn't killed anyone yet. (He's lives in Germany in case you're worried about meeting him on the road)

corktina

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Non nationals with another EU licence do not have to replace them and cannot be penalised by the insurance companies.
Some insurance company wanted to penalise me to the tune of 25% for having a German licence, call to the ombudsman sorted that.
Still have my German licence, been driving on it here since 1994 and never had any hassle with it.
If I do something that warrants points, they will show up on the national database, but won't be applied to my licence.
What will happen if I hit 12+ points? No idea, don't have any points.

presumably should you hit 12 points on a "ghost license" you would be banned from driving in Ireland, although not in Germany.

hi5

I've been driving on a UK driving licence for the last 10 years no problems.
I just got hit for 80 euros and my first 2 points.
I paid at the post office and ticked the non-Irish licence box on the form and gave the seriel number from my UK licence.
On the form it does not ask which country your licence is from, the lady behind the counter did not ask to see it.
So the way I see it is if you change cars and change address they cannot trace you.
They could match your name with the number, but any number of people could have the same name.
Also in the mean time you could change your Uk licence for a German or other EU licence and then change that to an Irish one,so all traceability would be lost.

ballooba

I'm reading various articles regarding this and it seems like it's an 'exchange of licence'. Does that mean that the non-national must surrender their overseas licence? I had two overseas licences while in Australia (NSW and QLD) and neither state took my Irish licence off me.

dr.fuzzenstein

corktina wrote: »

presumably should you hit 12 points on a "ghost license" you would be banned from driving in Ireland, although not in Germany.

That really seems to make the most sense until they figure out a pan-European system for points and bans, which I am all in favor of.

CiniO

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

That really seems to make the most sense until they figure out a pan-European system for points and bans, which I am all in favor of.

I doubt that could be that case.
Even if you gather 20 points on your ghost licence in Ireland, I recokon they can't ban you from driving, unless you swap you licence for Irish licence.

And re pan-European system from points and bans, let it be, but first should they sort out all idiocy with pan-EU car registrations, insurance, requirements, etc..
Someone resident in EU country should be able to move to other country without any hassle and take his car with him, without a need to re-register, rerinsure, retest, etc....

dr.fuzzenstein

CiniO wrote: »

I doubt that could be that case.
Even if you gather 20 points on your ghost licence in Ireland, I recokon they can't ban you from driving, unless you swap you licence for Irish licence.

And re pan-European system from points and bans, let it be, but first should they sort out all idiocy with pan-EU car registrations, insurance, requirements, etc..
Someone resident in EU country should be able to move to other country without any hassle and take his car with him, without a need to re-register, rerinsure, retest, etc....

Amen to that, brother!

Bohrio

CiniO wrote: »

I doubt that could be that case.
Even if you gather 20 points on your ghost licence in Ireland, I recokon they can't ban you from driving, unless you swap you licence for Irish licence.

And re pan-European system from points and bans, let it be, but first should they sort out all idiocy with pan-EU car registrations, insurance, requirements, etc..
Someone resident in EU country should be able to move to other country without any hassle and take his car with him, without a need to re-register, rerinsure, retest, etc....

Plus one... A dream come true!

I actually have both licenses. I swapped my old spanish license by a new Irish one. Then a few days later my mom rang me to say a new credit card shape driver license just came in the post (Spanish), so now I have them both, the smaller new type Spanish license and the typical Irish one...

Marcusm

CiniO wrote: »

I doubt that could be that case.
Even if you gather 20 points on your ghost licence in Ireland, I recokon they can't ban you from driving, unless you swap you licence for Irish licence.

And re pan-European system from points and bans, let it be, but first should they sort out all idiocy with pan-EU car registrations, insurance, requirements, etc..
Someone resident in EU country should be able to move to other country without any hassle and take his car with him, without a need to re-register, rerinsure, retest, etc....

Technically, since 1991, any member state has been authorised to compulsorily exchange the licence issued by anther member state for the purposes of banning the holder thereof. Not sure that anyone as implemented it, however. Ireland and the UK have subsequently enacted mutual recognitions of bans such that an Irish licence holder banned in te UK is subject to a ban down here. We adan extensive thread on it 6 months or so ago although in the end, the boardsie concerned was not banned (speeding in the north or something like that was the thread title).

slimjimmc

Marcusm wrote: »

Technically, since 1991, any member state has been authorised to compulsorily exchange the licence issued by anther member state for the purposes of banning the holder thereof. Not sure that anyone as implemented it, however. Ireland and the UK have subsequently enacted mutual recognitions of bans such that an Irish licence holder banned in te UK is subject to a ban down here. We adan extensive thread on it 6 months or so ago although in the end, the boardsie concerned was not banned (speeding in the north or something like that was the thread title).

And afaik only disqualifications as a direct result of a conviction in court are recognised; bans due to penalty points are not mutually recognised.