No license for 7 months...new test?

Dub12Dave

Hi there I haven't driven in over a year and now I am needing a car for driving at the weekends mostly, football matches, clubs with the kids etc, I found my license and it has expired, it is out of date since October 2012 so will I have to do a new driving test or is it just a case of renewing?
And if I can renew is there a way I can actually drive before I get the license as there seems to be some sort of ridiculous waiting time on a new one, Thanks for any advice.

MugMugs

You've got ten years to renew. At the moment you haven't got a licence so the Gardai may take issue if stopped. It would effect insurance though as you're not prohibited from holding one

mgbgt1978

C'mon Dave, just google it........you're OK for another 9 and a 1/2 years:)

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Licensed-Drivers/Driving-licence/About-your-license/

djimi

Dub12Dave wrote: »

And if I can renew is there a way I can actually drive before I get the license as there seems to be some sort of ridiculous waiting time on a new one, Thanks for any advice.

A receipt from the tax office to say that you have sent in the application would normally be sufficient if you were stopped. I cant say for definite that you wont meet a bollox who is the exception to the rule, but it wouldnt stop me from driving!

Dub12Dave

Thanks Lads, I should have made that a single question as I knew about the renewal part it was the second part I just wanted to know about, so unless I get stopped by a right c**t I should be ok to drive as long as I have proof of renewal , as I said I wont be driving that much so hopefully I will be fine, Thanks again.

mgbgt1978

To be honest, if you carry a renewal receipt (and your old licence) and everything else is current....tax, insurance, NCT, then it really isn't worth any guard's time taking you to court for an expired licence.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

To be honest, if you carry a renewal receipt (and your old licence) and everything else is current....tax, insurance, NCT, then it really isn't worth any guard's time taking you to court for an expired licence.

Not possible has to be handed in to get a new one

mgbgt1978

Jamie Stocky Palm wrote: »

Not possible has to be handed in to get a new one

Not if you lost it ....and kept a record of the licence number to save them the bother of looking it up on their system.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/driver_licensing/replacing_a_lost_or_stolen_irish_driving_licence.html?printpreview=1

....and then you could find it after applying for your new licence.

A2LUE42

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Not if you lost it ....and kept a record of the licence number to save them the bother of looking it up on their system.

Same situation if you were getting a new one in time and sent off a current one. It isn`t possible to have valid one with you if you sent it off with application for new one.

Del2005

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Not if you lost it ....and kept a record of the licence number to save them the bother of looking it up on their system.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/driver_licensing/replacing_a_lost_or_stolen_irish_driving_licence.html?printpreview=1

....and then you could find it after applying for your new licence.

That's fraud. If they are carrying a renewal receipt and a licence it'd look more suspicious than having an out of date one or the receipt.

Wheelnut

I'd be more worried about insurance. I've just renewed an Aviva policy and it's a condition that the driver must hold an EU licence.

qhe0i9zvfgdou8

Wheelnut wrote: »

I'd be more worried about insurance. I've just renewed an Aviva policy and it's a condition that the driver must hold an EU licence.

Obviously cant be sure about your policy but any I've ever had over the years said something along the lines of ' provided the driver holds a licence or having held one is not disqualified from holding one' in other words an out of date licence doesn't affect your insurance cover. Thats my take on it anyhow.

djimi

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Not if you lost it ....and kept a record of the licence number to save them the bother of looking it up on their system.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/driver_licensing/replacing_a_lost_or_stolen_irish_driving_licence.html?printpreview=1

....and then you could find it after applying for your new licence.

You'd be better off not carrying around the licence that shows that it has been expired for 7 months. The receipt you get won't say that; as far as a Garda will know you have handed in a valid licence for a routine renewal.

Layinghen

Regarding insurance the wording is along the lines of must hold an EU licence or having held one must not be prohibited from holding one. Meaning if your reason for not having a current licence is not due to you being banned your insurance cover will still operate.

ABajaninCork

OP - When taking out insurance, the insurer will ask for a copy of your licence. Are you still with the same insurer? If so, then you should be OK, pending return of the new licence.

If not? You'll still be insured, but the insurance co. might not release the disc until proof of licence is received. Which in turn will bring its own problems should you be stopped by the Gards...

It happened to me, as the insurance would not release the disc until they'd seen my husband's licence which had not yet been issued due to processing delays. I had to kick up a stink to get it.

Scortho

Not the same but similar.
The day I passed my test, I didn't have a full licence and couldn't get to the tax office to get a new licence as tax office would be closed when I'd get there.
Thankfully there was a guard at the test centre (some chap having a hissy fit because he wasn't allowed to do his test due to no tax or nct!) so I asked him was it ok to drive on my own now that I had my test and provisional but no full physical licence.
He told me that it'd be fine, so long as I had the provisional, the test cert and applied for a new licence ASAP.
He gave me his name and unit as well just in case.
Anyway that night I got pulled by Garda and asked for licence. Explained situation to them and showed them x, y and z. Tax etc were in order so they waved me on.
Is it 100% legal. Probably not. Will you get done. Possibly but probably not.
Best bet would be go and have a chat with local seargent or super.

RidleyRider

Del2005 wrote: »

That's fraud. If they are carrying a renewal receipt and a licence it'd look more suspicious than having an out of date one or the receipt.

Have a photocopy just to say you have applied and licence number to hand.

Wheelnut

Jamie Stocky Palm wrote: »

Obviously cant be sure about your policy but any I've ever had over the years said something along the lines of ' provided the driver holds a licence or having held one is not disqualified from holding one'

Yes, My Aviva insurance cert for last year had that wording. My renewal documents for the coming year have just arrived and and contain the following under Endorsements (Special Conditions):
"PC1: Driver qualification (full EU licence) - All drivers must hold a full EU licence"
It may be different on the actual certificate when it arrives or it may be that the companies are tightening up, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on!

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Joe 90

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

That wording has beeen there as long as I can remember. I have always assumed that it is there to protect the state.

djimi

Wheelnut wrote: »

Yes, My Aviva insurance cert for last year had that wording. My renewal documents for the coming year have just arrived and and contain the following under Endorsements (Special Conditions):
"PC1: Driver qualification (full EU licence) - All drivers must hold a full EU licence"
It may be different on the actual certificate when it arrives or it may be that the companies are tightening up, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on!

Do you have open driving on your policy? Sounds rather like what that is referring to.

mgbgt1978

Del2005 wrote: »

That's fraud. If they are carrying a renewal receipt and a licence it'd look more suspicious than having an out of date one or the receipt.

It might not be totally legal (unless you did actually lose your licence & then find it after applying for the new one) but who exactly would you be defrauding ???
Fraud would only apply where you obtain something by pretence, as the OP is fully entitled to a new licence then there is no pretence involved in obtaining the replacement.

Del2005

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

It might not be totally legal (unless you did actually lose your licence & then find it after applying for the new one) but who exactly would you be defrauding ???
Fraud would only apply where you obtain something by pretence, as the OP is fully entitled to a new licence then there is no pretence involved in obtaining the replacement.

Same as when you get a Garda to witness your signature when declaring your car off the road, you are making a declaration that you lost your license. The declaration is a legal document, If you find it you are supposed to hand it in. The fact that it's highly unlikely that anything will happen doesn't make it legal.

mgbgt1978

Still not Fraud though.........who's being defrauded ???

I also did say that it was probably not totally legal.

Wheelnut

Jamie Stocky Palm wrote: »

Obviously cant be sure about your policy but any I've ever had over the years said something along the lines of ' provided the driver holds a licence or having held one is not disqualified from holding one' ...

Wheelnut wrote: »

... My renewal documents for the coming year have just arrived and and contain the following under Endorsements (Special Conditions):
"PC1: Driver qualification (full EU licence) - All drivers must hold a full EU licence"

Just to clear up this point, my new cert arrived today and the wording is along the lines quoted by Jamie Stocky Palm. I don't know why my renewal notice had had the stricter condition that I quoted but it definitely was there.