Irish driving licence replacement

Kev_2012

Hi all,

I have my full licence for the last 9 years, but I would like to get my Canadian one. A condition of this is that I need to hand in my Irish one.

I will be home for a few weeks at christmas and want to declare it as lost and get a replacement (the licence is in bits anyway beca use it's the paper one). Will there be any bother getting a replacement? Also, on the form for a replacement, it asks if you have a licence from another country, should I just say no?

I want to be able to drive here and back home without issues. Cheers for any advice.

slimjimmc

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Hi all,

I have my full licence for the last 9 years, but I would like to get my Canadian one. A condition of this is that I need to hand in my Irish one.

I will be home for a few weeks at christmas and want to declare it as lost and get a replacement (the licence is in bits anyway beca use it's the paper one).

Will there be any bother getting a replacement? Also, on the form for a replacement, it asks if you have a licence from another country, should I just say no?

I want to be able to drive here and back home without issues. Cheers for any advice.

Let's clarify your intent here.
You want to falsely declare your paper Irish licence lost so you can get a replacement Irish licence without returning the paper licence. Then you want to go back to Canada and exchange your paper Irish licence for a Canadian licence, while keeping the replacement licence tucked away.

Correct?

You realise how many laws in both countries would be broken, e.g. falsely declaring your licence lost to the Irish and passing off an invalid Irish licence to the Canadians!
If you want a Canadian licence swap your Irish one or do their driver training.

Why do you think you'll have problems driving here on a Canadian licence? US and Canadian licences can be used here for up to 12 months with the added benefit of no penalty points.

If you return to live here then I think (and I could be wrong) you may be able to exchange the Canadian one back for an Irish one since you previously had an Irish one.

Del2005

According to the NDLS Canada isn't a mutual recognised country for licence swapping so I'd just sit the Canadian test and not hand over your Irish licence, I did this in the US and no one questioned it.

stevenmu

I would have thought that if you report your license as lost, then the number would be recorded as such. When you go to hand it in in Canada, I presume they will perform a check with the authorities here to make sure it's valid, and of course it won't be.

Del2005 wrote: »

According to the NDLS Canada isn't a mutual recognised country for licence swapping so I'd just sit the Canadian test and not hand over your Irish licence, I did this in the US and no one questioned it.

Canada don't have a unified licensing body, each of their states/regions awards licenses themselves, and some (but not all) of them do have mutual recognition with Ireland.

Vologda69

The provinces of New Brunswick and Saskatchewan currently will accept an Irish licence for exchange. However while negotiations are ongoing with most Canadian provinces the RSA in Ireland does not accept any Canadian licences for exchange. A licence holder is entitled to hold a 2nd licence from a non exchange country (which Canada like America is currently classed as). However OP should be aware that any licence reported as lost/stolen will have an individual stock number and is recorded on RSA files as 'void/cancelled'.

Kev_2012

Ok let's clear the air here a second, I'm not trying to break any laws, I just don't want to have to sit my Irish driving test ever again seeing as I passed my test. My Irish licence WILL be gone when I apply for a replacement. The licence expires next year anyway so I will need a new licence one way or another.

There is no reciprocal agreement here in B.C. so I'd like to have both a B.C. licence and my Irish one as I may be living between both countries.

Apparently you have to hand in your Irish licence, which they shred there and then. The only difference is that I wouldn't have any restrictions on my Canadian licence should I pass the test. If I don't hand it in, I would need to drive with a licenced driver and other restrictions.

Is it illegal to hold 2 licences from 2 different authorities or something? Why is this such a big deal?

slimjimmc

Kev_2012 wrote: »

Ok let's clear the air here a second, I'm not trying to break any laws, I just don't want to have to sit my Irish driving test ever again seeing as I passed my test. My Irish licence WILL be gone when I apply for a replacement. The licence expires next year anyway so I will need a new licence one way or another.

There is no reciprocal agreement here in B.C. so I'd like to have both a B.C. licence and my Irish one as I may be living between both countries.

Apparently you have to hand in your Irish licence, which they shred there and then. The only difference is that I wouldn't have any restrictions on my Canadian licence should I pass the test. If I don't hand it in, I would need to drive with a licenced driver and other restrictions.

Is it illegal to hold 2 licences from 2 different authorities or something? Why is this such a big deal?

A number of points.

You can only have 1 EU licence which is why you cannot lawfully get the plastic replacement and keep the paper licence at the same time.

If you declare your paper licence lost when it isn't you are making a false declaration and in the presence of a Garda, that is a serious offence here.
If you really wanted a replacement licence then you should declare it damaged (you said it's in bits) or renew it (you can apply up to 3 months before expiry) but then you'd have to surrender the old one when you apply for the replacement/renewal.

Your Irish licence document has a unique id and will be invalidated when it expires or you replace it. If you attempt to exchange this old licence for a Canadian licence its highly likely the authorities there will check with the authorities here and find out the licence is invalid. Presumably presenting a false document would be an offense under Canadian law just like it is here, and especially if it's done to obtain a Government document.

Like your passport your Irish licence is the property of the Irish Government, so the Canadians will probably return it to the Irish authorities instead of shredding it. Governments don't normally shred official documents of another sovereign state.

The only lawful way you can get a Canadian licence while keeping your Irish one is to go through the Canadian driver training process, restrictions and all. Otherwise you must surrender your Irish licence.

Normally you don't have to resit the Irish driving test if you Irish licence is no more than 10 years expired. You should check with NDLS what happens if you exchange your licence, i.e. does that 10 years starts from the date you exchange or does it only start from the natural expiry date. I believe any replacement Irish licence would only be valid until the original expiry date (as it's basically a copy) so it would expire next year anyway. Replacing at Christmas won't get you another 10 year licence but if your Irish licence is due to expire within 3 months of your visit you can apply for a renewal which would.

Del2005

The RSA has all your categories on record. Get a copy of your Irish licence notarised just in case they loose the record, you can get your Irish licence back if you apply within 10* years as that's when you loose the entitlements and will need to resit the test.


*maybe 5 years

Vologda69

OP most of the Canadian provinces are finalising exchange agreements with the RSA. Your entitlement is 10 years from the expiry date. So if you surrender it in Canada, chances are that you will have no problem reexchanging it again if you ever return to Ireland (as most of Canada should have reciprocal agreements in place by then). You can always use your Canadian licence together with an International driver permit while in Ireland. Irish licence holders are entitled to exchange their licence as many times as they wish in recognised exchange countries/states (Canadian provinces like Ontario and Manitoba look set to be next in line).

whomitconcerns

You wouldn't need an international driver permit in Ireland unless your Canadian licence was in French only.

keithclancy

whomitconcerns wrote: »

You wouldn't need an international driver permit in Ireland unless your Canadian licence was in French only.

I've never needed that International Driving Permit thing when I traveled to anywhere.

I would think it might only be necessary if you go to a country where the script is different or where the cops are corrupt (e.g. Indonesia)

aerotuned

So in alberta we don't have to hand over our Irish driveing licences as there is no straight swop over, you have to start from scratch here, yes ?