Driving License Query

Morninglory

..

CptMackey

Morninglory wrote: »

Hi,

Basically I'm heading for canada tomorrow and although I have my passport I would prefer alternative forms of identification for any late nights over there. I lost my driving license and I have no other form of I.D

I see the method to get a license now has changed, do I have to make an appointment to get a license?

Regards,

Michael

You won't have it by tomorrow. They post it out to you now.

bpmurray

You don't need an appointment in theory, but if you just turn up on spec, you may be in for a long wait.

Morninglory

CptMackey wrote: »

You won't have it by tomorrow. They post it out to you now.

Please tell me your joking.

jayobray

Took about 5 days for mine to arrive after I went in to them

Morninglory

bpmurray wrote: »

You don't need an appointment in theory, but if you just turn up on spec, you may be in for a long wait.

It will have to do.

What was wrong with the old way?

jimgoose

Morninglory wrote: »

Please tell me your joking.

Nope, no joke. At the Cork branch of the NDLS for example, it takes about ten days at the moment.

Effects

I turned up to the one in Santry yesterday to get my new licence. I had to wait 45 minutes. It's posted out to you, as mentioned already, so you won't get it on time. Maybe you could get a Garda age card or something similar a lot quicker?

Morninglory

..

FishOnABike

If you have one of the old paper licences you would need to apply in person at one of the NDLS centres. If you have a credit card style licence the NDLS say they intend to introduce an online service to allow you get subsequent licences or lerner permits next year. For now it looks like the only option is, in person, at one of the NDLS centres.

The credit card style licences are manufactured centrally so there's no way of issuing one over the counter as there was with the paper licence at the motor tax office. The turnaround for getting a licence is 5 to 8 working days.

If you can get to an NDLS centre and apply before leaving and have someone post the licence to you. If you intend driving in Canada you'll need it anyway.

If you intend staying a while it will be easier to exchange your Irish licence for a Canadian one if you are in a state that allows exchange of an Irish licence for a Canadian one rather than sitting the test in Canada.

CiniO

Morninglory wrote: »

It will have to do.

What was wrong with the old way?

What was wrong with the old way?
I tell you what was wrong - in the old way we had to wait for new licence for 4 months to arrive in the post - that's what was wrong with it.
If it only takes a week or two now with NDLS that's an extremely great improvement.

K.Flyer

Effects wrote: »

[..]Maybe you could get a Garda age card or something similar a lot quicker?

Garda age card process can take a week or more, you need to get papers signed and stamped and then post your application for the card.

CiniO wrote: »

What was wrong with the old way?
I tell you what was wrong - in the old way we had to wait for new licence for 4 months to arrive in the post - that's what was wrong with it.
If it only takes a week or two now with NDLS that's an extremely great improvement.

In 2012 I went in and mine was processed at the counter, because I remember asking her for the plastic cover and most definitely the one before that was done at the counter as well.
That's the "old way" that I remember.

bladebrew

Yeah the old way you could get the licence straight away, but you would be in a queue for a while!

CiniO

K.Flyer wrote: »

In 2012 I went in and mine was processed at the counter, because I remember asking her for the plastic cover and most definitely the one before that was done at the counter as well.
That's the "old way" that I remember.

bladebrew wrote: »

Yeah the old way you could get the licence straight away, but you would be in a queue for a while!

You could, but only in certain motor tax offices, and usually only if you knew someone there or if they just wanted to be nice.
Otherwise waiting times were horrendous in some places.
In 2012 I was told in Mayo motortax office that waiting time was 4 months, and they couldn't help me. Also requested to hand down old licence with application, so I would be 4 months without a licence so unable to do my job, go on holidays, etc... That's the most ridiculous system I've seen and I'm proud that's gone.

jimgoose

CiniO wrote: »

What was wrong with the old way?
I tell you what was wrong - in the old way we had to wait for new licence for 4 months to arrive in the post - that's what was wrong with it.
If it only takes a week or two now with NDLS that's an extremely great improvement.

Not in Cork you didn't - fifteen minutes, over-the-counter biy!

CiniO

jimgoose wrote: »

Not in Cork you didn't - fifteen minutes, over-the-counter biy!

Yeah, I heard about it.
Cork issued licences on the spot if you asked for it, Galway issued it within a week, and if you knew someone could do on the spot, and Mayo was 4 months.
That's a fair joke of a system, isn't it?

jimgoose

CiniO wrote: »

Yeah, I heard about it.
Cork issued licences on the spot if you asked for it, Galway issued it within a week, and if you knew someone could do on the spot, and Mayo was 4 months.
That's a fair joke of a system, isn't it?

I thought it was just fine in Cork, anyway. There's no reason why the current setup couldn't do the same, given the right equipment being available to the clerks.

CiniO

jimgoose wrote: »

I thought it was just fine in Cork, anyway. There's no reason why the current setup couldn't do the same, given the right equipment being available to the clerks.

That's the whole issue. Licences are printed centrally in one place.
I'm affraid it would cost them too much to have printing facility in every NDLS office.

K.Flyer

CiniO wrote: »

That's the whole issue. Licences are printed centrally in one place.
I'm affraid it would cost them too much to have printing facility in every NDLS office.

Considering the charges, I imagine that they would re - coup the money quickly enough.
I don't imagine that the machines are all that expensive.