Urgent driver's licence renewal - any options?

tropple · 09-05-2019 12:11pm #1

Hi - my license expires next week, on the same day I'm planning to hire a car in Spain. I had an appointment to renew it last week, and was told it would take 5-8 working days.

I was getting a bit worried because I haven't been notified about it being dispatched, so I called the NDLS and I was told they have a severe backlog due to Brexit etc, and they couldn't say when I'll have the license, and there was no way to fast track it.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation before and been able to push it through quicker? I remember it was possible to get a license on the same day I applied previously - is this still possible in any of the centres?

Thanks,

yesto24 · 09-05-2019 2:11pm

tropple wrote: »

Hi - my license expires next week, on the same day I'm planning to hire a car in Spain. I had an appointment to renew it last week, and was told it would take 5-8 working days.

I was getting a bit worried because I haven't been notified about it being dispatched, so I called the NDLS and I was told they have a severe backlog due to Brexit etc, and they couldn't say when I'll have the license, and there was no way to fast track it.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation before and been able to push it through quicker? I remember it was possible to get a license on the same day I applied previously - is this still possible in any of the centres?

Thanks,

I renewed my license online last Wednesday.
I got the confirmation email after 5pm on the Wednesday. That was the 1st of May.
First time doing it, couldn't have been easier, was very surprised.
Anyway, I got it in the post yesterday. May 8th.
I never got any notice of it being dispatched.
So despite the backlog you were told I got my license in less than one week and that week included a bank holiday.
So you should be fine.

Captain Chaos · 09-05-2019 2:14pm

I renewed my licence at an NDLS centre on 27th April and I'm still waiting for it. I was told it would hake around 2 weeks due to back log.

yesto24 · 09-05-2019 2:18pm

Captain Chaos wrote: »

I renewed my licence at an NDLS centre on 27th April and I'm still waiting for it. I was told it would hake around 2 weeks due to back log.

Anything special about your license?
Mine was out of date by about 9 months (yes, I know, I am a terrible person and I endangered every other road user by having an expired license) but I don't think that would have made it processed any quicker.

....... · 09-05-2019 2:20pm

yesto24 wrote: »

Anything special about your license?
Mine was out of date by about 9 months (yes, I know, I am a terrible person and I endangered every other road user by having an expired license) but I don't think that would have made it processed any quicker.

There is a years grace on an expired license.

yesto24 · 09-05-2019 2:38pm

....... wrote: »

There is a years grace on an expired license.

Actually I think there may be more.
But that was a joke, sarcasm a preemptive strike against fools and trolls who would derail this and leave the poor OP with no answer to his question and still waiting for his license.
I mentioned my license being out of date as a possible reason for getting it so quick, not that I believe that was the reason not should someone be rewarded for an out of date license.
You obviously missed that.
I am not saying you are a fool or a troll by the way.
I am saying you missed the point.

KerryGoat · 09-05-2019 2:54pm

While I'm not advocating driving with an expired licence, I do believe there is a lengthy grace period, I would look into it on the NDLS website.

....... · 09-05-2019 2:56pm

yesto24 wrote: »

I am saying you missed the point.

No I got the point.

But its a useful piece of information for people to know so that they dont panic when they realise their licence is out of date.

As a public forum we are entitled to respond to peoples posts in whatever way we please, so long as we are civil.

So I responded to your jokey sarcasm with a piece of factual information.

Del2005 · 09-05-2019 3:01pm

KerryGoat wrote: »

While I'm not advocating driving with an expired licence, I do believe there is a lengthy grace period, I would look into it on the NDLS website.

Technically there is no grace period, once your licence expires its no longer valid, but since you can renew it for up to 10 years after its expired they don't enforce it.

But the OP definitely wouldn't have got a hire car with the expired licence.

h3000 · 09-05-2019 3:04pm

....... wrote: »

There is a years grace on an expired license.

KerryGoat wrote: »

While I'm not advocating driving with an expired licence, I do believe there is a lengthy grace period, I would look into it on the NDLS website.

I'd be surprised there is any grace period for driving with an expired licence but even if there is the OP is looking to hire a car in Spain and I'd bet a weeks wage that they won't be able to hire a car with an expired licence.

You can however renew an expired licence up to 10 years of expiry.

EDIT: Del beat me to it...

....... · 09-05-2019 3:18pm

h3000 wrote: »

I'd be surprised there is any grace period for driving with an expired licence

Twas a Guard told me it was a year - when I was asked to produce and discovered it was a couple of months out.

_Brian · 09-05-2019 6:53pm

....... wrote: »

There is a years grace on an expired license.

Ten years unless that was changed recently

....... · 10-05-2019 10:02am

_Brian wrote: »

Ten years unless that was changed recently

I know you can renew within 10 years but the way the Guard put it to me was more along the lines of "we pay no attention for 1 year, but we might if it was longer out of date". I didnt ask him any more questions on it - you know yourself, you ask anything it can be perceived as being lippy.

h3000 · 10-05-2019 10:07am

_Brian wrote: »

Ten years unless that was changed recently

....... wrote: »

I know you can renew within 10 years but the way the Guard put it to me was more along the lines of "we pay no attention for 1 year, but we might if it was longer out of date". I didnt ask him any more questions on it - you know yourself, you ask anything it can be perceived as being lippy.

There is no way there is ten years grace for driving with an expired driving licence. I'd highly doubt there is any official grace period. I'm sure that most Garda would be fair to some extent if the taught it was a genuine mistake though.

Charles Babbage · 10-05-2019 10:17am

It is typical of the approach to public service in this country that routine renewals of licences are delayed because of an entirely different issue. Routine renewals should be on the day.
NDLS are "privatised" and one of the justifications for privatisation is that in theory you can hold providers to a service level, but it is obvious that nobody is holding them to a service level.

....... · 10-05-2019 10:20am

h3000 wrote: »

There is no way there is ten years grace for driving with an expired driving licence. I'd highly doubt there is any official grace period. I'm sure that most Garda would be fair to some extent if the taught it was a genuine mistake though.

From the RSA website:

The RSA is reminding drivers that you can renew a licence up to three months before its expiry date. However, if your licence has expired for ten years or more, you must start the application process again and take a driver theory test, mandatory driving lessons and a driving test.

This article (although 5 years old) says:

"The key learning point is ‘make sure your licence does not run out’,” he said.

“You can run into all sorts of problems when your licence expires.”

Although it conspicuously doesnt mention what sort of problems!

Del2005 · 10-05-2019 2:47pm

Charles Babbage wrote: »

It is typical of the approach to public service in this country that routine renewals of licences are delayed because of an entirely different issue. Routine renewals should be on the day.
NDLS are "privatised" and one of the justifications for privatisation is that in theory you can hold providers to a service level, but it is obvious that nobody is holding them to a service level.

I renewed my licence earlier this year. Got an appointment with in a week and was out just after my appointment time. What I did notice was that about half the names called out didn't turn up, so the problem is with the Irish people again not the service provider.

Del2005 · 10-05-2019 2:50pm

....... wrote: »

From the RSA website:

This article (although 5 years old) says:

Although it conspicuously doesnt mention what sort of problems!

The problem is that once your licence expires you are no longer legally able to drive. The solution is to ignore the law, like the majority of laws in this country.

....... · 10-05-2019 3:31pm

Del2005 wrote: »

The problem is that once your licence expires you are no longer legally able to drive. The solution is to ignore the law, like the majority of laws in this country.

Can you point to the legislation that states this?

What law is being broken?

jimgoose · 10-05-2019 3:39pm

Del2005 wrote: »

The problem is that once your licence expires you are no longer legally able to drive. The solution is to ignore the law, like the majority of laws in this country.

Once your license expires you are no longer legally able to carry it with you or produce it down t'station. Your entitlement to drive persists with your driver record at RSA/NDLS Towers, until ten years after the expiry. Even insurance gargoyles acknowledge this in their standard blurb.

_Brian · 10-05-2019 3:39pm

h3000 wrote: »

There is no way there is ten years grace for driving with an expired driving licence. I'd highly doubt there is any official grace period. I'm sure that most Garda would be fair to some extent if the taught it was a genuine mistake though.

For renewals I meant

Del2005 · 11-05-2019 4:35pm

....... wrote: »

Can you point to the legislation that states this?

What law is being broken?

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1961/act/24/section/38/enacted/en/html

As I said it's not enforced but it is an offence.

mikeecho · 11-05-2019 9:30pm

Del2005 wrote: »

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1961/act/24/section/38/enacted/en/html

As I said it's not enforced but it is an offence.

Should you be involved in an accident/collision and your licence has expired.. you will find yourself recieving a summons to court.

Now if it's just the lawful demand to produce your licence due to a regular traffic stop / MIT / MAT checkpoint and your licence had elapsed, and you renewed it within the 10 days, it's likely to be overlooked. (Providing no other offence has been committed)

Kayakswimkayak · 15-05-2019 10:46pm

Sorry to hijack the post. I've read the comments about a grace period with interest. My 10 year licence is not due to expire for over 5 years BUT because I have a D1 on it I have to renew that part of it every 5 years which means a visit to the GP for a medical report every 5 years and paying for a new licence every 5 years ( I feel scammed paying on the double ). Do you think I could just not bother renewing it until everything else on the licence needs to be renewed? I don't use the D1 part to be honest but I do want to keep it on the licence rather than having to resit a test in the future.

Urgent driver's licence renewal - any options?

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