UK and Irish driving licences held simultaneously

ATC110

Is it legal to hold an Irish driving licence and separately/independently apply for a UK licence, which would involve sitting the driving test et al? 

I understand it was not legal under EU law but what about now the UK has left the EU?

Thanks in advance for any details on this also if you could provide any relevant links.

Spook_ie

I suspect that no you can't, but that's only my interpretation of

"Drivers can only hold one licence at a time. The type of licence a person has (either UK or EU) is ultimately a choice for them, although it may depend on the number of days each year they live in each country."

From

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/driving-in-the-eu-after-brexit/

The Continental Op

I still have both have had them for nearly 25 years that said I haven't used my UK drivers licence in years and probably couldn't find it in a hurry if I needed it.

I lost it years back so got an Irish exchange licence after getting a note from Swansea saying I had a UK licence. Then of course the UK licence turned up.

Anyway in my case with an exchange licence you should only have one as that is what the legislation is on about.

However if you pass a test in each country then I think you are entitled to both licences and its difficult to argue you can't have a licence in a country where you have past the test.

dickdasr1234

Would think that, for endorsement reasons, it is perfectly logical that you are only allowed possess one current licence.

"However if you pass a test in each country then I think you are entitled to both licences and its difficult to argue you can't have a licence in a country where you have past the test."

This would of course mean that you can have penalty points attached to one of your licences and then switch to your (point-free) alternative licence when you've accumulated enough points to be banned! Nice one!

Vic_08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708062#Comment_119708062

No, once you are banned in a country you are banned, using a different licence is not a legal loophole. You might get away with it if they don't connect you with the other licence, more likely in good ol' Ireland than the UK, but it still is not legal to drive once banned.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119708355#Comment_119708355

As it is, far too many banned drivers continue to drive. And if they have a 'clean' second licence in their pocket, then the chances of them stopping driving after being banned are less than zero.

mikeecho

Legally, you are only entitled to hold an Irish licence, and not any other recognized licence.

So unless you have a second licence from somewhere like north Korea,... No you can't have 2 licences.

And as an other poster has said.. if you're never from driving in Ireland.. it's just that.. doesn't matter what or how many licences or categories you have .