Expired licence - Can I drive? Insurance valid?

It's a 21st century. Also, it's getting more expensive to maintain public offices. With time we will see most services going online. I'd encourage getting a PPS card and sorting a license renewal online, if possible.

I just renewed my license online in under 5 minutes, the facilities are there, you just refuse to use them.

Don't drive the car without a licence. If you get caught you'll get a conviction and your insurance will skyrocket. You've been told how to renew your license but are doing nothing but griping since

U need to renew it within 3 years of expiry or else you need to do the test again 😮

It was the last time I checked, but that was a few years back.

Try adding some dipetane.

Imagine caring about the tiny thumbnail photo on a piece of plastic that you never look at 🙄

Whether you would be insured to drive depends on the fine print in your insurance policy. Mine insures me once I have a current licence or held one within the last 10 years and am not disqualified. Some may be more restrictive and require a current licence.

Driving without a current licence is an offence. If your licence out of date by a year or less you could be convicted and fined up to €1000, if your licence is out of date by over a year the fine can be up to €2000.

Op,

check NDLS site frequently for appointment as there may be a cancellation, especially in these COVID times.

Try early morning and late at night too.

This is correct,while it is always an offence to drive without a licence it is is not a serious offence particularly in the current climate (covid).

I have always had the caveat quoted above on my insurance cert so once you have held a licence and you are not disqualified drive on.

No no no, it's the guard that needs to be not wearing the hat.

Do people know nothing any more?

Sheesh! 🙄

It seems from earlier posts that the OP does indeed have a PSC, so the online renewal option is open to him but he doesn't want to use it because of the picture that will be on the licence.

I'm not sure that would wear as a defence of not having a current licence.

OP, just renew online. If you're that precious about the picture get it done again in person with a new picture when things have settled down and offices are freely open again.

(FWIW, I renewed mine in person in an office at the height of covid restrictions, so it is possible. I could not, however get an appointment to see a doctor at the time to get a required medical report, so I've temporarily lost some categories, so I'll have to go back at some stage and do another application to get them put back on).

You can renew if it's expired less than 5 years for a learners permit or 10 years for a licence. After that time you have to start again with theory test, EBT/IBT, N plate/tabbard

I renewed like for like, so I didn't change the photo at all even though my current photo is over 8 years old.

No everything is online, essentially you are getting your old license with a new expiry date, I bit like when your bank card expires.

It comes from your verified online public services mygovid profile based on your public services card.

If you don't have a public service card valid, or haven't got a verified mygov profile, you cant renew online.

https://www.mygovid.ie/

I havent done it yet but that sounds as expected - will use your photo and address from mygovid / psc.

There was no photo needed when I renewed online recently. I assumed they'd re-use the photo they'd taken at the NDLS centre (mine's almost flattering), but they used the one from getting my PSC card. I now have the same rather horrible photo on 2 cards, from way back when I didn't know quite where the camera was or when it would shoot (trivial, I know!).

Just to add that should you get an email afterwards re a missing document(s), with a 'details' link that doesn't work, don't bother replying to it to ask what documents - just ring their helpline ASAP.

It's the first time I've renewed online (having finally managed to get fully registered on MyGovid after years of trying), I answered the questions then uploaded photos (both sides) of my over-70s medical report. Or rather assumed I had (coudn't see any sign of whether they'd uploaded ok or not, but thought that was just the flaky MyGovid software).

I then got that email, with the broken link (just a generic icon meaning 'picture', that had no effect from my Android phone, or from my Windows laptop apart from an 'url not found' error. I hadn't a clue if the medical upload had failed, or if they were waiting for some other document that I didn't know about from the scattergun guidance. I replied to that email (twice) asking what they needed, and wasted about a week waiting to hear.

I then gave in and rang the helpline (not easy here with a weak mobile signal). Second time I tried, there were only 4 callers to go, so I hung on. The very helpful and patient person I got was able to look into my case, and tell me it was the medical report missing. They instructed me to post it, spelling everything out carefully (and checked that my queries were resolved before ending the call). The new licence arrived about a week after posting the report (in my case meaning only 2 or 3 days without a valid licence).

I didn't want to take up extra time asking them if it was just me getting the duff link. But judging from the lack of reaction (e.g.surprise, or 'What browser?' and so on), I'd guess not.

Sorry - didn't mean to put you off! I expect it usually works (and it's very quick, even over my slowish connection). It's probably just that if there's a software bug somewhere I always seem to run into it!

And where it could cause a big problem for some, and looks elementary to fix, and there seems to be no channel for alerting the organisation to errors, I find it particularly rant-inducing. (Same with instructions that obviously haven't been tested on someone who doesn't already know what to do and in what order!).