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Penalty Points and Foreign Licences

  • 28-07-2013 8:54am
    #1
    dominicbond
    Registered Users Posts: 18 ✭dominicbond


    What is the current situation with penalty points being held in suspension?

    I lived in Ireland until 2003 and shortly before leaving I was caught speeding and received a €80 fine and 2 penalty points. Since I had a UK licence I was told that the points are to be held on a database until if and when and if I receive an Irish licence in the future. Shortly afterwards I returned to the UK.

    Now ten years later I have returned to Ireland and am considering exchanging my UK licence for an Irish one. Since so much time has now elapsed is it reasonable to have these points added? Could this be challenged in the courts? If these points are added would it affect my insurance due to their age?

    In hindsight I should had exchanged my licence for an Irish one ten years ago and then after moving back to the UK I should had changed it for a UK one. This would had meant that the points would had died when exchanging the Irish licence back to a British one.

    Thanks
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    Norah Rough Nurse
    Posts: 0 ✭ Norah Rough Nurse


    Why do you want to exchange your uk licence for an Irish one? You are much better off keeping the uk one.


  • #3
    lomb
    Registered Users Posts: 6,031 ✭✭✭lomb


    The points would have expired as per an Irish one. I would keep the UK license, I am keeping mine. Mine expires in 35 years or something, they only need a photo every 10 at no charge afaik


  • #4
    dominicbond
    Registered Users Posts: 18 ✭dominicbond


    The problem is that the photo card is time limited. After that expires it is illegal to drive in the UK, possibly illegal to drive in Ireland and impossible to rent a car.


  • #5
    Wexfordian
    Registered Users Posts: 347 ✭✭Wexfordian


    Even if they get added (and there has been so many changes to the setup since that they prob have been lost in system, plus presumably they are only connected by name, address will be different (?), no licence number etc), two points are not going to affect your insurance anyway.


  • #6
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    If you trade in for an Irish license, the points will be applied from the day you get it. So they expire (2 years?) after the issue of the Irish license no matter how long ago they were placed on the register for you. You would be barking mad to trade in for an Irish license.


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  • #7
    Norah Rough Nurse
    Posts: 0 ✭ Norah Rough Nurse


    dominicbond wrote: »
    The problem is that the photo card is time limited. After that expires it is illegal to drive in the UK, possibly illegal to drive in Ireland and impossible to rent a car.

    I'm sure you can find an address in the uk to renew it to. I fully intend on renewing my uk licence when it runs out as I still have access to the address.


  • #8
    BailMeOut
    Registered Users Posts: 2,956 ✭✭✭BailMeOut


    When I moved from Ireland to uk the uk insurance companies could give me much better rates if I transferred my Irish licence to uk which I did. OP your insurance rates might be better if you have a full Irish license even with the points?


  • #9
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    BailMeOut wrote: »
    When I moved from Ireland to uk the uk insurance companies could give me much better rates if I transferred my Irish licence to uk which I did. OP your insurance rates might be better if you have a full Irish license even with the points?

    If the loading is less than €80, then it doesn't make financial sense to swap. If you picked up say 4 points in a year, thats maybe €160 plus the insurance load for the next year. Contrast that to a loading for having a foreign license (Which isn't that much) and you could be saving €100's by maintaining a foreign 'clean' license.

    Grey area all round though to be honest.


  • #10
    rovoagho
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,151 ✭✭✭rovoagho


    Wexfordian wrote: »
    Even if they get added (and there has been so many changes to the setup since that they prob have been lost in system, plus presumably they are only connected by name, address will be different (?), no licence number etc), two points are not going to affect your insurance anyway.

    Hibernian used to give a bonus for 0 points, not sure if that's still the case.


  • #11
    Norah Rough Nurse
    Posts: 0 ✭ Norah Rough Nurse


    BailMeOut wrote: »
    When I moved from Ireland to uk the uk insurance companies could give me much better rates if I transferred my Irish licence to uk which I did. OP your insurance rates might be better if you have a full Irish license even with the points?

    Makes no difference to my insurance anyway. Same quote with a UK or ROI licence.


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  • #12
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • #13
    Jamsiek
    Registered Users Posts: 1,426 ✭✭✭Jamsiek


    dominicbond wrote: »
    What is the current situation with penalty points being held in suspension?

    I lived in Ireland until 2003 and shortly before leaving I was caught speeding and received a €80 fine and 2 penalty points. Since I had a UK licence I was told that the points are to be held on a database until if and when and if I receive an Irish licence in the future. Shortly afterwards I returned to the UK.

    Now ten years later I have returned to Ireland and am considering exchanging my UK licence for an Irish one. Since so much time has now elapsed is it reasonable to have these points added? Could this be challenged in the courts? If these points are added would it affect my insurance due to their age?

    In hindsight I should had exchanged my licence for an Irish one ten years ago and then after moving back to the UK I should had changed it for a UK one. This would had meant that the points would had died when exchanging the Irish licence back to a British one.

    Thanks

    I wouldn't recommend changing it tbh.
    I had the opportunity after 8 years in the UK.

    I moved to Canada last year and they didn't recognize my Irish license and I had to change it after 90 days.

    I was kicking myself that I didn't change it when I had the time.

    Apparently it's not just Canada that has this attitude to Irish licenses


  • #14
    worded
    Registered Users Posts: 4,532 ✭✭✭worded


    Jamsiek wrote: »
    I wouldn't recommend changing it tbh.
    I had the opportunity after 8 years in the UK.

    I moved to Canada last year and they didn't recognize my Irish license and I had to change it after 90 days.

    I was kicking myself that I didn't change it when I had the time.

    Apparently it's not just Canada that has this attitude to Irish licenses

    That's mad. An irish EU licence bad a UK one good ?


  • #15
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • #16
    HurtLocker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 655 ✭✭✭HurtLocker


    Keep the UK one! Don't have to worry about those pesky guards or cameras. I'd love to get one. I plan on getting a UK or other EU licence someday.

    Edit: if someone could pm me how to I'd be grateful :)


  • #17
    ted1
    Registered Users Posts: 23,233 ✭✭✭✭ted1


    lomb wrote: »
    The points would have expired as per an Irish one. I would keep the UK license, I am keeping mine. Mine expires in 35 years or something, they only need a photo every 10 at no charge afaik
    The points aren't there till they go againest a licence , so they will not have expired


  • #18
    Jamsiek
    Registered Users Posts: 1,426 ✭✭✭Jamsiek


    worded wrote: »
    That's mad. An irish EU licence bad a UK one good ?

    Yes you would think the EU countries would get equal treatment but they don't unfortunately.
    The countries do deals to recognize each other's licenses.

    I had to do a driving test to get a Canadian license but if I had a UK license it would just be a straight swap.


  • #19
    HurtLocker
    Closed Accounts Posts: 655 ✭✭✭HurtLocker


    Jamsiek wrote: »
    Yes you would think the EU countries would get equal treatment but they don't unfortunately.
    The countries do deals to recognize each other's licenses.

    I had to do a driving test to get a Canadian license but if I had a UK license it would just be a straight swap.
    Commonwealth I suppose?


  • #20
    Jamsiek
    Registered Users Posts: 1,426 ✭✭✭Jamsiek


    HurtLocker wrote: »
    Commonwealth I suppose?

    I think the Commonwealth helps it but then there are countries like Germany and the Netherlands that are recognized. It's weird.


  • #21
    vibe666
    Registered Users Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    i had to fly back to the UK for a funeral a couple of months ago and when i went to pick up my hire car with my UK license, they almost didn't give it to me because the photo part of my licence was out of date, even though the paper part is still in date.

    yer man at the car hire desk went through the whole thing of it being an offense to drive with an expired photo license and that he didn't know if their insurance would even cover me if they gave me the car and even called the DVLA to confirm that the rest of my license was valid.

    his boss confirmed that the insurance was okay, but he kept telling me over and over that the penalty if i was stopped by the police was £1000 and possible imprisonment (which i'm not convinced of, but ho hum).

    need to get it renewed, but it's also (apparently) an offence to apply for one if you aren't resident in the UK, so i'd have to (technically) fraudulently use my existing UK address (my dads house) to get the photo ID renewed.


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  • #22
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    vibe666 wrote: »
    i had to fly back to the UK for a funeral a couple of months ago and when i went to pick up my hire car with my UK license, they almost didn't give it to me because the photo part of my licence was out of date, even though the paper part is still in date.

    yer man at the car hire desk went through the whole thing of it being an offense to drive with an expired photo license and that he didn't know if their insurance would even cover me if they gave me the car and even called the DVLA to confirm that the rest of my license was valid.

    his boss confirmed that the insurance was okay, but he kept telling me over and over that the penalty if i was stopped by the police was £1000 and possible imprisonment (which i'm not convinced of, but ho hum).

    need to get it renewed, but it's also (apparently) an offence to apply for one if you aren't resident in the UK, so i'd have to (technically) fraudulently use my existing UK address (my dads house) to get the photo ID renewed.

    Out of curiosity, how can the photo be out of date but the paper bit not? :confused:


  • #23
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


  • #24
    vibe666
    Registered Users Posts: 13,016 ✭✭✭✭vibe666


    it sounds a tad dodgy to me. you've gone and done your test and gotten your licence and it says you're grand till you're 70, but then they change the law, bring out a different type of licence and now your legal document entitling you to 70 years of hassle free driving pleasure goes out the window.


  • #25
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


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