Change your UK Driving Licence by October 31st
Anyone living in Waterford or anywhere else in Ireland who holds a UK (including Northern Ireland) driving licence must exchange it for an Irish driving licence, before the 31 October 2019, in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. If there is a no-deal Brexit, then after this date, if you are living in Ireland, your UK driving licence will no longer be valid to drive here.
There is an opportunity now to exchange your licence in good time and be certain you have a valid driving licence when the UK leaves the EU.
If you wait till close to the UK exit date of 31 October, you will face possible lengthy delays in exchanging a UK licence, and the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS) cannot guarantee when you will have a valid licence to drive here in Ireland.
For this reason, those living in Ireland who hold a UK driving licence are strongly urged to act now and exchange their licence.
To exchange your licence you must complete a licence application form and present this, the correct fee and your UK licence at any NDLS centre. You can make an appointment online at www.ndls.ie to attend any of our 36 NDLS centres. There is also a walk in service, but depending on queues you may have to wait to be seen.
In the vast majority of cases all of your licence entitlements will transfer to your new Irish licence. There are some limited exceptions where what are known as national licence categories cannot be transferred to the Irish licence. You may need to speak to the DVLA to find out if you have any national categories on your UK/NI licence.
For FAQ’s on Brexit and driving licences click here.
