E.U Immigrants

This page is designed to give a brief overview of the main things that an E.U immigrant to Ireland needs to be aware of, to both comply with the Laws and to be safe as a driver in a very new environment

Demographics

Ireland has a very fast growing economy and a vast number of citizens coming into the Driving age group for the first time. Approximately 670,000 in the 15-25 age bracket at the last census four years ago in 2002. The new census just completed in April 2006 will quite likely show an increase on this figure. Large numbers of immigrants both from within the E.U and further afield are creating an even bigger volume of new Drivers than ever experienced in the past. What does this mean?

Well with more Drivers and many more vehicles on the road the potential for serious accidents has increased very rapidly. The potential problems, with huge numbers of new drivers on the road, is now actually being played out at great costs to the State every day of the week! Accidents in 2006 are running at a higher lever than the previous year and the number of immigrant drivers involved in serious and fatal accidents is running at nearly 25%!

• The reasons for this are varied.
•  Firstly, inexperience at driving on the left-hand side of the road.
• Secondly… consumption of alcohol followed by driving is a factor in 30% of all fatal accidents.
• Thirdly…driving regulations not understood or adhered to by newcomers (and of course by thousands of Native Irish as well!)
• Other factors contributing to serious accidents are the state of the roads, particularly in rural areas and those roads off the beaten path.
•  Rush hour traffic from rural areas on the outskirts of towns and cities is substantial as more and more people build houses outside of the town centres!
•  The combination of Irish rural roads, which are lethal in certain weather conditions and certain seasons of the year and inexperienced drivers rushing to and from work, is a cocktail that creates many serious accidents!

Licenses

•    All E.U. citizens with a full Driving License from their respective countries are permitted to drive in any E.U.country.
•     Provisional Licenses from any other E.U. State are not valid in Ireland. So if a new Immigrant wishes to start driving in Ireland they will need to acquaint themselves with the Irish Regulations which can be found on this site at
•  For example if you happen to have an English Provisional License you may not use it here in Ireland nor will you be able to use it for a Driving Test here.
• If you are going to take up permanent residency here in Ireland and are from an E.U State you can LINK To Provisional License Detailsexchange your full license for a full Irish License.
• Citizens from outside the E.U with just  a few exceptions…Australia ; New Zealand, Japan CHECK will not be able to drive in Ireland without going through the Irish system of Theory Test…Provisional License…Driving Test…Full License  An Irish Provisional License will be valid for two years and will require you to be accompanied by a fully qualified Irish Driving License Holder who is older than 21.
• You must be displaying L Plates until you have passed the Driving Test. When you have passed the Irish Driving Test your provisional license should be exchanged immediately for a Full Irish License which will then enable you to drive throughout the E.U.

• There is a very long waiting list of upwards of 12 months for the Driving Test.
• Huge numbers of Irish Drivers both young and old have never taken a Driving Test. The older drivers in the 60 + age bracket may not have taken a Driving Test since it was only introduced in 1966 (40 years ago).Young drivers will be waiting for a Driving Test appointment. 
•  Mandatory Driving Lessons from an accredited Driving School are on the way but have not been introduced yet.
• June 19^th 2006 has seen the announcement by the Minister for Transport of the proposals for compulsory Tuition of Learner Drivers and the Registration and Monitoring of Driving Instructors.
• Despite the fact that there are as yet no compulsory Law to take driving lessons before the Driving Test it is highly unlikely that any Driver will pass the Test without a reasonable number of professional lessons and also a lot of practise!
• The Irish Driving Test format has been increased significantly in the last four years and you will need professional Tuition to cover all of the relevant requirements satisfactorily.
• The mechanical standard of cars on the road is now controlled by the National Car Test (N.C.T.).After it’s third year every car has to be submitted to the NCT test every two years. A valid NCT test certificate must be displayed on the Windscreen along with the Insurance certificate and Road Tax Certificate.
• Your Driving License, whether full or Provisional must be carried with you at all times when driving. It is an offence to be without your License.