Drivers licence help!

bspoke

Not sure if this is the right section for this. My apologises to admin if it isnt

My recently married wife is getting ready to change her drivers licence so it shows her all new spanky married name (mine:D ). Only thing is you have to send in your existing licence to get a new one and by law you must have you licence on you at all times while driving.

So not wanting to get penalty points for something stupid I am wondering is there any way around this for example by photocopying the licence before sending it in to be changed

Revelation Joe

bspoke wrote:

Not sure if this is the right section for this. My apologises to admin if it isnt

My recently married wife is getting ready to change her drivers licence so it shows her all new spanky married name (mine:D ). Only thing is you have to send in your existing licence to get a new one and by law you must have you licence on you at all times while driving.

So not wanting to get penalty points for something stupid I am wondering is there any way around this for example by photocopying the licence before sending it in to be changed

When I needed to get a new licence for change of address, I took it in to the tax office (did NOT send it) and they gave me a form to show the Gardai if I did get stopped

HTH,
Del

Eoin

bspoke wrote:

Not sure if this is the right section for this. My apologises to admin if it isnt

My recently married wife is getting ready to change her drivers licence so it shows her all new spanky married name (mine:D ). Only thing is you have to send in your existing licence to get a new one and by law you must have you licence on you at all times while driving.

So not wanting to get penalty points for something stupid I am wondering is there any way around this for example by photocopying the licence before sending it in to be changed

I don't think it is punishable by penalty points (list here) - wouldn't seem fair to get points for an offense that isn't dangerous.

I know this isn't the black and white answer you are looking for, but if you send off the application by registered post and keep the receipt part to produce as proof, then the Garda would have to be a real àrsehole not to give you time to produce the license in your local station.

bspoke

Could have sworn it was penalty points for not having your licence on you when requested??? I dunno maybe i was drunk when I read it.

She cant really get into the tax office herself at the moment as she is uber busy in work so she will be sending it in by post

BrianD3

She doesn't have to send in her old licence if she has "lost" it. She just has to get a lost licence form stamped by the Gardai (takes about 2 secs to fill in) and send that in with her application for the new licence. In the meantime, her "lost" licence magically reappears

Not the proper way to do it and possibly illegal but there you go.

bspoke

Hmmm that would come in handy if she is ever getting done for speeding. Just hand in her "lost" licence and happily drive off with her valid licence unaffected.

However I think its probably best not to start off married life by talking her into breaking the law.......maybe in a few months I will and I'll get her to break a decent law:D

smiling_time

she will receive a stamped slip of paper which states that her licence is in the process of being replaced/updated. it can take 3/4 weeks

bspoke

Is that only if she actually goes to the tax office though??

As I said earlier that is not really an option at the moment but if its the only way to do it I guess she will have to pull a sickie or something

Eoin

bspoke wrote:

Could have sworn it was penalty points for not having your licence on you when requested??? I dunno maybe i was drunk when I read it.

It is an offence alright, but I don't think you can get points for it. Like I said, I would think it would be grossly unfair to get points for something that is basically just an administrative error, as opposed to an actively dangerous offence.

smiling_time

bspoke wrote:

Is that only if she actually goes to the tax office though??

As I said earlier that is not really an option at the moment but if its the only way to do it I guess she will have to pull a sickie or something

perhaps they will send the slip by post to her?

bspoke

eoin_s wrote:

It is an offence alright, but I don't think you can get points for it. Like I said, I would think it would be grossly unfair to get points for something that is basically just an administrative error, as opposed to an actively dangerous offence.

Yeah I agree but for some reason I had it in my head that you got points for it. Dont ask me where I got that idea from.

Cerdito

I was in this situation recently - passed my test and had to send in the my provisional to get my full. I was two weeks without my licence while it was processed.

All I did was photocopy my provisional and certificate of competence. I then drove around with those in the glove compartment. I think you would have to be very unlucky if you were stopped and the guard didn't accept those.

If your wife wants to cover herself as much as possible, tell her to call into the motor tax office in person to get her licence renewed. They won't hand her a new one over the counter, but they will give her a receipt, which might be better to have than a photocopied licence.

bspoke

Yeah it looks like she is going to have to go into the tax office. As you say she would be very unlucky for a guard not to accept a photocopied licence, a sob story and some fluttering of her eyes but knowing her luck she would get pulled over by a guard who hasnt got laid recently and wants to take his/her frustration out on the first possibile person.

Thanks guys n gals

TommyK

bspoke wrote:

Hmmm that would come in handy if she is ever getting done for speeding. Just hand in her "lost" licence and happily drive off with her valid licence unaffected.

'Fraid it won't work... your driver number is the same on both licences.

MadsL

Off topic, but has anyone ever given a valid reason as to WHY licences now have to be carried. I was stopped today and thank god had it on me, but surely there is no reason why this can not just be produced within 10 days at a Garda station. A credit card sized one is the way forward, but to me this is a stupid law - where the hell are you supposed to put the damn thing.


In the car? (great for a thief!!)
In your jacket? - it gets lost or forgotten (you wear the wrong jacket)
In your wallet? it gets mangled..

:mad:

Our man in Havana

Its like that for a very good reason.

Example under the old system you got 10 days to produce to any Garda Station. So say your friend wishes to drive your car with no licence/insurance etc all they do if stopped is give your valid details and tell the Garda they will produce at a station far enough away where both of you are not known. You then produce your documents and the Gardai are none the wiser.