NDLS - National Driver Licence Service centres (Qs, waiting times, etc)

Mint Sauce

rafapietrzyk wrote: »

Hello, i have question for you! could you tell me how long waiting for get new driving licence? i make my driving licence last friday today is friday one week time 5 working days and get notnig by post office. I can't find answer how long you must waiting for that i am a bit nervous because Garda check me and say recipt is not driving licence they say me this is last time when pass me i must get my driving licence before i go on the street but i working 20 km for Home and this is stupid how long must wait for that. Thanks for any answer.

How long did they tell you in the Licensing Centre? Did they give you a copy of your old licence to present along with the receipt if stopped.

I applied for my new one over xmas/new year. I had it within 10 working days.

stefanovich

Mint Sauce wrote: »

How long did they tell you in the Licensing Centre? Did they give you a copy of your old licence to present along with the receipt if stopped.

I applied for my new one over xmas/new year. I had it within 10 working days.

I was waiting for a long long time because there was a problem. I was born in England and apparently they needed to see my passport even thought I am Irish and carry an Irish passport. They failed to contact me to tell me there was a problem though. My advice is to contact them, there is a well hidden number, I'll edit this post when I find it.

In the meantime technically you are not supposed to drive. The girl in the NDLS office said I was fine to drive. Depending on the garda they could be okay or not.

Number is here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92514560&postcount=32

Pov06

I don't see any problem with you driving without it.

If any Garda has a problem with it they will take you to court.

By the time you get a court date you will have your licence received. The licence will be valid from the date you applied at NDLS so the judge will throw the case out the window when you were clearly licensed to drive.

It shouldn't be your fault that NDLS takes so long to make these licenses. Back when the motor tax office were making the licences they were issued in 2-3 days.

Mint Sauce

stefanovich wrote: »

I was waiting for a long long time because there was a problem. I was born in England and apparently they needed to see my passport even thought I am Irish and carry an Irish passport. They failed to contact me to tell me there was a problem though. My advice is to contact them, there is a well hidden number, I'll edit this post when I find it.

In the meantime technically you are not supposed to drive. The girl in the NDLS office said I was fine to drive. Depending on the garda they could be okay or not.

Number is here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=92514560&postcount=32

Was that for a new one, or renewal? I was born in England, carry an Irish Passport as well. Was never asked though for prove of place of birth or any further ID other than my old DL.

BMJD

I got a new (well replacement -couldn't find old one) licence in the Drogheda ndls centre, took about 45 minutes and arrived in 7 days. Happy enough with that. And of course I found the lost one the next day :rolleyes:

stefanovich

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Was that for a new one, or renewal? I was born in England, carry an Irish Passport as well. Was never asked though for prove of place of birth or any further ID other than my old DL.

They said there was a mismatch between the place of birth on my provisional and the full license (this was my first).

Funnily enough there was a girl sitting next to me in the office when I went back holding her passport with an English accent too. There I presume for the same reason.

I had brought my passport with my original application and they said then I didn't need it.

My advice is to insist they take a copy if you were not born in Ireland.

superfurry1

So i went to the test centre yesterday going through the application the lady at the counter was very rude from the beginning asking me what have i come here for? seriously and interrogating like i was some kind of terrorist im Irish no beard.:P
Anyway got to the part where they go through eyesight and disabilities and she asked me do i wear a hearing aid? I said no never have this is where it gets messy the motor tax had put a code on my card saying i do from about 2 years ago when i got my 2nd permit its a small code on the back of the card. The lady got snotty with me saying did you ever even read your licence, Seemly i should have known that the 02 on the back means i wear a hearing aid.
So to get the hearing aid taken off my permit i have to go to the gp get a medical report to prove i havnt got a hearing deficiency even though i never claimed to have one or provided any medical report to say i had.
very frustrating rang up RSA and the chap on the phone didnt seem interested said it was the either the motor tax or maybe i ticked the wrong box.
Any ideas what i can do? what if i leave the hearing impairment on and just apply for the licence as i would not need the medical cert would that be a bad idea also? very messy gonna put in a complaint about the counter staff aswell the situation wasnt her fault but she was very rude from the outset.

shinikins

superfurry1 wrote: »

So i went to the test centre yesterday going through the application the lady at the counter was very rude from the beginning asking me what have i come here for? seriously and interrogating like i was some kind of terrorist im Irish no beard.:P
Anyway got to the part where they go through eyesight and disabilities and she asked me do i wear a hearing aid? I said no never have this is where it gets messy the motor tax had put a code on my card saying i do from about 2 years ago when i got my 2nd permit its a small code on the back of the card. The lady got snotty with me saying did you ever even read your licence, Seemly i should have known that the 02 on the back means i wear a hearing aid.
So to get the hearing aid taken off my permit i have to go to the gp get a medical report to prove i havnt got a hearing deficiency even though i never claimed to have one or provided any medical report to say i had.
very frustrating rang up RSA and the chap on the phone didnt seem interested said it was the either the motor tax or maybe i ticked the wrong box.
Any ideas what i can do? what if i leave the hearing impairment on and just apply for the licence as i would not need the medical cert would that be a bad idea also? very messy gonna put in a complaint about the counter staff aswell the situation wasnt her fault but she was very rude from the outset.

You've two choices really-get the medical and have the code removed, or leave it on the licence which will forever more have an impact on your car insurance(it's a declaration that you have a disability) In fairness to the staff member, you have an obligation to check your licence when you get it, and the motor tax office would send a piece of paper with all the codes with your licence when it was printed, so you should have checked it at the time and gone back to the Motor Tax Office you had applied to. It's not NDLS fault that you've the code on the licence either, so the onus is on you to prove otherwise.

I dont know how the staff member spoke to you, and in what tone, but I don't see what the issue is with asking why you were in the centre-there's more than one type of application, and they need to know what you want them to do!!

acequion

Hi,I'm looking for some information,please.My license expires on March 9th,but the earliest I can get a pre-booked appointment is March 10th.

Now,on the website it says that you can go to a centre to apply without an appointment,so obviously I'll have to do that. Does anyone know how that works? Do they see everyone who turns up? I can't go unil afternoon due to work. Thanks for replies.

cnoc

Does anybody have a phone number for the NDLS? TIA.

stefanovich

+353 (0) 761 087 880

Barbes

acequion wrote: »

Do they see everyone who turns up? I can't go unil afternoon due to work. Thanks for replies.

I've been to two different centres without an appointment. At one the wait was less than 20 minutes; the other one was busier, I was waiting about 45 minutes or so. But the system that's set up is great. When you arrive you put your name in at a kiosk and are given a number in the queue. There are screens that tell you the estimated waiting time. As your slot gets closer, your number will come up on screen with the expected time.

I will say that I went in quite early (10.30 the first time, 11:30 the second time). The second centre was quite a bit busier by the time I got seen, I think waiting times for the people coming in then were over an hour. So if you can only go in in the afternoon you might have a longer wait. I did see a post earlier where someone said they stopped letting people join the queue a couple of hours before closing because all the slots were full, but I've no idea if that's a normal occurrence. I suppose you can't predict what days will be busy.

By the way, the surroundings at the first centre I went to were a bit grim so I'm glad it was a short wait. The second one was in a lovely shopping centre and I had time to grab something to eat and have a look around the shops, so the wait was no bother. Something to think about if you've the option of a couple of centres!

superfurry1

Seems the staff in ndsl use boards ha the staff member I dealt with was overly aggressive rude and totally un professional I don't blame them though I would say they have to deal with alot of abuse as working with the public can be an absolute nightmare. She probably just needs a holiday. I Understand it's not the Rsa at fault but they would want to work on staff training as the two staff I spoke to were on the attack.

CBFi

Such an idiot - using my drivers licence for ID today I noticed it expired on the 25th January 2015.

Rang Gardai station - I'll 'be grand' - just get it renewed ASAP. I drive to work etc and need to get this sorted ASAP. Planning on going to Citywest as a walk in tomorrow morning (Saturday). Anyone have any experience doing this?

Opens at 9am - how early should I get there to try and secure an appointment?
How long will I then be waiting for an appointment that day usually?

Also, I used to wear glasses but since I got my licence 10 years ago, I've had laser surgery and no longer need them. Do I need to bring a new eye report with me to the appointment? Can't risk showing up and not getting the licence so I need to get an eye test this evening if I'm going!

Thanks in advance.

Miaireland

Bring a new eye test report with you. You can book an appointment online, probably better than just showing up. If you drive catagory two vehicles such as trucks etc you will need a form from your doctor too.

slimjimmc

Book that eye test

Eyesight report form
You will require a Driving Licence Eyesight Report Form if you no longer need glasses or contact lenses. You can download the eyesight report form (pdf) (pages 1 and 2 should be printed back to back on one page). It is also available from NDLS centres. It must be submitted within 1 month of completion.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/motoring_1/driver_licensing/renewing_a_full_driving_licence.html

CBFi

Thanks - I'll try and get an eye test done this evening. The next available appoint is the 18th March (Naas) so not an option to wait that long but I have made the appointment anyway.

Anyone showed up at Citywest who can give an indication of waiting time/ when to get there etc?

Thanks!

ION08

You don't necessarily need an eye test, only if you want the "01" endorsement removed.

CBFi

There no endorsements listed on the licence/ on the back under notes. I thought there was something on my first 3 year licence....not on this one though.

Booked an eye test for this evening anyway - better to be safe etc.

Thanks

coylemj

Unless you're going on holidays and need to rent a car - what's the big emergency? I have been stopped umpteen times at Garda checkpoints, they have never asked to see my licence.

CBFi

Clause in my work contract is that I have a car and full, clean licence; also drive to work everyday; going to galway this weekend. I have an appointment on the 18th March - Murphys Law is I'll be stopped for the first time in my life precisely when, for the first time, I don't have a licence. Is it not automatic penalty points?

wonski

CBFi wrote: »

Clause in my work contract is that I have a car and full, clean licence; also drive to work everyday; going to galway this weekend. I have an appointment on the 18th March - Murphys Law is I'll be stopped for the first time in my life precisely when, for the first time, I don't have a licence. Is it not automatic penalty points?

You have full, clean license. Don't panic. You are required to have it on you when driving, but there is no penalty for not having one.
Keep the expired one in the car anyway just in case you got stopped by Garda. You will be fine;)

Miaireland

Keep a printout of the appointment booking in the car in case you are stopped, then you can show the Garda that you are trying to rectify the situation.

It is impossible to tell you how long you will wait in the centre without an appointment. It will depend on how many people are there, how many people have appointments etc. I have heard of people waiting hours and not being seen and people who have walked in and been seen staight away.

What ever you do make sure you bring plenty of ID and have proof of your pps number and address along with photo id. I am not sure if your old licence will do so bring something else to be on the safe side.

neilthefunkeone

Was in Leopardstown on Tuesday at 11am.. 4 minutes wait.. Only 2 people waiting. Good time possibly!

CBFi

Update: Went in on Saturday morning and got sorted. Arrived at 8.22 and there was 4 people in the queue in front of me at Citywest. Opened at 9am - queue of about 30 people behind me I'd say. I got number 4 in queue and screen said I'd be waiting 20 mins but I was done and dusted at 9.15am.

Told I'd have card in 7-10 days.

Worth it not to be worrying about it on the drive to Galway this weekend. Thanks for advice everyone!

aaakev

so I just renewed my licence as I got the form in the post last Friday and my licence expires on the 19th of next month. At the end I asked for my old licence back and was told they keep it. I asked why and was told they have been told to keep them.

Now I fly out on holidays on the 10th which is 6 working days away and have been told the new licence takes 10 working days to come!

Is this normal practice in the centres as I was told?

Does anyone know if a copy of my current licence and receipt for the new one will be sufficient for the rental car company?

CiniO

aaakev wrote: »

so I just renewed my licence as I got the form in the post last Friday and my licence expires on the 19th of next month. At the end I asked for my old licence back and was told they keep it. I asked why and was told they have been told to keep them.

Now I fly out on holidays on the 10th which is 6 working days away and have been told the new licence takes 10 working days to come!

Is this normal practice in the centres as I was told?

Does anyone know if a copy of my current licence and receipt for the new one will be sufficient for the rental car company?

Most likely it won't be enough.
Looks like you'll need to cancel your holidays.
All due to stupid system we have here in operation.

I encountered the same problem few years back, when licences were issued by motor tax offices. Passed a test for another category, and applied for new licence. They wanted to take my old one, but I couldn't give it to them as I needed it (for work - driving abroad). They said that without my licence they won't be able to take application for new one. Lady in there was extremely rude to me about this as well. The same day I lost my licence, declared it lost and applied for new one. Unfortunately this didn't work as well, as lady in motortax office recognised me, got the manager who said that they won't issue a licence for me at all as I haven't lost mine.
I don't know what he based it on, as he or no one in there in motortax office ever seen my licence before, so how could they know I didn't loose it.

In the end I had to move to different address (in another county) to apply for my licence in other motortax office, where I got sorted no problem.

But with new NDLS centers I assume rules are the same everywhere.

Del2005

aaakev wrote: »

so I just renewed my licence as I got the form in the post last Friday and my licence expires on the 19th of next month. At the end I asked for my old licence back and was told they keep it. I asked why and was told they have been told to keep them.

Now I fly out on holidays on the 10th which is 6 working days away and have been told the new licence takes 10 working days to come!

Is this normal practice in the centres as I was told?

Does anyone know if a copy of my current licence and receipt for the new one will be sufficient for the rental car company?

Bit late now but when you knew you where going away it would have been better to apply when you returned, they always took the old licence and used to just give you a receipt.

CiniO

Del2005 wrote: »

Bit late now but when you knew you where going away it would have been better to apply when you returned, they always took the old licence and used to just give you a receipt.

Which is not the way is should be done.

Topper Harley

CiniO wrote: »

The same day I lost my licence, declared it lost and applied for new one. Unfortunately this didn't work as well, as lady in motortax office recognised me, got the manager who said that they won't issue a licence for me at all as I haven't lost mine.
I don't know what he based it on, as he or no one in there in motortax office ever seen my licence before, so how could they know I didn't loose it.

I'm surprised they were able to do this. When I lost my license years ago, I had to get a Garda to stamp the form declaring it lost. Surely this should override someone in the tax office's opinion that you didn't really lose it.

I eventually found my original license and it was handy for a while having a spare but when it came time to renew it I gave them the original and they asked if I had the replacement as well. I was honest and gave it back. I no longer feel like Jason Bourne though.