UK licence after Brexit

reubenreuben

To be fair there was a lot of scaremongering by Ndls stating UK licenses would become invalid and a new test would be required etc.

Whoever runs these departments are a spiteful lot for reasons I don't know

stefanovich

reubenreuben wrote: »

To be fair there was a lot of scaremongering by Ndls stating UK licenses would become invalid and a new test would be required etc.

Whoever runs these departments are a spiteful lot for reasons I don't know

It's about making Brexit seem as bad as possible.

reubenreuben

stefanovich wrote: »

It's about making Brexit seem as bad as possible.

It does feel that way. But it's a midirected punishment.

stefanovich

stefanovich wrote: »

It's about making Brexit seem as bad as possible.

Yeah, it's up there with Dutch customs confiscating lorry driver's sandwiches! :rolleyes:

A Shaved Duck?

Seems the main issue people have is that they left the exchange to the last possible minute and are complaining about the slowness of the new license being sent.

We all know the pace at which the the powers that be work in irleand and plenty of notice was given.

stefanovich

A Shaved Duck? wrote: »

Seems the main issue people have is that they left the exchange to the last possible minute and are complaining about the slowness of the new license being sent.

We all know the pace at which the the powers that be work in irleand and plenty of notice was given.

Or they could have realised that a lot of people in Ireland have UK licenses and spared them the hassle and cost by recognising UK licenses in Ireland.

stefanovich

A Shaved Duck? wrote: »

Seems the main issue people have is that they left the exchange to the last possible minute and are complaining about the slowness of the new license being sent.

We all know the pace at which the the powers that be work in irleand and plenty of notice was given.

They also had plenty of time to sort out the vaccine supplies but the EU needed to be difficult for the sake of it.

MascotDec85

reubenreuben wrote: »

To be fair there was a lot of scaremongering by Ndls stating UK licenses would become invalid and a new test would be required etc.

Whoever runs these departments are a spiteful lot for reasons I don't know

That would have been the case if there hadn’t been a deal of any description. I had that information from Mairead McGuinness directly. That was an EU thing, not an NDLS thing

MascotDec85

stefanovich wrote: »

Or they could have realised that a lot of people in Ireland have UK licenses and spared them the hassle and cost by recognising UK licenses in Ireland.

I’m sure there’s lots of UK licence holders all over the EU. Unfortunately for them, and I was one of them, this was a UK issue. You can’t have your cake and eat it which is exactly what the powers that be in Westminster have been looking for.

Anyway, it’s all semantics now as that’s the rule and we were all given plenty of notice.

CiboC

stefanovich wrote: »

Don't let convenience get in the way of bureaucracy.

Plenty of convenience for countries who are still members of the EU, all this smoothing out of bureaucracy is one of the benefits of membership...

If you want all the convenience of membership then you have to be a member of the club...

reubenreuben wrote: »

To be fair there was a lot of scaremongering by Ndls stating UK licenses would become invalid and a new test would be required etc.

A lot of that was down to nobody knowing if there was going to be a deal of any kind before the end of December. If there had been a no deal crash out then that would have been the case. There was a range of implications that had to catered for in the information going out.

SCOOP 64

Changed my one at the end of November was back in 3 weeks had to post it back again because they spelt my surname wrong:(, don't know when i will get it back, if you live in UK with a Irish licence to have to change it to a UK one?

stefanovich

CiboC wrote: »

If you want all the convenience of membership then you have to be a member of the club...

More like a gang. The UK are getting the beating for daring to leave. Ireland is collateral damage to the EU.

A protectionist racket is all it is.

redcup342

reubenreuben wrote: »

To be fair there was a lot of scaremongering by Ndls stating UK licenses would become invalid and a new test would be required etc.

Whoever runs these departments are a spiteful lot for reasons I don't know

It wasn't scaremongering, that was the case until there was an agreement signed.

Before there was an agreement it was indeed the case.

https://www.thejournal.ie/uk-licence-exchange-ireland-2021-5313889-Dec2020/

The only issue now is that licenses exchanged after Dec 31st in Ireland may not be valid for exchange in other EU Countries.

These were exchanged on the basis of a special Agreement between Ireland and the UK.

Only countries that have an exchange agreement in place with UK after 31st of December will allow that.

SCOOP 64

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Changed my one at the end of November was back in 3 weeks had to post it back again because they spelt my surname wrong:(, don't know when i will get it back, if you live in UK with a Irish licence to have to change it to a UK one?

As far as I know all citizens resident in the UK for more than six months have to have a UK licence, this was the case before Brexit as well so the police can put points on for speeding etc,

A Shaved Duck?

stefanovich wrote: »

Or they could have realised that a lot of people in Ireland have UK licenses and spared them the hassle and cost by recognising UK licenses in Ireland.

Being from the north but resident in ireland for 20 years i exchanged my license in November and got the new one back in 3 weeks after years of warnings and correspondence from the insurance company to do so.

I am no fan of brexit but actually expecting the NDLS to change the rules to suit lazy people that cant be bothered exchanging a license is so silly.

Anybody whinging about exchanging their license now and delays is a victim of their own laziness and inability to accept change.

CiboC

stefanovich wrote: »

The UK are getting the beating for daring to leave.

If you choose to beat yourself repeatedly in the face with a hammer, you can't really blame someone else for it afterwards.

galwaytt

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

if you live in UK with a Irish licence to have to change it to a UK one?

Yes, this has always been a requirement, long before Brexit.

A Shaved Duck?

A Shaved Duck? wrote: »

Seems the main issue people have is that they left the exchange to the last possible minute and are complaining about the slowness of the new license being sent.

We all know the pace at which the the powers that be work in irleand and plenty of notice was given.

I only changed my licence over this year. I’m always late when it comes to things like this, don’t ask me why. But I’ve got my Irish licence number should I be stopped and a receipt and I’m legally allowed to drive. I’m sure there’s something about it on the ndls website. No biggie that I haven’t got the physical licence yet.

I couldn’t transfer over my C category but that’s because my doctors are not filling out medical forms right now but that’s not NDLS’ fault. They’ve allowed me 12 months to do it.

@stevanovic - there’s no more hassle or expense with changing over the licence as you have to do it every ten years with the UK license too. I only found this out when I handed over my (valid till 2045) paper licence that you have to piece together like a jigsaw

SCOOP 64

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

I only changed my licence over this year. I’m always late when it comes to things like this, don’t ask me why. But I’ve got my Irish licence number should I be stopped and a receipt and I’m legally allowed to drive. I’m sure there’s something about it on the ndls website. No biggie that I haven’t got the physical licence yet.

I couldn’t transfer over my C category but that’s because my doctors are not filling out medical forms right now but that’s not NDLS’ fault. They’ve allowed me 12 months to do it.

@stevanovic - there’s no more hassle or expense with changing over the licence as you have to do it every ten years with the UK license too. I only found this out when I handed over my (valid till 2045) paper licence that you have to piece together like a jigsaw

Every 5 years if you put the C category on it.

SCOOP 64

SCOOP 64 wrote: »

Every 5 years if you put the C category on it.

Cheers. Didn’t know that

hognef

galwaytt wrote: »

Yes, this has always been a requirement, long before Brexit.

EU/EEA licences are valid in other EU/EEA countries as long as they remain valid in the country of issue, so that statement is incorrect (unless you're referring to an expired/expiring licence).

Once the licence expires, you need to renew it in your country of residence, however. The EU are in the process of phasing out licences with validity longer than 15 years (I believe the UK have gone for 10 years like Ireland), meaning everybody with an EU/EEA licence from another EU/EEA country will eventually need to obtain one from the country in which they are resident.

wonski

galwaytt wrote: »

Yes, this has always been a requirement, long before Brexit.

Not really. ALL EU licenses are valid in member states as long as they are valid.

This is being repeated many times, not sure why.

That's what EU was all about and still is.

bkehoe

Deleted User wrote: »

As far as I know all citizens resident in the UK for more than six months have to have a UK licence, this was the case before Brexit as well so the police can put points on for speeding etc,

This is not the case for EU issued licences. It's only a requirement to have a UK licence if aged over 70. I've been resident in the UK for 8 years and police don't even bat an eyelid when they see an Irish licence. I guess I'm probably paying a small bit extra for insurance because of it as the insurance companies can't verify the details. If one committed an offence that warranted points then they create a 'ghost licence' onto which they put the points and which they can then check.

For verification, if you follow the UK Gov tool for exchanging foreign licences it won't let you continue once you say it's an EU licence. https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence

hognef

bkehoe wrote: »

This is not the case for EU issued licences. It's only a requirement to have a UK licence if aged over 70. I've been resident in the UK for 8 years and police don't even bat an eyelid when they see an Irish licence. I guess I'm probably paying a small bit extra for insurance because of it as the insurance companies can't verify the details. If one committed an offence that warranted points then they create a 'ghost licence' onto which they put the points and which they can then check.

For verification, if you follow the UK Gov tool for exchanging foreign licences it won't let you continue once you say it's an EU licence. https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence

Is that over-70 rule new since Brexit, do you know? I'm not sure whether it would have been allowed while they were in the EU?

hognef

hognef wrote: »

Is that over-70 rule new since Brexit, do you know? I'm not sure whether it would have been allowed while they were in the EU?

Historically, UK licences were valid from the time you passed the test until your 70th birthday, then it needed renewal every three years with doctors cert.
My old UK licence (pink) was valid until 2030.

hognef

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Historically, UK licences were valid from the time you passed the test until your 70th birthday, then it needed renewal every three years with doctors cert.
My old UK licence (pink) was valid until 2030.

Indeed, but did that always translate into a requirement for EU/EEA citizens to obtain a UK licence at 70? I can see how that might make sense, but I used to have a Norwegian licence in the UK and, at the time, I was under the impression it would remain valid until my 100th birthday.

In fairness, I did have several years left before I would reach that age (and I still do), so maybe it just never registered with me.

grogi

galwaytt wrote: »

Yes, this has always been a requirement, long before Brexit.

No, not for a long time now. You could keep using it until it expires.

Peregrinus

stefanovich wrote: »

More like a gang. The UK are getting the beating for daring to leave. Ireland is collateral damage to the EU.

A protectionist racket is all it is.

Not all all. It's all about respecting the democratically expressed Will of the British People. They wanted third-country status and Canada-style rules. I am assured by Brexiters that (a) the British people knew what they were voting for, and (b) refusing to give them Canada-stule rules was disrespecting their sovereignty.

Well, this is Canda-style rules. This is exactly how a Canadian licence would be treated. The UK being given what it has insistently demanded is hardly "getting a beating", unless we see Brexit as an essentially masochistic exercise in which case, yeah, the UK is getting a beating. But a wholly consensual one.

Still, that's what they voted for; it is their Will. If a group of like-minded nostalgically imperialist Tory xenophobes can't organise a sadomasochistic orgy for themselves and their countrymen when they feel like it, what kind of a crazy woke politically-correct world are we living in?

Why do you hate democracy, Stef?

stefanovich

Peregrinus wrote: »

Not all all. It's all about respecting the democratically expressed Will of the British People. They wanted third-country status and Canada-style rules. I am assured by Brexiters that (a) the British people knew what they were voting for, and (b) refusing to give them Canada-stule rules was disrespecting their sovereignty.

Well, this is Canda-style rules. This is exactly how a Canadian licence would be treated. The UK being given what it has insistently demanded is hardly "getting a beating", unless we see Brexit as an essentially masochistic exercise in which case, yeah, the UK is getting a beating. But a wholly consensual one.

Still, that's what they voted for; it is their Will. If a group of like-minded nostalgically imperialist Tory xenophobes can't organise a sadomasochistic orgy for themselves and their countrymen when they feel like it, what kind of a crazy woke politically-correct world are we living in?

Why do you hate democracy, Stef?

The people most inconvenienced by this are Irish people with UK driving licenses. They are being inconvenienced at the behest of the EU even though it would be trivial for the Irish government to continue to accept UK driving licenses.

I respect democracy and I respect the UK for leaving.

stefanovich

stefanovich wrote: »

The people most inconvenienced by this are Irish people with UK driving licenses. They are being inconvenienced at the behest of the EU even though it would be trivial for the Irish government to continue to accept UK driving licenses.

I respect democracy and I respect the UK for leaving.

Do you have or did you have a uk licence?

stefanovich

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

Do you have or did you have a uk licence?

Not sure why that would be relevant.

It’s just a question

irish_goat

I'm starting a job in the south which might involve driving a southern reg van the odd time. Is there any advantage in me switching from an NI to an ROI licence? Can send it to my parent's address so no issues in that sense.

stefanovich

irish_goat wrote: »

I'm starting a job in the south which might involve driving a southern reg van the odd time. Is there any advantage in me switching from an NI to an ROI licence? Can send it to my parent's address so no issues in that sense.

If you are resident in the North then get a NI license.

What categories do you have on your existing licence, goat? Are you still an NI resident?

Peregrinus

stefanovich wrote: »

The people most inconvenienced by this are Irish people with UK driving licenses. They are being inconvenienced at the behest of the EU even though it would be trivial for the Irish government to continue to accept UK driving licenses.

I respect democracy and I respect the UK for leaving.

And you show your respect by selectively ignoring the fact that they've left and acting as you would act if they were still members? It's a curious kind of respect. Can we show still greater respect by ignoring the fact that they've left and sending them a bill for their EU budget contributions for 2021?

There was an arrangement in place by which UK licences enjoyed recognition. The UK unilaterally terminated that arrangement. The UK unilaterally ruled out entering into any replacement arrangement which would have that effect. The EU was not involved in these decisions at all. If there are Irish motorists inconvenienced by this, they know who to blame.

It requires an extraordinary perverse understanding to see this as the EU giving the UK a beating. Particularly since, as you point out yourself, UK residents are not the ones inconvenienced by this.

Irish people are being inconvenienced by the unconstrained and unilateral actions of the UK government, and you blame the EU for this. It's Brexitry in a nutshell, really.

irish_goat

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

What categories do you have on your existing licence, goat? Are you still an NI resident?

Have a Cat B licence at present, NI resident. Thinking in terms of being pulled at a checkpoint by the Guards either on the way to work at the border or at a random checkpoint (so could be in an NI reg car or an ROI van).

hognef

irish_goat wrote: »

I'm starting a job in the south which might involve driving a southern reg van the odd time. Is there any advantage in me switching from an NI to an ROI licence? Can send it to my parent's address so no issues in that sense.

Would you be able to truthfully sign off on the following statement?

"I declare that (i) Ireland is my normal place of residence"

If not, you'd be making a false declaration and breaking the law.

irish_goat

hognef wrote: »

Would you be able to truthfully sign off on the following statement?

"I declare that (i) Ireland is my normal place of residence"

If not, you'd be making a false declaration and breaking the law.

Ah, maybe not then. Unless they subscribe to the "Island of Ireland" notion. :pac:

I'll see how I get on, any hassle and I might reconsider. Cheers for the info.

I think you would be classed as visiting Ireland so can use your NI licence legally.

What happens if you changed your licence over and then UK decided not to accept your Irish licence as you are an NI resident?

I’d leave it as is if I were you. But you could call NDLS, I found them lovely to chat to.

stefanovich

Peregrinus wrote: »

The UK unilaterally ruled out entering into any replacement arrangement which would have that effect. The EU was not involved in these decisions at all. If there are Irish motorists inconvenienced by this, they know who to blame.

The Irish government can recognise whatever driving licenses they want. They chose not to.

stefanovich

stefanovich wrote: »

The Irish government can recognise whatever driving licenses they want. They chose not to.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA when your address changes.

You need:

to be a resident of Great Britain - there’s a different process in Northern Ireland

Ireland recognises the UK licence still which is why I was able to just hand in my paper UK licence (which I now realise was not legal in the UK either)

stefanovich

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

Ireland recognises the UK licence still which is why I was able to just hand in my paper UK licence (which I now realise was not legal in the UK either)

Damn they are not legal? News to me!

stefanovich

stefanovich wrote: »

Damn they are not legal? News to me!

What to do with your paper counterpart
The paper counterpart to a driving licence has had no legal status since 8 June 2015. You should destroy yours if you have one, but keep your photocard driving licence.

If you have a paper driving licence
Paper driving licences issued before 31 March 2000 are still valid. Do not destroy your licence.

When you update your name or address, or renew your licence, you’ll only get a photocard licence.

If you are not a resident of Ireland and have your paper licence from before April 2000 AND you have not moved address since then, only then is it legal to keep your paper licence.

CiboC

stefanovich wrote: »

The Irish government can recognise whatever driving licenses they want. They chose not to.

No, they can't.

Recognition of driving licences is not a national competence.

stefanovich

CiboC wrote: »

No, they can't.

Recognition of driving licences is not a national competence.

So the EU says no?

redcup342

stefanovich wrote: »

The Irish government can recognise whatever driving licenses they want. They chose not to.

They do recognise Driving Licenses from abroad, if you live in Ireland though you need to exchange it for and Irish Driving license (are resident)

The exception though is if you have a driving license from another EU Member State, which the UK is not.

CiboC

stefanovich wrote: »

So the EU says no?

The UK decided not to deal with this issue as part of their agreement with the EU, the EU didn't say no, the UK did.

But sure they will be able to issue a blue driving licence and that will make them all happy.

stefanovich

CiboC wrote: »

The UK decided not to deal with this issue as part of their agreement with the EU, the EU didn't say no, the UK did.

But sure they will be able to issue a blue driving licence and that will make them all happy.

Aha but the EU would want ALL EU countries to be treated the same. Ireland and the UK could have a bilateral agreement.

grogi

stefanovich wrote: »

Aha but the EU would want ALL EU countries to be treated the same. Ireland and the UK could have a bilateral agreement.

Correct.