Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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689. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason a person (details supplied) in County Dublin was informed that he could drive under his Brazilian driving licence of 14 years for a year from when he received his work permit in July 2014, but that he must then sit the full Irish driving licence test without any acknowledgement of the years of driving experience both here and in Brazil. [26148/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​As a result of international Conventions dating back to the 1920s, visitors may drive in Ireland on their own national driving licences for up to a year.  If a person is here longer than that and wishes to continue to drive, they must obtain an Irish driving licence.

Irish driver licensing rules operate within the framework of an EU-wide licensing system. The criteria essential for recognition of licences from other countries are testing and licensing regimes which meet the requirement of the EU directive on driver licences.  On this basis Ireland recognises licences from, and has mutual recognition and exchange of licence arrangements with, other EU Member States and a number of other jurisdictions where research and discussion has shown that standards in those jurisdictions match those here.  Brazil is not one of those countries with which Ireland has mutual recognition of licences.

In the absence of an exchange agreement, persons taking up residence in Ireland, who hold a Brazilian driving licence and who wish to obtain an Irish licence, must go through the normal procedures for obtaining a driving licence by passing the theory test, obtaining a learner permit and sitting the driving test. While this may seem demanding in cases where people have a safe driving record in another jurisdiction, the overriding policy concern behind these regulations is that people are properly qualified to drive on our roads. The six months waiting rule before sitting a driving test does not apply to applicants who come to Ireland with a full in date licence from their own country.