Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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224. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the likely position of persons with UK driver licences here in the context of Brexit; if they will be accepted post-Brexit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39074/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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There are two aspects to this Question, that of driving on a visitor basis and that of licence exchange.

In relation to driving in Ireland on a UK licence, under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, people who hold a UK driving licence will be able to drive in this jurisdiction for up to a year at a time on a visitor basis. Contrary to some reports, they will not need to acquire an International Driving Permit to do so. In particular, people who reside in Northern Ireland and regularly cross the border will be able to continue to do so.

If a person is resident in the jurisdiction for more than a year and holds a UK driving licence, they will be required to obtain an Irish driving licence. Under EU law, licences issued by Member States may be exchange when a person moves from one Member State to another. After the UK departs from the EU, the default position will be that UK licences will no longer be exchangeable for Irish licences.

It is possible that a final agreement between the EU and the UK on future relations may involve an agreement on continuing mutual recognition of driving licence for exchange. If this is not the case, Ireland may be in a position to reach a bilateral agreement with the UK on driving licence exchange. Such agreements are dependent in the first instance in the two licensing regimes concerned having compatible driver licensing - in other words testing - standards. The Road Safety Authority would assess such compatibility, as it has done for several overseas jurisdictions and, subject to a favourable outcome, we would be able to reach a driving licence exchange agreement with the UK, should such agreement be required.