Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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295. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the provisions that will be made for a person who has to transfer their UK licence for insurance purposes; if his Department will acknowledge classes not recognised by the NDLS should that person wish to return to the UK; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29159/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that a person resident in Ireland must have an Irish or EU driving licence to drive here. It is possible to drive in Ireland on a foreign licence under the Geneva Convention, but this only applies to visitors.

Irish driver licensing operates within a framework of EU law, which sets out the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply. The format of driving licences, categories of vehicles and the standards to be met in driving tests to qualify for a licence are set at EU level. Therefore, all EU-issued licences are mutually recognised in Member States.

Ireland may make bilateral driving licence exchange agreements with non-EU jurisdictions. Ireland has a licence exchange agreement with the UK. However, someone wishing to exchange their UK licence for an Irish licence must be resident in Ireland and not all UK licence categories can be exchanged if Ireland does not have an equivalent category.

The process for exchanging an Irish driving licence in the UK is a matter for the UK licensing authorities.