Government has decided to extend validity period of driving licences
DUBLIN: The government has decided to further extend the validity period of driving licences in view of the COVID-19 restrictions. The details of the extension were announced by Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton TD. The extension of this date will be beneficial to license holders, including those who have benefited from the extension before 2020.
Recipients of the licence extension will not be sent a new licence. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) which handles NDLS, will automatically update driver records to show the new expiry date. Each customer eligible for the extension will receive a letter regarding the extension of their licence expiration date. The RSA has notified Insurance Ireland and An Garda Síochána about the new expiry date of driving licences.
The Minister said that drivers can check the new expiry date of their driving licence by using the expiry date calculator on https://www.ndls.ie/. The person who enters the expiry date printed on the driving licence into the calculator can see the new expiry date. The minister said the extension would address the concerns of drivers in renewing their licences.
The changes are as follows:
Holders of licences which have not been renewed and which have expired between 1 March 2020 and 31 May 2020 will receive a new expiry date of 1 July 2021.
Any licence holder, who has not renewed, and whose licence expired between 1 June 2020 and 31 August 2020 will have thirteen months (including a previous extension) added to their expiry date. For example, a licence which expired on 31 August 2020 will have a new expiry date of 30 September 2021.
Any license holder whose license expired between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021 will receive an additional ten months for renewal. For example, a license that expired on 31 August 2020 will have a new expiry date of 30 September 2021.
Those who have already booked an appointment at the NDLS centre for renewal of the licence can cancel it. Minister said the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) centres remain open to essential workers.
NDLS will not be able to process posted applications for licence renewal. This is only possible by updating the record and showing the new expiry date of the driving licence. It will be returned to those who submitted the original documents along with the application form. Refunds will be made where applicable (licence renewal for over 70s is free).
You can also renew your license online
Drivers can renew their license within three months from the new expiry date. Those who need to renew their driving licence can do so online at https://www.ndls.ie/.
Online renewal requires a Public Services Card (PSC) and a verified MyGovID account.
For more information on extension of driving licences, visit the NDLS http://www.ndls.ie or Road Safety Authority http://www.rsa.ie/
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