Your driving licence in Ireland: valid until it expires, and then an exchange for €65

Yes, you may drive in Ireland on your Dutch driving licence, and as long as it is valid, you don't have to do anything. Citizens Information says it without reservation: with a licence from the EU or the EEA you drive in Ireland as long as it is valid. Exchanging it for an Irish licence is possible, at the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), for €65. The trap is the expiry date. If your Dutch licence expires while you live in Ireland, you no longer renew it in the Netherlands but exchange it in Ireland, and different validity periods apply there than you're used to.

Do you have to exchange?

Not as long as your licence is valid. Within the EU you may only have one licence, and whoever moves to another EU country usually doesn't have to exchange it. Your Europe names the cases where you do have to: loss, theft or damage, and if you commit a traffic offence in the new country. The RDW says it from the Dutch side: if your licence expires, exchange it in the country where you live.

Exchanging voluntarily earlier is always possible, if you show that you live in Ireland and meet the conditions for a licence. That is handy if your Dutch licence expires within a few years.

Situation	What applies	Deadline
Your Dutch licence is valid	you keep driving on it	until the expiry date
Your licence expires	exchange it for an Irish licence	within 10 years of the expiry date
Your licence is lost, stolen or damaged	exchange is compulsory	as soon as it happens
You want to exchange voluntarily	always possible, with proof of residence	none
Cost of the exchange	€65	free from age 70

How do you exchange?

Online or in person at an NDLS centre, by appointment. For the online route you need a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID; then you post your licence to the NDLS. If you don't have those yet, you go to an NDLS centre. For both routes you need your PPS number, so count on the exchange only being possible after those first weeks.

At the counter you bring:

• your current licence; without it the application is rejected;
• proof of your PPS number and photo ID;
• proof of address no more than six months old, if your address differs from the one on your Public Services Card;
• a medical report no more than one month old, if you need one;
• the €65, unless you are 70 or older.

Sometimes the NDLS has to contact the country that issued your licence; then it takes longer. Your Europe explains why: before the exchange, the new country checks that your licence has not been restricted, suspended or withdrawn.

Don't post your licence just before a trip. With the online route you're without your Dutch licence as soon as you send it to the NDLS. Your Europe warns that a temporary document issued during processing is not recognised in every EU country. Plan the exchange for a period when you don't need to drive across a border.

How long is an Irish licence valid?

After the exchange the Irish rules apply, including for validity and medical checks. For a car an Irish licence is valid for at most ten years until you turn 65. After that it gets shorter.

Age when applying	Validity of the licence for car and motorcycle
under 65	at most 10 years
65 to 71	until the eve of your 75th birthday at the latest
72 to 74	3 years
75 and over	3 years or 1 year, with a certificate from your doctor that you are fit to drive

For whoever goes to Ireland in retirement, that is the row to know: from 75, every renewal requires a certificate from your doctor. A medical report form is also needed for certain conditions, and as a rule for trucks and buses.

What if your licence came from another country?

If you once got your Dutch licence by exchanging a licence from outside the EU, look extra carefully. Your Europe warns that such an exchanged EU licence is not always recognised in another EU country, and Citizens Information says that a licence that originally came from a non-recognised country cannot be exchanged in Ireland, not even via a detour. Check with the NDLS before you leave.

Whether you bring the car is a separate decision with its own deadlines; it is covered in your car to Ireland. The journey at /ierland puts both in your order.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Ireland or go straight to step 5.6 in the open plan.