Are an Irish licence and Irish reg plates necessary for a temporary stay in Ireland?
The question
Hi,
My 23-year-old daughter is moving from Scotland to Dublin later this month and is taking her BMW 120 M Sport with her.
She will be working in Dublin for one year, possibly two. She has a full driving licence with no endorsements and has had no claims since she qualified to drive in Nov 2022.
Her existing UK insurance provider will cover her for only 30 days and so she will require insurance with an Irish provider. Are there companies who will provide such insurance? Will she be obliged to obtain an Irish licence and get Irish number plates?
Asked by Harry Neilson ·
Expert answer
Hi Harry,
Someone with a UK driving licence that is visiting Ireland for up to a year can keep and use their own licence, but if your daughter is taking up "normal residence" for that time - and possibly longer as you've indicated - then the rules state that she must swap her UK licence for an Irish one. It is quite literally a swap, with no further testing required.
Same for the car. The re-registration process has to start within seven days of arriving and should be completed within 30 days. Most cars that are imported from the UK come with extra costs, such as import duty and VRT (Vehicle Registration Tax), though if your daughter is eligible for the Transfer of Residence scheme the costs should be minimal. She will still have to go through the process, however.
Go to the official Revenue page on this for more and do read our own Guide to Importing Cars from the UK as background information.
It may be far simpler for your daughter to buy an Irish car for use while here and sell it after. Another reason I'd say that is insurance, as Irish car insurance is usually far more expensive than that in the UK, especially for young drivers. And the BMW won't help matters in that regard.
Do come back to us if you need any more help
Answered by Shane O' Donoghue