Driving licences due to expire will be automatically extended due to the ongoing lockdown.
Those whose licence is due to run out between March 1st and the end of May will have a new date of July, while licences which will expire between June and the end of August will have a new end date of September 30th.
The Government say the change has been notified to gardaí, and expiry dates can be checked on the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) website.
Junior Transport Minister Hildegarde Naughten says letters will be sent to people who are due for renewal.
“You won't be reissued a new licence on foot of that extension but the Road Safety Authority (RSA) will automatically update the driver records to show your new expiry date and then people who are entitled to this extension will receive a letter explaining that the expiry date of their licence has been extended.”
Drivers who have been granted an extension and who have already booked an appointment at an NDLS centre, to renew their licence, are being asked to cancel the appointment, to make it available for others who need it.
NDLS centres remain open to essential workers.
Anyone who posted an application form to renew their licence is being advised that the NDLS may not be able to process their application.
This will happen if the driver record has been updated and is already showing the new expiry date of your driving licence. Any original supporting documents, submitted with an application form, will be returned. Refunds will be made where applicable (licence renewal for over 70s is free).
