Student Car Insurance in Ireland: the Student and Young Driver Offer
If you are a student insuring a car in your own name, GMIB.ie runs a student and young driver off...
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Which foreign licences are valid in Ireland, and for how long
EU or EEA licence. You can drive in Ireland on it for as long as it is valid. You can exchange it for an Irish licence if you want to, within 10 years of its expiry, but you do not have to.
Recognised state. The National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) keeps the list, which currently includes the UK and Northern Ireland, Australia, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, Taiwan, Georgia, Moldova, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man and seven Canadian provinces. You can drive on one of these licences for up to a year as a visitor. Once you are normally resident here, meaning you live in Ireland for at least 185 days in a calendar year, you exchange it for an Irish licence. Not every licence category can be exchanged, and you must apply within a year of the licence expiring.
UK licence. Visiting from the UK, you drive on your UK licence. If you live in Ireland you can no longer drive on it and must exchange it for an Irish one.
Any other country. You can drive for up to 12 months as a visitor on your national licence together with an international driving permit. If you plan to stay longer than 12 months you need an Irish licence, which means the driver theory test, a learner permit and the driving test. The Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) reduced Essential Driver Training applies to you: six lessons instead of twelve and no six-month wait before the test, provided you held your licence for at least two years before your learner permit was issued, it has not expired by more than six months, you live in Ireland and you hold an Irish learner permit. Foreign learner permits are not valid in Ireland and cannot be exchanged.
Ukrainian licence. Recognised for the duration of temporary protection and cannot be exchanged. See our page on car insurance for drivers with Ukrainian licences.
What insurers ask, and driving here in a UK-registered car
A motor proposal will typically ask which licence you hold and where it was issued, how long you have held it, and about your driving history. If you have a no-claims letter from a previous insurer abroad, have it ready; each insurer decides how it treats driving history from outside Ireland. Returning to Ireland after years away? Our guide to getting insured when you come home covers proving a no-claims bonus.
If you are visiting in a car registered and insured in the UK, you have not needed a Green Card since 2 August 2021. The cover you have in Ireland comes from your UK policy, so check with your UK insurer what applies beyond the legal minimum. GMIB.ie insures cars registered in Ireland.
Driving history from outside Ireland. Some of the insurers GMIB.ie works with recognise no-claims history earned abroad. You will need proof from your previous insurer, translated into English where it is not already, and the history has to be verified before it can be used: some insurers do that themselves, in other cases our agents do it. Acceptance varies by insurer, so tell us about your history when we call back and we will say what can be used on your quote.
If you are new to driving altogether, our first-time drivers page explains how a first policy works. GMIB.ie is rated 4.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. To talk it through first, call 0818 92 92 42, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
Sources: Citizens Information – foreign driving licences in Ireland; NDLS – exchanging a foreign driving licence; RSA – reduced EDT; Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) – Green Cards. Last reviewed September 2026.
