International Driving Permit in Ireland

🗓 Facts checked against Ireland's road-traffic law and official sources. Research last updated: 29 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Ireland: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Ireland?
• What side of the road does Ireland drive on?
• How long can you drive in Ireland with a foreign licence?
• Is Ireland a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Ireland with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Ireland? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Ireland tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Ireland
• Sources

Driving in Ireland: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Ireland?

An IDP is conditional, not universal. Per RSA and Citizens Information guidance, a visitor with a licence from outside the EU/EEA and outside Ireland's recognised-state list may drive for up to 12 months only when also holding an IDP from the home country; EU/EEA and recognised-state visitors drive on their national licence alone. In Irish law only the 1949 Geneva IDP is defined (S.I. No. 384/1992 defines 'international driving permit' as one issued under the Convention of 1949), and NDLS issues only 1949 and 1926 IDPs — the 1968 Vienna format has no defined status. Strictly, S.I. 384/1992 art. 9 lets a visitor drive on any foreign domestic licence without an IDP, so the IDP condition is administrative guidance — but carry one: it is the stated official position. Always carry the national licence with the IDP.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.
• Car renters: Drive on the left. Carry the original current national licence, any required IDP, passport or identity document, rental papers and insurance evidence.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Official source.

What side of the road does Ireland drive on?

Ireland drives on the left-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the right. Cars in Ireland are right-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Ireland with a foreign licence?

A visitor may drive for up to 12 months on a current valid foreign licence. EU/EEA and recognised-state licences suffice alone; for any other state the RSA adds the condition that the visitor also holds an IDP from the home country. The clock is the temporary visit and ends on taking up normal residence (185 days/year), even before 12 months elapse. (Road Safety Authority, Foreign Licences)

Planning to move to Ireland? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Ireland a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Ireland is a Contracting Party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, but not to the 1968 Vienna Convention.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: accession on 31 May 1962.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Ireland with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Ireland as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Ireland admits visiting drivers for up to 12 months. EU/EEA licences and licences from 16 recognised jurisdictions (Australia, Canada [7 provinces], Georgia, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, Moldova, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK incl. Northern Ireland) are accepted alone; a visitor licensed by any other state must also carry an IDP from the home country under RSA guidance. The visitor permission ends when normal residence begins. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• IDP required — the destination requires an IDP in addition to your national licence. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says which IDP to carry and what else to carry with it.
• Not recognised — the record shows no route to drive here as a visitor on this licence; ask the local authorities about conversion or a temporary permit. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what stands in the way.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Citizens Information, Foreign driving licences in Ireland (ed. 28 Apr 2026); RSA Foreign Licences; NDLS recognised-state list

[2] UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General — status of the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-1) and of the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (chapter XI-B-19) — XI-B-1, XI-B-19

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Ireland? Ireland's official IDPs are issued by National Driver Licence Service (NDLS, Road Safety Authority). Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Ireland? Rules for new residents

The visitor permission ends when normal residence (at least 185 days per calendar year) is taken up. EU/EEA licence holders keep driving under the EU/EEA validity rule and may exchange within 10 years of expiry. Recognised-state holders must exchange; holders from any other state must qualify for an Irish licence through the full process. Official source.

Driving rules in Ireland tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: Use seat belts and approved child restraints. Before accepting a rental, confirm it carries the operator's required breakdown and safety kit; the reviewed official visitor sources do not establish a universal private-car warning-triangle requirement.
• Drink-driving: The ordinary limit is 50 mg alcohol per 100 ml blood (0.05%). A 20 mg/100 ml limit (0.02%) applies to learner, novice (licence held 2 years or less) and professional drivers. For an ordinary driver in the 50-80 mg/100 ml blood range, the fixed penalty is EUR 200 and a 3-month disqualification (Citizens Information). Higher readings mean court and longer disqualifications (6 months to years); specified drivers (learner/novice/professional) face the same EUR 200 + 3 months from 21 mg.
• Speed limits: Default/signed limits: 50 km/h built-up areas, 80 km/h regional and local roads (many rural local roads reduced to a default 60 km/h from 7 February 2025), 100 km/h national roads, 120 km/h motorways; 30 km/h urban zones are widespread. The posted sign is decisive.
• Drive on the left. Carry the original current national licence, any required IDP, passport or identity document, rental papers and insurance evidence.
• The default limit on many rural local roads changed from 80 km/h to 60 km/h on 7 February 2025. Road signs remain decisive, especially while the national speed-limit review is implemented in stages.
• Seat belts and appropriate child restraints are mandatory. Do not use a hand-held phone, and never assume a motorway hard shoulder is a normal traffic lane.

Read more about driving in Ireland

• How to convert your driving licence into an Irish?
• International Driving in Ireland | International Driving License and Permit
• 10 Interesting Facts About Ireland
• What is Ireland famous for?

Watch what driving in Ireland looks like

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Road Safety Authority, Foreign Licences
3. Resident licence conversion rule
4. Citizens Information: recognised-state list and visitor rules (ed. 28 Apr 2026)
5. NDLS IDP guidance (1949 and 1926 formats issued)
6. S.I. No. 384/1992 — visitor recognition norm; 'driving permit' and 1949-IDP definitions
7. Road Traffic Act 2006 s. 12 as enacted (historical basis of s. 38 fines)
8. RSA vehicle categories and minimum ages
9. 2025 rural local-road speed-limit change (80 to 60 km/h)
10. Citizens Information: BAC limits and fixed-penalty amounts
11. Garda emergency numbers
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
13. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic