Minister Darragh O’Brien TD has welcomed confirmation that motorists over the age of 70 can now renew their driving licences by post. At present only those aged 70 and over who renew their licence on a yearly basis are invited to renew it by post. As a temporary measure, given the situation with COVID-19, the RSA, through its licensing service the NDLS, will expand the postal renewal option, to those over 70 who renew their licence every three years.
Those 70 years of age and over will be contacted directly by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and invited to renew their licence or permit by post. Commenting Minister O’Brien said, “In these difficult times it’s important that we take practical steps to protect those most vulnerable to the disease and that includes older people. Taking away the need for them to present at an NDLS centre to renew their licence is one such measure. “As well as this, those 70 and over do not need to provide a medical report when applying for their licence unless they have a specific medical condition. This is a temporary exemption which takes some pressure of the health system and is in place until the end of the year.
“You do not need to contact the NDLS directly about your application as they will be sending out application packs to those whose licence is up for renewal. There is no fee required as customers 70 years of age and over are exempt from paying the cost of a driving licence or permit renewal. “For anyone unsure about their renewal date, given the periods of extension since the pandemic began, they can check the expiry date calculator tool has been developed on ndls.ie,” he concluded.
