Help please

[Ihadaban2]

Hi, just new to the forum, trying to see if anyone can help me with a question I need answered.

I received a 1 year driving ban for drink driving 2 years ago in the UK.
I am now living in the Republic of Ireland. Although I have my licence back, which I received last year prior to moving to Ireland, I contacted a hire car company at a UK airport to see if I could hire a car when I am visiting relatives soon, and was told about the 5 year rule after receiving a drink driving ban.

Does anyone know if I could hire a car in the Republic of Ireland with my UK license, or does a drink driving ban in UK still make this not possible (5 year rule applies in Ireland also?).

I have been in Ireland long enough to apply for an Irish driving license, but think I need to have held this new license for at least a year before hiring a car, so not an option for now.

Thank you.

 

[price1367]

The 5 year rule applies in Ireland also, and pretty much worldwide.
you would have trouble exchanging your UK licence for an Irish one, this note appears in their guidance for exchange:
"If, however, you have been banned from driving in another jurisdiction (for example, for drink driving) it may not be possible for you to exchange your existing licence for an Irish driving licence."
So you would have to go down the route of applying for an Irish driving licence, providing you do pass the residency requirements, which would be a provisional, then pass the theory and practical. You would have had to have held the full licence for at least a year before being able to hire a car on that licence, so that process will take up a lot of time. Many companies require you to have held a full licence for much longer before hiring a car. For example Avis stipulate 3 years in the UK and 8 years in Ireland, at least 2 years of which must have been with a full licence.
Even then you would, in my view, have a problem with insurance. It would be iffy for insurance purposes to say, in Ireland, "I have no convictions in the past 5 years" when Ireland recognises our disqualifications under a reciprocal arrangement. It would be clearly wrong to do the same to drive in England, on the basis that "I don't have to disclose my ban here on an UK licence because I now have an Irish clean licence."
Taken at face value, the hire company might hire the car to you, because you are deceiving them, but you would then face problems if there was an accident and further enquiries were made, as you would have invalidated the insurance, also possibly made a false declaration to obtain insurance.

 

[Ihadaban2]

The 5 year rule applies in Ireland also, and pretty much worldwide.
you would have trouble exchanging your UK licence for an Irish one, this note appears in their guidance for exchange:
"If, however, you have been banned from driving in another jurisdiction (for example, for drink driving) it may not be possible for you to exchange your existing licence for an Irish driving licence."
So you would have to go down the route of applying for an Irish driving licence, providing you do pass the residency requirements, which would be a provisional, then pass the theory and practical. You would have had to have held the full licence for at least a year before being able to hire a car on that licence, so that process will take up a lot of time. Many companies require you to have held a full licence for much longer before hiring a car. For example Avis stipulate 3 years in the UK and 8 years in Ireland, at least 2 years of which must have been with a full licence.
Even then you would, in my view, have a problem with insurance. It would be iffy for insurance purposes to say, in Ireland, "I have no convictions in the past 5 years" when Ireland recognises our disqualifications under a reciprocal arrangement. It would be clearly wrong to do the same to drive in England, on the basis that "I don't have to disclose my ban here on an UK licence because I now have an Irish clean licence."
Taken at face value, the hire company might hire the car to you, because you are deceiving them, but you would then face problems if there was an accident and further enquiries were made, as you would have invalidated the insurance, also possibly made a false declaration to obtain insurance.

Thank you, Price1367
That clears that up for me. I think the hire car is out for me. No point hiring a car with no insurance, which is basically what I would be doing in event of an accident, and possibly involving some other poor soul driving legally insured, I made 1 bad choice already, but no desire to make another, just never new the in's and out's of it all, but thanks again for your help with this.