One new hurdle to clear to get your Irish driver’s license
Here we go again with a little bit of our very favourite Irish bureaucracy.... It's come to my attention that those of you wishing to get an Irish drivers license upon arrival in Ireland will now need to go about getting a Public Services Card (PSC) first. I promise you I haven't been living under a rock, but where did this come from?!
The PSC is a card that is issued from the Dept of Social Protection. You can read all about it here. The reason that I came across this new information earlier this week is because the PSC card has been in the news for a couple of different reasons this week. It's been the source of some negative headlines, largely due to the fact that it's reach seems to be expanding, and the data contained on it is possibly available to a significantly larger number of entities that the Government were originally informing the public about. If you want to read more about that, RTE.ie and Independent.ie have some info. I'm not going to regurgitate all the details here, but it seems a bit odd to me that a card that is being described as non-compulsary is being required for things such as a passport and drivers license.
For now, the licensing step that requires that you provide the PSC as proof of identity is the Theory Test. TheoryTest.ie is informing us that it will be the only form of acceptable identification. At that link they mention that you can apply "directly on the website" for a PSC, but that appears to be a bit misleading. You do need to go in person after you make your appointment online.
For planning purposes I recommend you figure out now, ahead of your move if possible, what is required of you when applying for the PSC. Essentially, to receive this form of identification you need to provide a) a superior form of identification (funny, eh!) e.g. a passport, and b) proof of residence. All the details are available on welfare.ie
Playing in the background!
Carrying on with the music theme from before, and going with an Irish singer-songwriter this time, I had Damien Rice singing along for this blogpost. I'm relatively new to his music, but I'm slowly getting into it (a long drive to work in the car helps). Check out Cannonball for something nice and soothing.
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I recently got my learners permit and there is one more little Irish hitch.
We are here on a stamp 0 so don’t qualify for a Public Services card, but need one for a license. In order to GET a public services card, you have to prove you need one. Go to the drivers licence office and show them everything you have, they will look at it and tell you you don’t qualify bc you need the card, and give you a receipt telling you that you were denied bc you need one. Call the folks in charge of the cards (this took one hour on hold before the quarantine so be prepared)and make an appointment. Bring the receipt with you to the appointment.
You need proof of your drivers record to get your lessons reduced from 12 to 6. You can to this online you just need a printer and $25 (or thereabouts).
Please feel free to contact me if you need any support.
Also- I did get my insurance renewed right before the quarantine with only my permit.
My goodness! Such an effort. Thank you for sharing this information with us, Molly.