Moldovan driving licences can be exchanged in Ireland without driving test

Citizens of the Republic of Moldova who are legally residing in Ireland can exchange their Moldovan driving licence for an Irish one without having to retake the theoretical and practical exams, according to the Public Services Agency (ASP).

The agreement between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova and the Department of Transport of Ireland, signed in Dublin on 8 April 2026, entered into force on 24 July 2026.

“Thus, persons who hold a valid Moldovan driving licence and have legal residence in Ireland can exchange it for an equivalent Irish licence, without taking a driving test,” ASP explains.

The agreement applies to Moldovan licences for the categories and subcategories B, BE, C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1, D1E and H, provided that they were obtained for the first time starting from 8 May 2022.

Category B on the Moldovan licence will be exchanged for categories B and W, the latter being the tractor category in the Irish system.

“There are also special situations. If a category was obtained after 8 May 2022 and the categories on which it was based were obtained before that date, the Irish authorities will also accept the prior categories for conversion. In addition, persons who took the exam up to 8 May 2022 on a vehicle with manual transmission and later obtained an additional category on a vehicle with automatic transmission will receive the Irish licence with the note ‘automatic transmission’ for the respective categories,” the cited source specifies.

The reciprocal exchange does not apply to Moldovan licences that were previously obtained by exchanging licences issued by states with which Ireland does not have a similar agreement. Provisional driving licences issued in the Republic of Moldova also cannot be exchanged. The agreement likewise does not apply to Irish licences intended exclusively for learning to drive, known as “learner permits”.

The authorities note that the agreement thus simplifies the procedure for Moldovan citizens legally settled in Ireland, who can convert their national licence into an Irish one without having to repeat the driving tests.