Ireland's licensing chain is short enough to check at each step: theory test, learner permit, Essential Driver Training, driving test, licence. Each step is booked or applied for on an official site, and each has a fee you can compare against what a seller asks. The guides below follow that chain.
Start here, by situation
| Your situation | Read this |
|---|---|
| Someone offered me an Irish licence | Can you buy an Irish driving licence? |
| Someone offered to sit my theory test | Fake theory test certificates |
| A page claiming to be NDLS asked for money | NDLS look-alike pages |
| I paid or sent documents | What to do now |
| I want to start properly | How to get a driving licence |
| I hold a foreign licence | Exchange a foreign licence |
| I lost my licence | Lost or stolen licence |
Scam guides
- Buy an Irish driving licence: the pillar guide, with the legal ceilings and the real fees side by side.
- Fake Irish driving licences: three reported District Court cases and what they ended in.
- Fake theory test certificates: the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau investigation and the sentences.
- Buying a learner permit: why 114 permits were revoked.
- NDLS look-alike pages: the 2020 warning and the real addresses.
- I paid a scammer: the first hour, day and week.
The official route, step by step
- How to get a driving licence: the sequence and the €240 in official fees.
- Driver theory test: €45, ID rules, the one official booking site.
- Learner permit: who can accompany you, EDT and the six-month rule.
- Driving test: €85, MyRoadSafety and waiting times.
- Driver number: where box 4d is and who should see it.
Licence you already hold
- Exchange a foreign licence: EU/EEA, recognised states, everyone else.
- Renew a driving licence and replace a lost one.
- International driving permit: €15 and a one-year validity.
- Penalty points and driver statements: how to ask NDLS.
For checks and reporting across all documents, see official checks and where to report. Passports and Safe Pass are on the documents hub.
The licensing chain, with the fee at each step
| Step | Fee (checked 5 October 2026) | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Driver theory test | €45 | Theory test |
| Learner permit | €45 | Learner permit |
| Essential Driver Training | Instructor's price; 12 sessions | EDT and the six-month rule |
| Driving test | €85 for a car | Driving test |
| Licence | €65 | The whole route |
What the evidence says about each scam type
- Test impersonation: best documented, with sentences and revoked permits.
- NDLS look-alikes: a 2020 Garda and RSA warning; search results still show pages styled as NDLS.
- Fake cards: three reported District Court cases, all found by gardaí.
- Look-alike renewals and replacements: the same pattern as the 2020 warning, with the fee comparison on the renewal and lost-licence pages.
Reference pages for every case
The official checks page lists what holders can check. Scam red flags matches warning signs to each step, the law page gives the ceilings, and the case log records what courts have done. If you are not sure which page applies, start with the pillar guide on buying a licence.
Where the official fees are checked
Every fee on this hub comes from an NDLS or RSA page opened on 5 October 2026: the NDLS fee table, the RSA driving test terms and conditions, and the official theory test booking site. If any figure differs from the live page when you read this, trust the live page and tell us on the contact page. We log changes on the corrections page.
How to use these guides together
If you were offered something, read the pillar guide first, then the scam page for that step. If you were not, go straight to the official route. Either way, finish on where to report if you saw an advert you think is fraudulent.