AQW 9991/22-27

Mr Peter McReynolds
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 12/04/2024
Answered On Date: 29/04/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure why residents holding a Great Britain provisional license are unable to book a driving test with the Driver and Vehicle Agency.

Answer:

In order to take a practical driving test in the North, it is a legal requirement that the candidate must be normally a resident, which means that a person lives here for at least 185 days in each calendar year.

Learner drivers who hold a GB provisional driving licence are asked to successfully demonstrate residency here, through completion of a residency check, before their practical driving test can be booked. This process is in place to ensure compliance with the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (NI) 1996 and the Road Traffic (NI) Order 1981, both as amended. Once a residency declaration has been approved, a practical driving test can be booked.

There are currently no plans to change the process for GB provisional driving licence holders living here to apply for a practical driving test.