Short answer: an SPSV driver licence lasts five years and is renewed through the Garda with form PSV 18 for 250 euro (300 euro up to 30 days late, 400 euro up to 12 months late, then no renewal at all). A vehicle licence is renewed every year at an NTA Licence Renewal Assessment for 150 euro (75 euro for wheelchair accessible vehicles, 500 euro if late). No test is needed for either, with two exceptions covered below.
Two licences, two renewals, two different offices. Get the clocks right and neither costs you a day off the road. Everything here is from section 2.4 and section 4.3 of the NTA Official Manual 8.1 and the two renewal pages on nationaltransport.ie, checked in October 2026.
Driver licence renewal
When
- The licence is valid for up to five years. The expiry date is on the licence and on your driver display card; the Manual says knowing it is your responsibility.
- You can apply from three months before expiry. The NTA sends a reminder in that window. The new licence runs five years from your current expiry date, so applying early loses you nothing.
- The Garda side can take 12 weeks or longer. Apply in the first week of the three-month window and the new smart card and display card arrive before the old ones stop working.
- Miss the date and you cannot work. Driving an SPSV on an expired licence carries a fine of up to 5,000 euro.
Fees
| Renewal submitted | Fee |
|---|---|
| Before the licence expires | 250 euro |
| Up to 30 days after expiry | 300 euro |
| More than 30 days but within 12 months after expiry | 400 euro |
| More than 12 months after expiry | Cannot be renewed. New application, including the SPSV Driver Entry Test. |
The Manual describes three licence states. Active: you may work. Inactive: expired, you may not work, renewable within 12 months. Timed out: expired over 12 months, gone for good. A timed-out driver starts from scratch: the 90 euro test, both modules, the free Safeguarding and Disability Awareness course, the 250 euro fee and a fresh Garda application. If that is you, the format has changed since you last sat it (the Area Knowledge module was rewritten in October 2025), so begin with a mock exam before you book.
Documents
The checklist is the new-licence checklist minus the test certificate and the course:
- The NTA receipt for the renewal fee.
- Proof of tax clearance (your Revenue Tax Clearance Access Number).
- Your driving licence and an up-to-date NDLS driver history (Driver Statement).
- Three photographs to passport standard, roughly 10 cm by 7 cm.
- Your current SPSV driver licence.
- The signed undertakings and declarations from the form: not driving an SPSV for more than 11 hours on any three consecutive days, details of any other job (and, if it involves driving, proof the employer knows), your health, and no conviction for the offences listed in the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016.
Steps
- Call the NTA on 0818 064 000 and pay the fee by card. The NTA sends a receipt; keep it for the application. The fee is non-refundable, so make sure you still meet the Garda conditions before paying.
- Collect and complete form PSV 18 at your local Garda station. In Dublin, the Carriage Office handles it.
- Submit the form with everything on the checklist to the Garda station (or Carriage Office).
- The Garda check the application and, if approved, grant the licence (PSV 17) for up to five years.
- The NTA posts your new driver display card and smart card and updates the SPSV public register.
The two cases where a test comes back
- Timed out. Expired more than 12 months: full SPSV Driver Entry Test, both modules.
- Complaints. The Manual (section 1.5) says that if the NTA receives three or more complaints about your area knowledge in the previous three years, you may be asked to sit and pass the Area Knowledge Test before your licence is renewed. That is the 36-question county module on its own, 75% to pass; the county practice here is built for exactly that module.
Local area hackney driver licences are different: valid for up to five years, not renewable. When one runs out the holder applies for a new licence.
Vehicle licence renewal
When
- A vehicle licence usually runs 12 months. Once the car is more than 10 years old it runs 6 months at a time. If the car is close to its maximum age, the licence only lasts until that birthday (Appendix A of the Manual has the age tables).
- You can renew from 60 days before expiry. The new licence starts the day after the old one ends, so early renewal does not shorten it.
- Inspection centres are not open every day and are often fully booked. Start early enough that the car is inspected before the licence expires.
- A local area hackney licence must be renewed within three months of expiry, for up to five years from first issue; after that it is a new application.
Fees
| Licence | Yearly renewal | Late renewal (after expiry) |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi | 150 euro | 500 euro |
| Wheelchair accessible taxi | 75 euro | 500 euro |
| Hackney | 150 euro | 500 euro |
| Wheelchair accessible hackney | 75 euro | 500 euro |
| Limousine | 150 euro | 500 euro |
| Local area hackney | 150 euro | 500 euro |
An expired vehicle licence can be replaced for up to 24 months after the expiry date. After 24 months it cannot be replaced, and because new standard taxi and hackney licences are not issued, a lapsed standard licence is lost for good.
Documents for the Licence Renewal Assessment
- Original insurance certificate in the name of the licence holder.
- Proof that you own the vehicle or have a legal right to use it (lease or hire purchase) for at least 12 months.
- An NCT certificate issued within 90 days of the assessment date. In date is not enough: it must have been issued in the last 90 days.
- If the vehicle has been modified since its last inspection, a Technical Assessor’s Basic Report, with a copy to leave at the centre.
- Tax clearance. Renewals are granted only to people whose tax affairs are up to date.
Booking
- Call 0818 064 000. Only the licence holder can book, and security questions confirm who is calling. The renewal fee is paid at booking.
- Cancel or move the appointment free up to two working days before. On the working day before, a late cancellation fee applies. On the day itself, nothing can be changed, and a no-show forfeits the whole fee.
- The assessment covers the same checks as the first inspection: glass, boot, meter, roof sign, branding, discs. Our suitability test checklist lists them.
Renewal fees at a glance
| Item | How often | On time | Late |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPSV driver licence | Every 5 years | 250 euro | 300 euro (30 days), 400 euro (12 months), then a new test |
| Taxi, hackney, limousine, local area hackney vehicle licence | Yearly (6-monthly over 10 years old) | 150 euro | 500 euro, within 24 months |
| Wheelchair accessible taxi or hackney vehicle licence | Yearly (6-monthly over 10 years old) | 75 euro | 500 euro, within 24 months |
All the other fees, from the 90 euro test to the 1,000 euro limousine licence, are in the taxi licence cost guide. Adding a second county to an existing licence is not a renewal: it is the Area Knowledge module for that county, sat on its own, and the Area Knowledge guide explains what it tests since the 2025 rewrite.