Explainer: What you need to know about penalty points 

Penalty points help to enforce road rules and improve road safety. If you commit a motoring offence and the penalty includes penalty points, your driving licence will be endorsed with one or more penalty points.

Some traffic offences have other penalties, such as fines and imprisonment.

You will find the list of penalty points offences on the Road Safety Authority of Ireland website, rsa.ie. 

While penalty points are endorsed on your driving licence, the points do not physically appear on the licence. Your penalty points are recorded on your driving licence record, which is held on the National Vehicle and Driver File operated by the Department of Transport.

If you have penalty points endorsements on your licence record, you must notify your insurance company when applying for motor insurance.

Motor insurance companies have access to the National Vehicle and Driver File. Endorsements on your licence record will often lead to an increase in your motor insurance premium.

How do penalty points work?

Penalty points are recorded on your driving licence when you are convicted in court of a driving offence that attracts penalty points or you pay a fixed charge notice that was issued to you for an offence that also carries penalty points.

If you get 12 penalty points in any three years, you are automatically disqualified from driving for six months.

Learner permit drivers are disqualified if they have seven penalty points. This lower threshold also applies for the first two years of a driver’s first full driving licence.

How long do penalty points stay on my licence?

Penalty points remain on your licence record for three years. Any period where your licence is out of date or you are serving a court disqualification, does not count as part of the three years. If your driving licence is out of date, the points will only apply from whenever you renew your licence.

What happens to my licence if I have 12 penalty points or 7 where applicable?

If you get 12 penalty points (or 7 penalty points where applicable) you will be disqualified from driving. You must surrender your driving licence to the National Driver Licence Service within 14 days of the disqualification starting. The disqualification lasts for six months.

It is illegal not to surrender a licence and it is also illegal to drive while disqualified.

What would happen if someone else was driving my vehicle?

If the driving offence was detected by camera, the notice is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. If the registered owner was not driving at the time of the offence, they should fill out the Statement of Nomination of Name and Address of Driver of Vehicle section, giving details of the person who was driving. This should then be returned to the Fixed Charge Processing Office with the original notice.

You must do this within 28 days of the date of the notice. Do not enclose payment. The gardaí then issue a notice to the driver.

Do penalty points apply to all Irish driving licences?

Yes. Penalty points apply to both learner permits and full Irish driving licences.

Penalty points also apply to drivers with foreign driving licences driving in Ireland.

If someone is driving in Ireland on a foreign licence, a record will be created for penalty points. If the driver accumulates 12 penalty points in three years, they are disqualified from driving in Ireland.

How do you find out how many penalty points you have on your driving licence?

Complete the Driver’s Statement Form. Fill in the details as it appears on your licence. You select the option to receive it by email or post. There is no charge.

What happens if you have penalty points from other jurisdictions?

Penalty points from other countries (including EU/EEA member states and the UK) are not recognised between states. Although a European Convention on driving disqualifications was signed by the member states in 1998, it is not currently in force.

However, the UK and Ireland have a separate agreement that allows each country to recognise disqualifications (but not penalty points) due to certain offences.

Can penalty points be cancelled?

If you have been issued with penalty points (or a fixed charge without penalty points), you can apply to the gardaí for the points to be cancelled. You will have to show there are good procedural or exceptional grounds for cancellation. You can get the Fixed Charge Notice Cancellation Request Form and guidance notes on filling out the form on www.garda.ie.

Further information on this and other topics is available from Cork City Centre CIC in Cornmarket Street, open to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9.45am to 12.30pm and Wednesdays from 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6950 (Lines open Mon-Fri 10am-4.30pm). Blackpool CIC is also open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel 0818 07 6890 while Hollyhill CIC is open Mondays and Fridays from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm, Tel: 0818 07 6850.

Information is also available from the Citizens Information Phone Service Tel: 0818 07 4000 (9am - 8pm, Mon - Fri) or online at www.citizensinformation.ie.