3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
Irish citizens travelling to Georgia to obtain a fast-track driving licence in loophole
Tonight Prime Time on RTÉ will explore how Irish citizens were travelling, in an agreement the that is no longer in operation.
Last week, Prime Time travelled to a driving school in Rustavi, a city near the Georgian capital Tbilisi, to look into the trend. Many Irish people travelled there after contacting Mika Vincheuski, a Belarusian living in Georgia who facilitates driving lessons and arranges test dates for non-Georgians who want to get their licence quickly.
'It's a fully legal process,' said Ms Vincheuski.
'People arrive in Georgia, take lessons, pass the tests, and get their licence. We just help them navigate the system.'
Georgia's fast and efficient process for driving tests has brought people to the country from all over the world, including some from Ireland.
Some companies offered licenses to Irish people in approximately 14 days, with applicants completing a theory test, parking exam and city driving exam for approximately €800.
Currently, the average waiting list in Ireland to get a driving test appointment is over 20 weeks. This is after you have completed a theory test, applied for a learner's permit and completed 12 lessons over the course of several months.
Ireland is also experiencing a large backlog of driving test applications with more than 83,000 applicants waiting for a driving test in April.
Prime Time met a number of Irish people who were in Georgia, who explained why they chose to make the journey. Among those who travelled to the country was Laura, who had passed her motorcycle test and received her licence. She plans to exchange it for the Irish equivalent within weeks of returning home.
"I did the motorcycle one, so it's been a success three days in: theory on the first day, on the third day then I did my test - passed, licence in hand," she said.
Prime Time has since learned that this process has been officially closed. The Georgian Ministry for Internal Affairs has confirmed to Prime Time that new legislation was enacted last week, requiring applicants for Georgian driving licences to have resided in the country for a minimum of 180 days. This move effectively halts a workaround increasingly used by Irish people facing long delays in the Irish driving test system.
The programme will also feature a follow-up to RTÉ Investigates: Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes.
