Designated Countries
Designated countries are:
Barbados
British Virgin Islands
Hong Kong
Japan
Malta
Republic of Cyprus
Singapore
Switzerland
Zimbabwe
Visitors
If you are resident outside the UK, are temporarily in this country and hold full ordinary entitlement you can drive any category of vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes and with up to 16 passenger seats shown on your licence for up to 12 months from the date you last entered Northern Ireland whether or not you brought the vehicle into NI. If you also hold full entitlement to drive large lorries or buses you are only allowed to drive large vehicles registered outside NI that you have driven into the country.
Residents
Provided your full licence remains valid, you can drive small vehicles for 12 months from the time you became resident. To ensure continuous driving entitlement a NI licence must be obtained before this period elapses, by exchanging your licence for a NI one. If you do not do this you must stop driving although you may apply to exchange your licence at any time within 5 years of becoming resident.
Vocational Designated Licence Holders
New residents may not drive medium or large vehicles or passenger carrying vehicles until they have passed the relevant NI driving test.
Gibraltar vocational licence holders can drive for 12 months, and can exchange a valid vocational licence within 5 years of date of residency.
