THE MINISTER FOR Transport has announced a new agreement which allows the mutual exchange of driving licences between Ireland and the Canadian province of Ontario.

Under the agreement, Irish citizens living and working in Ontario will be able to use their Irish licence to drive, and people from Ontario can use their Canadian licences while living in Ireland.

Minister Leo Varadkar said he was “very pleased” the agreement had been reached, adding that it has been “sought for some time by Irish people living in the province”.

Ontario has the largest number of Irish residents of any Canadian province and this agreement will allow them to exchange their Irish driving licences for Ontario licences, rather than having to register as learner drivers.

Varadkar thanked the Road Safety Authority, the Irish Embassy in Canada and the authorities in Ontario for their work on the agreement. He said he hopes that, having reached this agreement, “it should be possible to reach speedy agreements with other Canadian provinces”.

Regulations governing the agreement will be introduced within the next fortnight, according to the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.