Work permits for HGV drivers in Ireland: licences, CPC and how to apply
In short: HGV drivers can get a General Employment Permit in Ireland if they hold a valid category CE or C1E licence. The salary must be at least €36,605, and the employer normally advertises the job for 28 days first. Drivers with licences from South Africa, Australia, Japan, Georgia or South Korea can get a permit on that licence for up to two years, but need an Irish licence to renew it.
Driving jobs are mostly on the Ineligible List of Occupations, but HGV drivers with the right licence are an exception. Van drivers, taxi drivers and forklift drivers are still ineligible.
The licence you need
The job must need, and you must hold, a valid CE (truck with trailer, or articulated truck) or C1E (small truck with trailer) licence. A copy of the licence goes in with the application.
Licences from recognised countries
Ireland has agreements recognising CE and C1E licences from five countries outside the EEA:
- South Africa
- Australia
- Japan
- Georgia
- South Korea
From our experience: many of the HGV permits we prepare are for South African licence holders, including a lot of Zimbabwean drivers who hold South African licences. Watch the naming: on a South African licence the category is shown as EC, which is the equivalent of the Irish CE.
If your licence is from one of these countries, a permit can be granted on it for up to two years. To renew the permit, you’ll need an Irish CE or C1E licence, so plan to exchange your licence during the first permit.
Licences from other countries
If your licence is from a country without an exchange agreement, you’d need to go through the Irish licensing process, from the car theory test up to the truck test, before you can drive a truck professionally here.
One delay to plan for: processing on the South African licensing side can add a few weeks to an application, and that’s outside anyone’s control, including the employer’s and ours. Start that part early.
Where we come in: we check the driver’s licence category and country before anything else, and flag early if the licence will need exchanging before the permit is renewed, so the renewal isn’t a surprise two years later.
Driver CPC
All HGV drivers in Ireland need a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), and permit holders are expected to meet the same rules. The Road Safety Authority sets out the route:
- Licence from an exchange country, issued before 10 September 2009: exchange it for an Irish licence with the same truck category, then do 35 hours (five modules) of CPC training.
- Licence from an exchange country, issued on or after 10 September 2009: exchange it, then pass both CPC theory tests and the walk-around test.
- After that, the CPC card lasts five years and you do one training module every year.
The salary
| Hours a week | Minimum annual salary |
|---|---|
| 39 hours | €36,605 (€18.05 an hour) |
| 40 hours | €37,544 |
Only basic pay counts. Overtime, allowances and bonuses don’t count towards the minimum.
What the employer does
- Advertise the job on JobsIreland and one other online jobs platform, both for 28 days in a row, showing the job, the employer, the location, the hours and the minimum pay. This is the Labour Market Needs Test.
- Check the 50:50 rule: at least half the company’s staff must be EEA nationals when the application goes in.
- Apply on Employment Permits Online within 90 days of the advert first appearing, with the signed contract, the driver’s licence and passport, and recent Revenue returns.
- Plan the start date. The Department asks for applications at least 12 weeks before the job starts. On 28 October 2026 it was working on new General Employment Permit applications received on 22 September 2026.
Where we come in: we handle steps 1, 3 and 4 with you: drafting the adverts, checking the 50:50 position, and preparing the application so the start date is realistic.
Common questions
Can I get a permit with a category C licence only? The exception is for CE and C1E licence holders, so talk to us before applying.
Can bus and coach drivers get a permit? Yes, a separate exception covers drivers with a category D, DE, D1 or D1E licence, or a recognised overseas equivalent.
What about HGV mechanics? HGV and bus mechanics can get a General Employment Permit within a quota, which was renewed in May 2026.
Can my family join me? Family members of General Employment Permit holders apply to Immigration Service Delivery, and the permit holder must meet income thresholds. We can check your case.
How Work Permit Consultants can help
We prepare HGV driver applications for haulage, distribution and logistics companies. Work Permit Consultants has prepared employment permit applications since 2007, and our team’s background includes work permit policy at the Department of Enterprise, so we know how the Department reads an application.
For an HGV driver application, we:
- check the licence (CE or C1E, and whether it’s from a recognised country) and the CPC position
- plan ahead for the renewal, when an Irish licence will be needed
- check the salary against the threshold, counting only basic pay
- draft the adverts for the Labour Market Needs Test and track the deadlines
- prepare and submit the application as your agent, and follow it up with the Department
Hiring several drivers? We can plan the applications as a group so the adverts and timings line up. Get a free assessment or send us a message. For the whole process, see our step-by-step guide.
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