2. Prepare Yourself

You're on your way to becoming a safe, qualified Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) in Ireland.

But first, a few key points:

To satisfy the Registrar that you are a person of good repute and have your name entered on the ADI Register, you must:

be normally resident in Ireland to apply to become an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)
be medically fit to drive
hold a current full, valid driving licence for at least two years in each licence category for which you want to give instruction, e.g. category B (car and light van), category D (bus), etc.
only offer driving instruction in the licence categories for which you hold a full, valid driving licence for at least two years and for which you are an ADI
carry your full, valid driving licence and RSA ADI permit with you at all times while giving instruction
be tax compliant and in possession of a tax clearance certificate from Revenue (or a 6-digit tax clearance access number) so that the RSA can view and confirm your certificate

Prepare the documents you need
Prepare your vehicle

Prepare the documents you need

Make sure you have the right form of identity to bring with you to the stage 1 theory test. Otherwise you won't be able to take the test and will lose your test fee.

Only the following forms of identity are acceptable:

a full, valid driving licence
public services card (with photograph)
passports (valid for international use only or up to maximum 12 months expired)
Irish passport cards (valid for EU/EEA travel, not expired and in good condition)
national identity card from EU/EEA member states or Switzerland

You must be normally resident in Ireland to apply for an ADI permit or be able to prove that you were born in or have nationality of the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland or were granted residency status in Ireland.

Prepare your vehicle

Your vehicle must:

be roadworthy and the steering, brakes, front and rear lamps, indicators, reflectors, rear view mirrors, safety belts, speedometer, tyres, windscreen wipers, horn and silencer must be checked regularly
have a valid National Car Test (NCT) certificate, if applicable or a Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Test (CVRT) certificatecertificate for category C, category CE and category D vehicles
display valid, original insurance and motor tax discs.

If you can demonstrate that you have prior relevant driving and driving instruction experience or a relevant comparable qualification, the RSA Approved Driving Instructor Registrar can allow an exemption from all or part of the three-stage qualification process.

The RSA maintains a list of specialist trainers who can help you train to become a qualified Approved Driving Instructor.