Car hire in Northern Ireland or abroad
This page gives details of what is needed when hiring a car in Northern Ireland or abroad.
Car hire
When hiring a car in Northern Ireland or abroad you will be asked to give evidence that you are a licence holder and the vehicles that you are covered to drive.
The Northern Ireland driving licence is made up of two parts and you can give evidence of your driving entitlement by showing both the plastic photocard licence and the paper counterpart. Both parts make up your driving licence and they will give evidence of:
- your driving licence number
- the types of vehicles you can drive
- any penalty points or disqualifications you may have
If a car hire company asks you for a ‘check-code’ or you need to give evidence of your driving entitlement you can go to the page below to view your own driving record or create a code to share your driving record.
If you have lost the paper part of your driving licence you will need to apply for a new driving licence. If there are no changes to your licence you can apply for a duplicate.
If you need to give evidence of your driving entitlement urgently you can apply for a ‘Certificate of Entitlement (CoE)’. This will give a summary of your driving entitlement.
To get a CoE you should phone or to write to the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) and include these details:
- your driver number
- your date of birth
- the postal or email address you want the ‘Certificate of Entitlement’ sent to
Post this letter along with a cheque (made out to the Driver & Vehicle Agency) or postal order for £7.50 to the DVA.
Visit Driver & Vehicle Agency - driver licensing for the DVA’s address and phone number.
If you have any further queries contact the DVA.