Ireland on a Swiss Licence — Accepted, IDP Recommended, and You Drive Left

A Swiss driver arrives in Ireland with one familiar rule and one unfamiliar habit to break. The alcohol limit is the same as home, which is one less thing to recalculate. Driving on the left, after a lifetime on the right, is the part that takes real care.

The verdict: accepted, with an IDP recommended

A Swiss licence is accepted for tourist driving in Ireland, and an International Driving Permit is recommended to carry alongside it. The IDP provides a recognised translation of your licence and avoids friction at rental desks or a police check. Carry the IDP, your Swiss licence and your passport together, and sort the permit in Switzerland before you travel.

Right to left is the real work

Switzerland drives on the right; Ireland drives on the left. The switch is most dangerous in the reflexive moments — entering a roundabout that now flows clockwise, pulling out of a junction, or looking the wrong way before a turn. The driver sits on the right of the car, which changes how you judge your position in the lane. Take your first hour somewhere quiet, away from Dublin traffic, and stay deliberate at every manoeuvre until left-side driving feels natural.

Narrow roads, roundabouts and a familiar alcohol rule

Irish rural roads are the surprise after Switzerland’s well-engineered network: many are single-track, hedged tight with blind bends, and shared with tractors, cyclists and oncoming cars. Roundabouts handle most junctions, so be ready to give way to the right. Limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 on rural roads and 120 on motorways. The alcohol limit is 0.05 BAC, identical to Switzerland, so no recalculation is needed there. Speed is enforced by fixed cameras and mobile patrols, and a standard offence is a EUR 80 fixed charge plus three penalty points.

Read the full rules on our Ireland driving guide, confirm your documents with the Driving Permit Checker, and check Irish limits on the Speed Limit Map before you set off.