Photo: Thirdman / Pexels. Illustrative photograph.
Most heart conditions, a past stroke, fainting and sleep apnoea do not stop you getting an Irish learner permit, but several of them mean a short break from driving or a medical report first. For a car (Group 1), the guidelines say no driving for 4 weeks after a stroke and 1 week after a TIA. A simple faint with a clear trigger does not need to be reported. Moderate or severe sleep apnoea that causes daytime sleepiness means no driving until treatment controls it.
These are the Group 1 rules in Sláinte agus Tiomáint and its driver leaflets, 13th edition, April 2026. Your doctor or specialist will advise when you personally can drive again.
Stroke and TIA
| Event | Group 1 rule | Tell the NDLS? |
|---|---|---|
| TIA (mini-stroke) | No driving for 1 week | No |
| Stroke | No driving for 4 weeks, then drive if clinical recovery is satisfactory | Only if a significant problem remains after 4 weeks, especially with visual field, thinking or attention, or limb function |
Minor limb weakness alone does not need to be reported unless you need a particular type of vehicle or adapted controls. Some drivers also need an on-road assessment with a specialist. If you will need an adapted car, see Learning to drive in Ireland with a disability.
Fainting and blackouts
| Type of episode | Group 1 rule | Tell the NDLS? |
|---|---|---|
| Simple faint (reflex vasovagal syncope) with a clear trigger, warning signs, and not likely to happen sitting or lying down | Permitted to drive | No |
| A single blackout that is probably a simple faint, with a normal ECG and no sign of heart disease | Permitted to drive | No |
| A single blackout likely to be heart-related | No driving for 6 months if no cause is found; 3 months if the cause is found and treated | Yes, if no cause is found |
Warning signs that a blackout may be heart-related include an abnormal ECG, signs of heart disease, an episode at the wheel or while sitting or lying, or more than one episode in 6 months. Other unexplained blackouts are assessed by a specialist.
Heart conditions
Group 1 rules from the guidelines’ cardiovascular chapter:
- Heart attack or unstable angina: if successfully treated by angioplasty, no driving for 1 week, provided no other urgent procedure is planned and your heart’s pumping function meets the standard. Otherwise, no driving for 4 weeks.
- Angina: stop if you have symptoms at rest, with emotion or at the wheel; drive again when symptoms are under control.
- Planned angioplasty or stent: no driving for 2 days.
- Atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmia causing dizziness or fainting: no driving until the cause is identified and controlled for at least 4 weeks. The NDLS need not be told unless symptoms are distracting or disabling.
- Pacemaker: no driving for 1 week after it is fitted.
- Open heart surgery (bypass): at least 4 weeks.
- Catheter ablation (not for a ventricular arrhythmia): at least 2 days.
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD): depends on why it was fitted and whether it has delivered a shock. For an ICD fitted after a dangerous heart rhythm, the guidelines say no driving for 6 months after the first implant; for a preventive ICD in someone without symptoms, 4 weeks. Your cardiologist will confirm what applies.
Any heart medicine that causes side effects affecting driving, such as drowsiness, means you should not drive.
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSAS)
Moderate or severe OSAS with excessive daytime sleepiness must be reported. The guidelines define moderate as an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) of 15 to 29 and severe as 30 or more, both with excessive daytime sleepiness.
- You must not drive until your symptoms are controlled with ongoing treatment, confirmed by a medical professional, and you keep using your treatment. If you use CPAP, ask your sleep clinic what nightly use they need to see, and bring your machine’s usage record to reviews; the full rules are in Sláinte agus Tiomáint on rsa.ie and ndls.ie.
- After that, you are reviewed periodically, and a 1 to 3-year licence may be granted.
- Narcolepsy is covered separately in the neurology chapter.
The OSAS leaflet stresses that the responsibility not to drive while sleepy rests with the driver.
Driver information leaflets
The NDLS publishes plain-language health and driving leaflets, including ones on stroke and TIA, OSAS, epilepsy and diabetes, plus one for drivers recently treated in an emergency department. They are on ndls.ie, and are worth printing for your GP appointment.
Related: Epilepsy and driving in Ireland and Tiredness, drugs and road rage. Back to the hub: Driving with a medical condition or disability in Ireland.
Sources
- Road Safety Authority and National Office for Traffic Medicine, “Sláinte agus Tiomáint: Medical Fitness to Drive Guidelines”, 13th edition, April 2026, Chapters 2, 3 and 9 (rsa.ie)
- National Driver Licence Service, health and driving information leaflets, including “OSAS and Driving” (ndls.ie)