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The first 30 days in Ireland – the checklist, in the order that actually works

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

You have landed with a folder of documents, and every form asks for something you do not have yet. Ireland issues your identity piece by piece – PPS number, Irish Residence Permit, bank account – and each one asks for proof of the last. Here is the order that works for your first 30 days in Ireland.

Woman with a coffee cup, handbag and rolling suitcase standing outside an airport terminal
Photo: rh2010/Adobe Stock

If you are moving to Ireland in 2026, some rules changed just before you arrived. Since 13 January 2025, every first-time immigration registration in the Republic takes place at the Burgh Quay office of ISD (Immigration Service Delivery) in Dublin, and renewals are online only. Since 1 March 2026, a Critical Skills Employment Permit needs a salary of at least €40,904 and a General Employment Permit €36,605. The logic of the first 30 days in Ireland has not changed.

That logic is simple. The PPS number (Personal Public Service number) from the Department of Social Protection opens tax, welfare and health services; the IRP (Irish Residence Permit) from ISD proves that a non-EEA national is here lawfully; the bank wants a proof of address, and a proof of address needs a home. Each step asks for the one before it.

Before you travel: settle your right to be in Ireland

Ireland is not in the Schengen Area, so you enter with a passport or national identity card even from another EU country. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can stay three months without restriction, six if job-seeking, and never register with the immigration authorities; UK citizens live and work here without restriction under the Common Travel Area. Everyone else needs a permission first: an employment permit is applied for from outside Ireland, at least 12 weeks before the start date, and a tourist cannot switch to work after arrival. Part 2 covers the routes.

Citizens Information advises booking somewhere to stay before you arrive; Threshold gives renters free advice on 1800 454 454, Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm. If you come from an EU or EEA country, bring form U1, your social insurance record, so that contributions made at home count towards Irish benefits.

The first 30 days in Ireland, step by step

Non-EEA nationals have one extra strand, the ISD appointment, which runs in parallel with everything else.

StepWhatWhere and when
1Pass immigration; non-EEA arrivals get a landing stamp for up to three monthsAirport or port; by land from Northern Ireland, report to an immigration officer within 30 days, or 7 if working
2Non-EEA: open an ISD Customer Service Portal account and book Burgh Quay yourself – third-party booking services are not legitimateOn arrival, not before; slots normally within 2–3 weeks, says Citizens Information
3Get an address and a proof of itA lease, or a household bill with a note from the bill holder
4Apply for a PPS numberOnline on MyWelfare, then an appointment; the number comes by post
5Register your first job in Revenue myAccountBefore your first pay day
6Open a bank accountBank, credit union or An Post; photo ID plus proof of address
7Attend Burgh Quay: photo, fingerprints, €300 by cardWithin 90 days of arrival; the IRP card is posted
8Find a GP; apply for a GP visit card or medical card if you qualifyOnline
9Leap Card, mobile plan and, if needed, an Irish driving licenceFirst weeks

Source: Immigration Service Delivery, the Department of Social Protection, Revenue and Citizens Information, read 24 September 2026.

Why does the PPS number come first – and why can you not get it from abroad?

A PPS number is seven digits followed by one or two letters. Citizens Information is explicit that anyone intending to relocate must wait until they are in Ireland to apply. You also need a reason – a job, a driving licence, a course – and you do not need one merely to look for work; employers should ask for it only when you actually take up the job. You apply online on MyWelfare with a basic MyGovID account, upload your identity document, a proof of address no older than three months and evidence of the reason, and attend an appointment in person. Part 3 has the details.

The number decides what your first pay slip looks like. Anna starts work before hers has arrived; under Revenue's Emergency Tax rules for 2026 her employer must deduct as follows.

Situation on pay dayDeducted under Emergency Tax
No PPS number given to the employer40 per cent income tax on all pay
PPS number given, job not registered, weeks 1 to 420 per cent on the first €846.16 a week – one 52nd of the €44,000 single band – then 40 per cent
PPS number given, job not registered, from week 540 per cent on everything
USC (Universal Social Charge), every emergency caseA flat 8 per cent

Source: Revenue, read 24 September 2026.

To avoid that, give your employer the PPS number and register the job yourself in myAccount under Add Job or Pension Details, with the employer's tax registration number and, as a recent arrival, your arrival date.

Proof of address – how old may it be?

Almost every body wants a document with your name and address, and each sets its own age limit. Two official ways round the chicken-and-egg: for the PPS number, an original household bill in a friend's name with a note from the bill holder written on it is acceptable; and once you are registered with Revenue, your Tax Credit Certificate or Statement of Liability is among the documents banks may accept as proof of address, according to Citizens Information.

Who asksHow old the proof may be
Department of Social Protection, PPS numberNo older than 3 months
Department of Social Protection, Public Services CardWithin the last 6 months
A bank, to open an accountLess than 6 months, or 12 months for an insurance policy
The HSE (Health Service Executive), ordinary residenceWithin the last 12 months
ISD, change of address on your IRPWithin the last 3 months

Source: the Department of Social Protection, Citizens Information, the HSE and Immigration Service Delivery, read 24 September 2026.

Bank, doctor, bus and phone in the first month

Banks need one photo ID – a passport, a driving licence or the IRP card – and one separate proof of address; the same document cannot do both. Anyone legally resident in the EU without another current account in Ireland can open a basic bank account, free for everyday banking for at least the first year, without an overdraft or cheque book.

Public healthcare depends on being ordinarily resident: living in Ireland for at least a year, or intending to. EEA, Swiss and UK nationals and anyone ordinarily resident get the same care as Irish citizens. There are no set GP fees – Citizens Information puts a private visit at roughly €45 to €65. Anyone aged 8 to 69 can apply online for the means-tested GP visit card; under-8s and over-70s qualify without a means test. In an emergency call 112 or 999, free from any phone.

The TFI Leap Card cuts adult fares by up to 30 per cent; in Dublin the 90-minute fare is €2.00, capped at €6.00 a day and €24.00 a week. Register the card at once, because an unregistered card cannot be replaced or refunded. An EU or EEA driving licence stays valid; a UK licence must be exchanged once you live here; most other licences allow 12 months' driving with an international driving permit. And never travel on a soft copy of the IRP: only the valid card gets you back in.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Check your route in part 2; outside the EU/EEA, secure the permit or visaBefore you book the flight
2Book a first place to stay; pack originals and form U1Before you travel
3Non-EEA: open an ISD portal account and book Burgh QuayThe day you arrive
4Get a proof of address, then apply for the PPS numberWeek one
5Register the job in myAccount; open a bank accountBefore your first pay day
6Attend the ISD appointment with €300 on a cardWithin 90 days of arrival
7Choose a GP, apply for a GP visit card, get a Leap CardDuring the first month

Source: Immigration Service Delivery, the Department of Social Protection and Revenue, read 24 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 24 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.