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PPS number, Public Services Card and Irish Residence Permit – the three IDs you collect in Ireland

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

A tax record, a welfare claim, a GP visit card: in Ireland they all run through the PPS number, and non-EEA nationals add the Irish Residence Permit on top. Neither can be arranged from abroad, both involve an appointment, and the immigration side moved to a single Dublin office in 2025. Here is how it works.

Woman at a reception counter while a staff member with glasses fills in a form
Photo: ninelutsk/Adobe Stock

In Ireland your identity for public services is built from three documents. The PPS number (Personal Public Service number) from the Department of Social Protection is the reference every public body uses; the PSC (Public Services Card) proves that identity and unlocks a verified MyGovID login; and if you are not an EU, EEA, UK or Swiss citizen, the IRP (Irish Residence Permit) from ISD (Immigration Service Delivery) proves you are here lawfully. Since 13 January 2025 every first-time immigration registration happens at ISD's Burgh Quay office in Dublin.

What is a PPS number and who needs one?

A PPS number is always seven digits followed by one or two letters. You need it for social welfare, to register with Revenue when you start work, for a school or college course, for public health services including the medical card, and for driving licences. Only certain bodies may ask for it, and an employer should ask only when you actually take up employment, not when recruiting. You get one only if you need it for a public service – to pay tax when you start a job, but not to look for work. Children born in Ireland get a number automatically when the birth is registered; returning residents may already have one, printed on a Public Services Card, a medical card, Revenue letters and Irish payslips.

How do you apply for a PPS number in Ireland?

Not from abroad: Citizens Information states that anyone intending to relocate must wait until they are in Ireland. Adults then apply online on MyWelfare with a basic MyGovID account, upload their identity document, proof of address and evidence of the reason, and choose a location, date and time for an in-person appointment at a PPS Number Allocation Centre. The application is checked afterwards, not on the spot, and the number is sent by post. People who arrived from Ukraine under temporary protection do not apply online but go to an allocation centre.

DocumentWhat is accepted
Identity, EU or EEA citizenCurrent passport or national identity card
Identity, non-EU citizenCurrent passport or 1951 travel document
Identity, UK citizenCurrent passport, or birth certificate plus full driving licence
Proof of address, no older than 3 monthsUtility bill, official letter, bank statement, lease, or a confirmation from a hostel manager, school principal or property owner; a friend's bill with a note from the bill holder
ReasonA job, a driving licence, a welfare claim, a birth registration, a course

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

CityPPS Number Allocation CentreHours (all centres: 0818 405060)
DublinCork Street, The Guild Building, Dublin 8, D08 XH90; D'Olier House, D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, D02 A370; 77 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1, D01 HH87; 20 King's Inns Street, Dublin 1, D01 P382Monday to Wednesday 9:15am–5pm, Thursday 10:30am–5pm, Friday 9:15am–4:30pm
CorkHanover Street, Cork, T12 PX62Same hours
LimerickLimerick Intreo Centre, Dominick Street, V94 X327Same hours
GalwayGalway Intreo Centre, Fairgreen Road, H91 XT91Same hours

Source: the Department of Social Protection, read 24 September 2026.

Queries go to Client Identity Services in Carrick-on-Shannon on (071) 967 2616 or 0818 927 999.

Public Services Card and MyGovID: from basic to verified

The PSC carries your name, photograph, signature and expiry date on the front and your PPS number on the back. It is issued after SAFE registration, about 15 minutes in which your photograph and signature are recorded. Holders of a current Irish passport aged 16 or over can do this in the MyGovID app; everyone else attends a PSC centre by appointment with photo ID, a proof of address dated within the last six months and a mobile phone. The card is posted within 7 to 10 working days, only to an Irish address, and lasts 10 years.

TaskMyGovID neededWhat that takes
Book a PPS number appointment, use JobsIrelandBasicAn email address
Apply for the National Childcare Scheme, get or renew a driving licence onlineVerifiedA PSC, a PPS number and a mobile number verified at any Intreo centre
Use free travel from 1 March 2026A valid, in-date Free Travel PSCRenew before it expires

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

Irish Residence Permit: registering with Immigration Service Delivery

If you come from outside the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, are 16 or over and will stay more than 90 days, you must register your permission with ISD within 90 days of arrival, and you receive an IRP card. Since 13 January 2025 the Burgh Quay Registration Office at 13–14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, D02 XK70 is the nationwide office for every first-time registration. You book the appointment yourself, in your own name, free of charge, on the ISD Customer Service Portal; ISD says third-party booking services are not legitimate. Once an appointment is booked within the 90 days you may stay until that date even if the landing stamp expires.

Bring proof of address, the landing stamp and, if visa-required, the entry visa; employment permit holders add the permit and an employer's letter, researchers their hosting agreement and 12 months' private medical or travel insurance, students their insurance. Your photograph and fingerprints are taken. ISD's information page says the visit takes no longer than 30 minutes and the card arrives within 10 working days; its FAQ says 60 minutes and approximately 15 business days.

The €300 registration feeWho
Payable, by credit or debit card only – no cashMost stamps, among them 0, 1, 1G, 2, 3, 4 and 5, at first registration and at each renewal
WaivedUnder-18s; spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens; family members of EU citizens (Stamp 4EUFAM); refugees, subsidiary protection and section 49 permission holders; family reunited with a refugee

Source: Immigration Service Delivery, read 24 September 2026.

Renewing the IRP – and what the card does and does not do

Renewals and stamp changes are online only, from 12 weeks before expiry – earlier applications are refused. Most permissions cost €300 again. No reminders are sent, and a request for further documents must be answered within 14 days or the application is refused. If the card expires while a complete renewal lodged before expiry is pending, you keep your conditions and may keep working for up to 12 weeks after expiry, with the acknowledgement email and its OREG number as proof. An interim measure allowed a recently expired card to be used for travel and work up to 31 August 2026.

Stamp categoryISD was working on renewals submitted on (21 September 2026)
1 and 1H6 August 2026
1G, 2, 2A and 1A20 July 2026
417 August 2026
All other categories20 August 2026

Source: Immigration Service Delivery, read 24 September 2026.

On 30 June 2026 ISD said some categories now take about 6 to 8 weeks, and none more than 16. ISD is clear that the card is not an identity card, but it proves lawful residence, must be carried at all times and lets you re-enter Ireland without a visa – a soft copy is not accepted for travel. Report any change of address through the portal, a legal requirement under section 9 of the Immigration Act 2004, with proof dated within the last three months, and keep absences under 90 days in a rolling year.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Check whether you already have a PPS number – returning residents, children born hereBefore you apply
2Get a proof of address under three months oldWeek one
3Create a basic MyGovID, apply on MyWelfare and attend the appointmentAs soon as you have an address
4Non-EEA: open an ISD portal account and book Burgh Quay in your own nameOn arrival; attend within 90 days with €300 on a card
5Book SAFE registration for a Public Services Card, then verify your MyGovIDOnce the PPS number arrives
6Note the IRP expiry date and renew onlineFrom 12 weeks before expiry – no reminder comes

Source: the Department of Social Protection and Immigration Service Delivery, 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.