Guides for Dublin
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Arrival Local guide Your first 30 days in Dublin, a checklistWhat to do in your first month in Dublin and in which order: emergency numbers and a Leap Card, booking immigration registration at Burgh Quay if you need it, PPS number, bank account, Revenue myAccount, a GP, a home, and the first family steps. Spread over the first four weeks; most steps take an hour or two plus waiting for appointments Moving to Ireland - an overview of the first stepsA map of moving to Ireland: who needs permission and who does not (including British citizens under the Common Travel Area), the order of the main steps from permits and visas to PPS number, bank account, home, tax and healthcare, and the official services that help.Moving About 20 minutes to read; the steps themselves take weeks to months Getting a PPS number in Ireland (and MyGovID)What the Personal Public Service (PPS) number is, who needs one, the documents to show, how to apply on MyWelfare and attend the appointment, the Dublin PPS centre, and how MyGovID and the Public Services Card fit in.Registration About 30 minutes online, plus an in-person appointment; the number then arrives by post Residence in Ireland - who needs permission, stamps, IRP registration and renewalsWho can live in Ireland freely (Irish, British, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens), who needs an immigration permission, how entry visas, stamps and the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) work, the €300 registration fee, registering at Burgh Quay within 90 days, online renewals and the route to Stamp 4.Residence and visas First registration takes about 30 minutes at the appointment, plus the wait for an appointment; renewals are online and ISD reports a queue of several weeks Housing Local guide Finding a home to rent in DublinWhat renting in Dublin costs according to the RTB/ESRI Rent Index (Q1 2026), how the search works, the one-month deposit limit, how to spot rental scams, checking the RTB register, and what to agree before you move in. Often several weeks; start looking from temporary accommodation if you can Tenant rights in Ireland - the RTB, rent control and ending a tenancyYour rights as a private tenant in Ireland: tenancy registration with the RTB, the national rent control rules and six-year tenancies for tenancies starting from 1 March 2026, deposits, notice periods when you leave, the September 2026 changes, and where to get help with a dispute.Housing About 30 minutes to read; disputes take longer Looking for work in IrelandHow to look for a job in Ireland: checking whether you may work, JobsIreland and Intreo, how employment permits shape a non-EU job search, getting your qualifications compared by NARIC Ireland, and what to have ready when you get an offer.Jobs Ongoing; plan several hours a week Employment permits in Ireland - Critical Skills and General Employment PermitsHow the Critical Skills Employment Permit and the General Employment Permit work: eligible jobs, the salary thresholds DETE lists in 2026, fees, processing times, the 9-month rule for changing employer, family members and the path to Stamp 4.Employment Apply at least 12 weeks before the start date; on 8 October 2026 DETE was processing Critical Skills applications received on 1 October and new General Employment Permit applications received on 2 September Employment rights in Ireland - pay, contracts, leave and complaintsYour basic rights as an employee in Ireland: the €14.15 minimum wage (2026), written terms within 5 days and one month, the 48-hour average week, four weeks' annual leave, 10 public holidays, 5 days' statutory sick pay, tips, and how to complain to the Workplace Relations Commission.Employment About 20 minutes to read Taxes in Ireland for employees - PAYE, USC, PRSI, tax credits and myAccountHow employees are taxed in Ireland: registering your job in myAccount to avoid emergency tax, the 2026 income tax bands and credits, USC and PRSI rates, tax residence, the Rent Tax Credit and what to check at the end of the year.Taxes About 30 minutes to register for myAccount and add your job; an hour to review your tax credits Opening a bank account in IrelandWhy you need an Irish or SEPA account, which documents banks ask for (photo ID plus proof of address), how the fee-free basic bank account works for people who have no current account, and how to compare fees with the CCPC's tools.Banking Usually under an hour online or in a branch once you have the documents Healthcare in Ireland - the HSE, GPs, medical cards and health insuranceHow public healthcare works in Ireland: who is ordinarily resident, what you pay without a medical card, the GP visit card, the €80 Drugs Payment Scheme cap, the €100 emergency department charge, private health insurance and the nine-month rule that avoids a late-entry loading.Healthcare An hour or two to find a GP and decide on insurance; medical card applications take longer Family life in Ireland - Child Benefit, childcare and schoolsWhat families moving to Ireland need to know: Child Benefit (€140 a month per child), PPS numbers for children, the free ECCE preschool programme, the National Childcare Scheme, compulsory schooling from 6 to 16, school patronage and religion, and when to apply for a school place.Family Several weeks to arrange school and childcare places; apply as early as possible Transport Local guide Public transport in Dublin - Leap card, fares, Luas, DART and busesHow to get around Dublin by bus, Luas tram, DART and commuter rail: the TFI Leap Card, the €2.00 TFI 90 Minute Fare, daily and weekly fare caps, young adult and student discounts, tapping on and off, bikes on trains, and driving on a foreign licence. A few minutes to get and register a Leap Card Emergency numbers in IrelandThe numbers to save on your first day in Ireland: 112 and 999 for the Garda, ambulance, fire service and coast guard, the emergency SMS service, crisis and support helplines, utility emergency lines, and what an emergency department visit costs.Emergencies Five minutes to save the numbers