Settling in Ireland: IRP, PPS number and agent help

What does settling in involve in Ireland?

Two registrations carry your first weeks. The first is the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, which only people from outside the EU, the EEA, the UK and one other European country need. The second is the Personal Public Service (PPS) number, which nearly everyone needs and nobody can get before arriving. Around them sit an address, a bank account, health care, a driving licence and schools. The order matters because each step leans on the one before: your address supports your PPS application, and your PPS number is asked for in turn by public services.

What is the IRP, and who needs it?

Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) says that if you come from outside the EU, the UK and one other European country and come to Ireland to work, study, live or join family for more than 90 days, you must register your permission with ISD (ISD). Registration is how ISD records that you have permission to stay and what you can do while you are here. Each permission has a Stamp category, such as Stamp 1, 1H, 2 or 4, and the category sets the conditions of your residence (ISD, how to register).

EU and EEA citizens do not register with the immigration authorities, according to Citizens Information (Citizens Information). Their family members from outside the EEA do.

How do you register for the IRP, step by step?

1. Arrive. You must register within 90 days. Appointments can only be made after you arrive, through your customer service account with ISD. If you cannot get one in 90 days, ISD says it will not cancel your permission while you wait (ISD).
2. Book the appointment. The Registration Office is at 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Since 13 January 2025 ISD registers all first-time applicants in the Republic, a job that the Garda National Immigration Bureau did before. There is no fee to book.
3. Bring your documents. The list depends on your stamp category. For all registrations, ISD asks for original documents, proof of address, the entry visa if you are visa-required, the landing stamp and, if your permission needs preclearance, the approved preclearance. If your permission depends on a primary sponsor, that person must attend with you. For some permissions the list includes private medical insurance with the required cover, and cash-back policies are not accepted (ISD, required documents).
4. Pay the fee, if it applies. It is EUR 300 per person, by credit or debit card only. You do not pay if you register as a minor under 18, as a spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, or in several other listed cases.
5. Attend. An officer reviews your documents, takes your photograph and fingerprints and takes your payment. The visit should take no longer than 30 minutes.
6. Wait for the card. The IRP card, which shows the conditions under which you may live in Ireland, is posted to your address. ISD says to expect it within 10 working days.

Need help with the permit itself? Employment permits are applied for on the Department of Enterprise’s online system. Read moving to Ireland for the order and how to choose a relocation agent in Dublin before you pay for permit help.

How do you get a PPS number?

The PPS number is 7 numbers followed by one or two letters. You need it for social welfare services, public health services including the medical card, registering for a course at a school or college, driver theory tests and driving licences, and to register with Revenue when you start work. An employer should ask for it only when you actually take up the job (Citizens Information).

The steps:

1. Wait until you are in Ireland. Citizens Information says you cannot apply if you intend to relocate to Ireland and must wait.
2. Gather proof. You show proof of identity: a current passport if you are a non-EU citizen, or a passport or national ID card if you are an EU citizen. You also show proof of address, not older than 3 months: a household utility bill, an official letter, a bank statement, a property lease or tenancy agreement, or official confirmation from a hotel or accommodation owner. If you stay with friends or relatives, an original household bill plus a note from the bill holder works.
3. Apply online. On MyWelfare with a basic MyGovID account, if you are at least 18.
4. Attend the appointment. You select a PPS Number Allocation Centre, date and time, and must attend in person to complete the application.
5. Receive the number by post.

We found no official processing time for the PPS number, so we give none.

Which steps can an agent do, and which need you?

• IRP registration. Appointment at ISD, documents, photograph, fingerprints, fee by card. Needs you: Yes, in person.
• PPS number. Online application, then an in-person appointment. Needs you: Yes, in person.
• Bank account. At least one photo ID and one proof of address under 6 months old; an Irish Residency Permit is an accepted photo ID (Citizens Information). Needs you: ID check; ask the bank.
• Driving licence. A licence from a recognised state can be exchanged for EUR 65 online or at an NDLS centre; others take the full process (Citizens Information). Needs you: Your licence and PPS number.
• Health care. EEA and UK nationals and people ordinarily resident have the same public entitlement as citizens; others check with ISD about private insurance (Citizens Information). Needs you: Your choices.
• Schools. Children usually start primary school at 5, from 4; most primary schools are State-funded with no enrolment fees; contact the school directly (Citizens Information). Needs you: The application is yours.

One Dublin agency lists, among what you can spend its hours on, practical services: registrations for visa and immigration, PPS number and bank account, with help on utilities and healthcare options (agency page). That is its description, not a standard. In practice an agent prepares the paperwork, books slots and may come with you. The fingerprints, the identity checks and the signature are yours.

How long does it take?

• Employment permit: the application must reach the Department of Enterprise at least 12 weeks before the start date.
• IRP: register within 90 days of arriving; the visit takes up to 30 minutes; the card arrives within 10 working days.
• PPS: apply on arrival; no official processing time found.
• Bank account: no official time found.
• Licence exchange: within 1 year of the licence’s expiry.

A realistic first month is built on your two dates: the day you arrive, and the day your IRP card lands. Book the registration appointment as soon as you can, and get the address documents together in parallel.

What does a settling-in service cost?

We found no published price from an Irish agency. Our guide on what a relocation agency costs in Ireland says what is public, and how to find a flat in Dublin covers the address you need first. To see agencies that offer settling-in help, get matched or open the Ireland directory. How we rank explains the order.

What we could not source

We did not research each Stamp category, the documents for every permission, renewal, the PPS processing time, how long a bank takes to open an account or the school application dates. The agency page is a marketing page. This guide is general information, not legal advice.