Hints and Tips on moving to Ireland
Information on visas, job sites, accommodation and everything else you might need if you're moving to Ireland
Over the years, I've been lucky enough to meet many people who have moved to Ireland, whether passing through or staying for a while or friends and work colleagues.
One thing I noticed was that there didn't seem to be one website or resource that I could point them to to get as information on visas, job sites, accommodation and everything else you might need to get started. So I've created this blog post to help with that.
If it gets enough interest, I might even turn it into a standalone project and include other countries.
There's no guarantee that anything/everything I've put up here is 100% correct, especially on the visa/registration parts, but it will hopefully get you all the information you need. If something's wrong, let me know and I'll correct it.
I'll keep it updated as much as possible, it will be a live document! And feel free to email/suggest improvements and changes.
Before you go:
So you're thinking about coming/decided to move to Ireland. Great! Here's some initial links and information on what you need to do before you arrive.
Overview guide on moving: Citizens Information
Side Note: Citizens Information is a great site generally for information on moving to Ireland and legal requirements/visa and so on.
Visas and Entry:
EU:
Ireland is in the EU, so it's generally less complicated for EU citizens to move here.
Link for more information: Citizens Information
Non-EU:
If you're not from the EU/EEA, then it's a little more effort - you may need a Visa and have extra requirements/documentation.
More details are here: Citizens Information
Additionally, if you're not from the EU/EEA and want to stay in Ireland longer than 90 days, you may need to register with immigration once you get here.
Details on that are here: Registering in Ireland
Schengen:
I've witnessed unfortunate travellers getting stopped at the gate when travelling to Ireland because of confusion over Ireland and Schengen Area travel. It's worth reading about it before you travel here!
More details: Citizens Information
Job Sites:
If you're coming here to work, here are a couple of sites that can help with your job search, if you don't already have one.
Accommodation
There are a couple of sites that are widely used in Ireland for finding a place to rent or buy.
Daft - probably the biggest one.
Myhome
Note: There have been some rental scams recently - this article has some great tips at the bottom of the page that you should use.
Support services for foreigners:
General Information on support services are here: Citizens Information
When you're here:
Entering Ireland:
General information (EU and Non-EU): Citizens Information
Non EU Residents - Registering in Ireland
As mentioned earlier, you may have to register in Ireland to stay here beyond 90 days.
There are different offices you can attend to do this, depending on where you are living. Where you live determines where you register.
If you're in Dublin: Registration Office
If you're outside Dublin: List of other offices
Many friends have said that it can be hard at times to get an appointment to register, so here is a great app for figuring out when appointments are available: GNIB Notifications App (iPhone)
Registering for Tax, Health, other public services
To register with the Irish Government for Revenue (Tax) and other services, you need what's called a PPS number.
You will need to apply for your PPS Number with the Department of Social Protection. Here is details on how to apply, including what documentation you need : How to Apply for a PPS number
A list of centres where you can complete the PPS registration process is here: PPS Registration Centres
Healthcare
Citizens Information has good information to help figure out your healthcare entitlements here.
Driving and Licences
You may need/want to exchange your driving licence for an Irish one once you're here. That's done through the NDLS, and here is their guide on how to do it: NDLS - Holders of Foreign Licences
Gocar is a great service for short term renting of cars if you need one for getting around the city/country.
Bank Accounts, Gas, Electricity, Internet
There are a many options for your choice of bank, electricity or internet provider. Rather than rank them myself, here's a good comparison site for all of them: Bonkers
To open a bank account, you'll probably need proof of address first, using a utility bill - some banks don't accept a mobile phone bill as a utility bill by the way, so it may need to wait until you've set up your utilities first before getting a bank account.
Phone
There are several mobile phone companies who can be compared using this link: Switcher
Personally, I've found Vodafone the best, if a little more expensive - they're the most reliable network I've ever used here.
For making international calls/calling home, there doesn't seem to be a comparison site, but here is a blog post with some information that may be of use.
Anything else I should add? Let me know!