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• [How healthcare works in Ireland](#how healthcare works in Ireland)
• Ireland healthcare costs
• An overview of private health insurance
• How to find a doctor or dentist
• Giving birth in Ireland

How healthcare works in Ireland

Public healthcare in Ireland is delivered by . The HSE provides many services directly and also funds other organizations to deliver healthcare across the country.

You can use public health services if you’re ordinarily resident in, which means you have lived in Ireland for at least a year or intend to stay for at least one year. To prove this, HSE may ask you to submit:

• Proof of property purchase or rental, including evidence that the property is your principal residence
• A letter or statement from a financial institution
• A current utility bill
• A current car or home insurance policy in your name
• An official document from a government department such as proof of rent from the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme

If you are a non-EU citizen who is entitled to healthcare services, this does not automatically cover your dependents. Dependents may also need to meet these requirements.

Do you need health insurance in Ireland?

Unlike in some European countries, health insurance is not mandatory in Ireland. All residents who are ordinarily resident is entitled to use public healthcare services for free or at a reduced cost, regardless of whether you hold private health insurance or not.

If you are not considered ordinarily resident, may need to pay the full cost of medical treatment or hold travel insurance to cover your expenses.

Does Ireland have free public healthcare?

Ireland’s health services are only completely free for medical card holders, which cover a wide range of health services and prescribed medicines at no cost. Those who do not qualify for a medical card still have access to subsidized public healthcare.

You may also be eligible for a GP visit card, which allows you to see a doctor free of charge, even if you don’t qualify for a medical card.

If you’re not eligible for neither of these, there are other schemes and allowances the government offers that you can .

What’s a medical card?

The medical card gets you access to certain healthcare services free of charge, and generally, dependent spouses or partners and children can also receive the same healthcare services free of charge.

Anyone who is considered as ordinarily resident can apply for a medical card. To qualify, your income must be below a certain amount for your family size.

You can apply or and follow the stated instructions.

Documents to include with application:

• A copy of a recent pay slip
• Expenses such as rent, childcare cost and mortgage payments

What’s GP visit card?

The GP visit card lets you visit a participating family doctor free of charge. The card covers the cost of GP appointments and out-of-hours services, but it doesn’t include hospital fees or prescriptions.

To qualify you must be ordinarily citizen. You automatically qualify for a GP visit card if you are:

• Under 8 years old
• Over 70 years old
• Receiving or

If you are under 70 and don’t meet these automatic conditions, your income will be assessed by the HSE.

You can apply or and follow the stated instructions.

Ireland healthcare costs

Healthcare in Ireland can be costly if you rely on private hospitals or don’t use the public system. However, even without a Medical Card, many public services are either free or at a low rate.

Here are some examples:

In addition, there’s a monthly cap of 80 EUR (93 USD) for prescribed drugs and medicines under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS).

What does public healthcare cover?

Public healthcare in Ireland covers a wide range of services from general practitioner visits to emergency services, maternity care, overnight hospital stays, and more. If using only the public healthcare, there are certain payment caps set to prevent residents from falling into debt due to medical costs.

Public vs. private healthcare: What's the difference?

• Wait times: In public healthcare wait times can be long, even for urgent cases. Private healthcare provides faster access to treatment.
• Cost: Public healthcare covers basic health needs, but charges apply for A&E (emergency department) visits, hospital inpatient care, and certain medications. Private hospitals can be expensive without insurance coverage.
• Hospital access: With private insurance you can choose from a selection of public, private and high-tech hospitals. Private hospitals usually only treat private patients.
• Specialist: When you’re a private patient, you have the right to choose your specialist consultant.
• Coverage: You can choose a private insurance plan according to your need and have a wider coverage.

An overview of private health insurance

Over 40% of Irish residents use private insurance, which is one of the highest percentages among European countries. Even if you opt to take out private insurance, you will still have access to certain public healthcare services.

Types of health insurance plans

There are five private health insurance companies in Ireland, so you should not feel too overwhelmed when deciding on the best one for you. The HIA provides a handy , where you can compare the different healthcare plans.

Here are the providers:

• : Provides only cash plans, which don’t include in-patient cover.

You should apply directly to the health insurance provider that you want to join.

Private health insurance costs vary depending on coverage level: entry-level plans range from 500–650 EUR (585–760 USD) per year, while full coverage plans in high-tech hospitals cost between 2,400–4,000 EUR (2,800–4,675 USD) annually. Employers aren't required to provide private health insurance, but many include it as part of their employee benefits package. Your employer may pay all or part of your insurance premium.

What’s a cash plan?

It's a type of health insurance offered by some healthcare providers. These plans provide fixed monetary amounts for specific medical events rather than comprehensive coverage and are more cost-efficient. They offer payments for outpatient expenses such as GP visits, physiotherapy, dental, and optical care, as well as daily monetary amounts if you're hospitalized. However, cash plans don’t provide inpatient cover for hospital treatment as a private patient.

How to find a doctor or dentist

When people need to see a doctor in Ireland, they generally need to start with a general practitioner (GP).

A family doctor in Ireland is typically a GP. You can find one in your area using . Some GPs operate only within the public healthcare scheme, while others treat on private healthcare patients. Before you visit a GP, you should check whether they will accept your health insurance scheme or not. You can do this by contacting the clinic directly or searching the HSE’s “Find a GP” tool.

GP opening hours vary by practice. If you need care outside of office hours, you can for nights and weekends. If needed, it is possible to arrange home visits or video consultation with some GPs.

How to find a specialist?

In Ireland, specialist doctors are often called “consultants”. You need to be referred to a consultant by a GP. You may not see a consultant for the very first time without first receiving a referral from a GP. This goes for both Medical Card holders and people using the general public or private health insurance.

How to find a dentist

Finding a dentist in Ireland is similar to finding a GP: it is often best to search online. You can use to locate dentists across the country. When searching, you can look to see who is covered under the public health insurance scheme. Note that just because a dentist is within the public sector, does not necessarily mean they will provide services for free. There are also dentists within the private sector, and some private health insurance plans will cover dental cleanings and various procedures.

What is the average waiting time to see a doctor in Ireland?

Your wait time to see a doctor in Ireland will vary dependent on whether you have public or private insurance. If using public insurance, patients can easily wait weeks to see a GP and months for a specialist. Even in an emergency case, you may still wait several hours. Private insurance will greatly reduce this wait time but be prepared to still have your name put on a waiting list.

You can .

Giving birth in Ireland

As mentioned previously, expats can benefit from the Irish public health system immediately upon arrival in Ireland, as long as you can prove your intent to reside in the country for at least a year. As a foreigner, you should be sure to bring the following items with you to the hospital on the day you deliver your baby:

• passports of both parents
• Irish visas of both parents (if applicable)
• health insurance information
• birth plan
• maternity records

What is the cost of having a baby in Ireland?

If you qualify for public healthcare you are entitled to free public maternity care under the . This includes GP visits during pregnancy, hospital care for delivery, and postnatal check-ups.

If you don’t, the cost of having a baby can be anywhere between 3,000 to 7,000 EUR (3,200 to 7,500 USD). This includes pre-natal visits and ultrasounds. When comparing birthing options, these are the general costs of hospital deliveries, home births, and C-sections:

Benefits of giving birth in Ireland

• Antenatal leave rights: You can attend all medical appointments related to pregnancy without losing pay.
• Parental leave: There are several types of family leave for both employed and self-employed. You can read more about this in our Working in Ireland guide.
• Child benefit: Parents can receive monthly payments until the child reaches the age of 16, or until the age of 18 if the child is still in full-time education.
• New baby grant: In addition to the first month's child benefit payment, 280 EUR (325 USD) is paid for each newborn baby.

Giving Birth in Ireland for Citizenship

The child’s residency and citizenship status will depend on the parents’ immigration and residency status, and separate rules apply for each situation.

If your baby is born on or after 1 January 2005, Irish citizenship at birth is not automatic. To qualify one of the parents:

• at the time of the child’s birth either be an Irish or UK citizen,
• be legally resident in Ireland/Northern Ireland without restriction
• have had reckonable residency in Ireland for 3 of the 4 years immediately before the child’s birth

Registering the Birth

One of the parents should book an appointment online or by phone to go to a for registration. One or both parents must attend the appointment and bring:

• photo ID (such as a passport, driving license)

If the parents are unable to visit the registration office in person, any of the following people can register the birth on their behalf:

• hospital staff member
• a person who was present at the birth
• an appointed guardian of the child
• a person who is the court-ordered parent of the child

You can also register if you have a verified account.

It is possible for both parents to be registered on a birth certificate even if they are unmarried. A child can also legally take the mother’s name, even in the case of the parents being married, or can have a hyphenated version of the parents’ surnames.