Entitlement to health services (2024)

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Introduction

Everyone ordinarily resident in Ireland and certain visitors to Ireland are entitled to a range of public health services either free of charge or at reduced cost. You are ordinarily resident if you have been living in Ireland for at least a year or you intend to live here for at least one year.

Depending on your circ*mstances, short-term visitors to Ireland may be entitled to health services that are free or at a reduced cost.

Eligibility for health services

There are 2 types of eligibility for people who are ordinarily resident in Ireland:

• Full eligibility for medical card holders
• Limited eligibility for people who don't have a medical card

Medical card holders

If you have a medical card, you are entitled to free:

• GP services
• Prescribed drugs and medicines, subject to a charge for each item prescribed
• Public hospital services
• Specific dental, optical and aural services
• Maternity and infant care services
• Community care and personal social services

Non-medical card holders

If you do not have a medical card or a GP visit card, you are not entitled to free GP services.

If you do not have a medical card you must pay for prescribed drugs and medicines. However, you may be able to reduce this monthly cost for you and your family with a Drug Payment Scheme card.

If you do not have a medical card, you are entitled to public hospital services either free of charge or at a reduced cost. If you need to attend a public hospital or stay overnight in hospital as a public patient, you may have to pay hospital charges.

You may be entitled to some community care and personal social services. Maternity and infant care services for free.

General health services

Some groups can get general health services for free without a medical card.

For example:

• People who qualify for the Long Term Illness Scheme are entitled to get the drugs and medicines for the treatment of their illness free of charge
• Child health services are available to all children
• People who have contracted Hepatitis C through blood transfusion and have a Health Amendment Act Card

What is ordinary residence?

If you are coming to live in Ireland or returning here to live, you must satisfy the Health Service Executive (HSE) that you are ordinarily resident – that you have been living in Ireland for at least a year or you intend to live here for at least one year.

To check that you are ordinarily resident the HSE may ask for:

• Proof of property purchase or rental, including evidence that the property is your principal residence (for example, proof of rent from the local authority)
• A letter or statement from a financial institution (for example a bank statement or credit union statement)
• A current utility bill (such as a gas, electricity or phone bill)
• A current car or home insurance policy in your name
• An official document from a government department (for example, a notice of assessment from Revenue or proof of rent from the Housing Assistance Payment Scheme)

The above documents must be dated within the last 12 months.

Any person, regardless of nationality, who is accepted by the HSE as being ordinarily resident in Ireland is entitled to either full eligibility (Category 1, medical card holders) or limited eligibility (Category 2) for health services.

Public health services for non-EU nationals

If you are a non-EU national and you establish your eligibility for health services, this does not automatically mean your dependants are also eligible. Dependants of non-EU nationals may also have to satisfy the above requirements.

Medical cards and EU citizens

You may qualify for a medical card under EU rules if you are ordinarily resident in Ireland and you are getting a social security pension from another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, or if you are working and paying social insurance in one of these countries.

You must not be in receipt of a contributory Irish social welfare payment or be working in Ireland and be liable to pay PRSI. If you are working in Ireland, you may qualify for a means tested medical card.

If you are a dependant

If you are living in Ireland and you are the dependant of a pensioner entitled under EU Regulations, or you are the dependant of a person who is working in another country covered by the Regulations, you may be eligible for a medical card.

You must not be subject to Irish social security legislation (in the case of child dependants this rule applies to the spouse or person looking after them).

Posted workers

If you are a posted worker, it means you are employed in one EU member state and sent by your employer to work in another EU member state for a limited time.

If you are a posted worker, working in Ireland, you can get a medical card if you provide an E106 form from your country.

Your dependants may also qualify for the medical card if they are not working in Ireland.

How to apply for a medical card if you are from another EU country

You can complete and submit a medical card application form and the relevant S form.

You will get an S form in your country to confirm that you are part of a health insurance scheme in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland. If your country confirms that you are entitled to healthcare in Ireland, you do not need to complete a financial assessment for a medical card form.

See the medical card assessment guidelines (pdf) for more information about entitlement under EU Regulations.

Health services in Ireland for UK citizens

Public health services

If you are ordinarily resident in the UK but visiting Ireland, you can get healthcare that is medically necessary during your visit to Ireland.

Medical cards for UK citizens

You may be entitled to a medical card if you are a UK citizen, ordinarily resident in Ireland and you are:

• Getting a social security pension from the UK or
• Working and paying social insurance in the UK
• You must not be subject to Irish social security legislation. This means that you must not be:
• Getting a contributory Irish social welfare payment or
• Be working in Ireland and be liable to pay PRSI
• If you were issued a medical card under EU regulations before the UK left the EU, the card continues to be valid.

Frontier workers and medical cards

If you live in Ireland but are employed somewhere within the UK and return to Ireland at least once a week, you are entitled to a medical card.

You need to complete an S1 form (formally E106 form). Your dependants may also be entitled to a medical card.

For further information, contact Locall 0818 22 44 78 or email clientregistration@hse.ie

Public health services for people arriving from Ukraine

If you are coming to Ireland from Ukraine under the Temporary Protection Directive you can get the same public healthcare services as people who live in Ireland.

You are also entitled to a medical card. A medical card allows you to visit a doctor for free, access other health services and get medicines at a reduced price. Children aged over 16 must apply for a medical card separately.

You should apply for your medical card using a special medical card application form (pdf) for people from Ukraine. You can email your completed form to PCRS.Applications@HSE.ie or by post to the address on the form.

You need:

• Your name, current address and date of birth.
• Your Personal Public Service (PPS) number.
• Your doctor’s (GP’s) address, stamp and signature. If you do not know any GPs, one will be assigned to you and your family.

If you do not speak English, you can ask for an interpreter.

You read about health care services in Ireland in Ukrainian and Russian on the HSE website.