Part 4 – Getting Settled and Paperwork

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To help you navigate this guide on Moving to Ireland it has been divided into six parts. Click on a link below to read that part of the guide on Moving to Ireland.
Part 1 – Important Disclaimer – Please Read This First If You’re New To This Guide
Part 2 – Should You Move to Ireland?
Part 3 – Before You Arrive
Part 4 – Getting Settled and Paperwork
Part 5 – Finding a Place to Live
Part 6 – Getting a Job

When You First Arrive

Chances are, you’ll be flying into Dublin. Even if you’re planning to move elsewhere in Ireland (Galway, Cork, etc.), you might want to book a couple of nights in Dublin to get settled and recover from jetlag. You could visit sites like the Guinness Storehouse or take a free walking tour (plus tips). I recommend not going crazy and spending too much money right now. Ireland isn’t a big country, so even if you move elsewhere, you can always come back to Dublin on your days off once you start working.

Getting a Mobile

You’ll need a local contact number when applying for jobs and places to rent, so you’ll want to get an Irish mobile (cellphone) right away. You can use your accommodation address for temporary contact until you find a place to live. Tesco Mobile, Eir, Three, and Vodafone are some of the mobile phone providers in Ireland. They offer different plans, including bill payment and top-up/pay-as-you-go. If you have an unlocked phone from home, you can bring that and save some money upfront. If not, you can buy a phone in Dublin. (Edit: When I broke my phone about a year into my time in Ireland, I got a new unlocked phone for about €100.) I paid about €20/month with Eir for my plan (which includes 10GB of data that’s good throughout the EU). If you do the Working Holiday Visa through USIT, you’ll get a SIM card with Three Mobile (I didn’t realize that until it was too late, but I guess I have a spare SIM card just in case).

Transit and The Leap Card

If you’re settling in one of the major cities in Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, or Limerick), you’ll want to get a Leap Card. This card is a reloadable card you can use on public transit. In Dublin, it works for the bus, the Luas (tram), and the DART (local commuter train). There’s a €5 (refundable) deposit for the card, and then you can load it (minimum €5) with funds to use for public transit. Most convenience stores like Centra, Londis, and Spar sell Leap Cards. You can also buy them from the ticket machines at the DART stations in Dublin or at Dublin Airport. When your funds are low, you can head back to one of these places and reload your card.

GNIB Card – A.K.A. What Allows You to Get a Job in Ireland

• What is it? A card that gives you legal authorization to work in Ireland.
• Who needs it? Anyone who isn’t a citizen of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland.
• When can you get it? You must get your GNIB card within 90 days of arriving in Ireland. Since you can’t work without your GNIB card, you’ll want to get it as soon as possible.
• How do you get it? You have to register online with the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Services. If you are living in Dublin, you’ll register here. If you’re living elsewhere in Ireland, you’ll register here. You’ll get an appointment day and time to collect your GNIB card.
• What do you need to bring to your appointment? Your passport, your authorization letter (that laminated one), and a credit or debit card because you’ll need to pay €300. It may take time, so you’ll want to bring your phone or a book as well.
• What happens next? They’ll check your details, take your photo and fingerprints, and issue you a GNIB card. It could take an hour after processing to get your card.

When I came to Dublin, the online registration system wasn’t available, so I had to wake up at 5 am and go to the Burgh Quay Registration Office. I then had to stand in a queue for a couple of hours. When I arrived at 6 am, the queue was at the back of the building, and the office didn’t open until 8 am. After that, I was given a number for standing in the line. While I was able to leave for a few hours (because there were many people ahead of me), I still spent an hour waiting to get my card after my details were processed.

Now you can book your appointment online, up to 10 weeks in advance. In fact, you must schedule your GNIB card appointment online. According to the website, you must be living in Ireland to book the appointment. Of course, that could pose a problem if you schedule an appointment when you arrive in Ireland, and nothing is available for 10 weeks. That’s 10 weeks where you can’t work, using more of your savings to live. I’m not saying to book your appointment 8–10 weeks early while you’re still in your home country because you’re not supposed to do that. I’m just saying you need to take your circumstances into consideration and assess what risks you’re willing to take.

PPS Number – A.K.A. What Allows You to Get Paid (and File Your Taxes)

• What is it? A unique letter/number sequence for you (my fellow Canadians can think of it as a SIN card, and my American friends can think of it as a SSN). You’ll use your PPS Number (PPSN) for any job you work at. You’ll need your PPSN to get paid, file your taxes, and for various social services. You also need this number to apply for your tax credit, so you don’t have to pay emergency tax (41%).
• Who needs it? Anyone planning to work in Ireland.
• When can you get it? You can get your PPSN as soon as you have a job or even if you just have a job offer. You can get your employer to write a verifiable company letter stating you work for them (or will be) to show at the PPS Office.
• How do you get it? You must register online with Welfare.ie. Like the GNIB card, you should be living in Ireland when you make the appointment, but the appointment can take several weeks (mine took about three). You can register for an account before you come to Ireland. I’ll leave it to you to decide if you want to risk booking an appointment (which could be changed or rescheduled) when you’re not in Ireland, even if you’re not supposed to.
• What do you need to bring to your appointment? Your passport and proof of address. The proof of address can be a utility bill in your name or another official document. Chances are, even if you have found a place to rent, you might not have a utility bill yet. In that case, the verifiable company letter from your employer can double as your proof of address. Just make sure they have your correct address on the letter.
• What happens next? They’ll check your details, take your photo, and issue you a PPS card. The card doesn’t have your PPSN on it. That will be mailed to you within a week or so. Your PPSN is unique to you—don’t lose it.

It’s crucial to get your PPSN as soon as possible. You’ll need it for the next step: getting your Tax Credit Certificate.

Tax Credit Certificate

• What is it? A letter/certificate you’ll receive in the mail indicating how much tax you’ll pay according to your income and if you’re eligible for any tax breaks. It also takes you off the emergency tax payment plan, which is 41% of your income. You’ll want to get this right away, so you don’t have to pay the emergency tax.
• Who needs it? Everyone who works in Ireland.
• When can you get it? As soon as you get your PPSN and have a job or job offer.
• How do you get it? You have to register online with Revenue.ie. Once you register, Revenue will send you a password in the mail within a week. When the password arrives, access your account online and then change your password.

Important: When you sign up for your Revenue account online, it will default to sending your tax information electronically. For your first Tax Credit Certificate, you’ll want this mailed to you by postal service. Why? Because if you are looking to open a bank account, you’ll need proof of address, and for many people (myself included), the Tax Credit Certificate is the only proof of address a bank can accept (more about that in the banking section below). Go to your profile on Revenue.ie and uncheck the box to send information to you electronically. Once you get your Tax Credit Certificate in the mail, you can go back into your Revenue.ie account and have them send information to you by email instead of by post.

• What do you need? You’ll need your account password (make sure to change it from the one sent in the mail), your PPSN, and your employer’s registered tax number. This is a tax number that’s unique to every employer. You should receive it when you sign your employment contract. If you don’t know it, check with your employer’s HR department or check your copy of the contract because it is likely in there.
• What happens when you change employers? You’ll get a P-45 form from your employer. This tells how much income you earned and how much tax you paid. There’s a part of the form you keep for your records. The other part of the P-45 you give to your next employer.

As soon as you have your PPSN, apply for your tax credit certificate. Chances are you’ll need it to open a bank account.

Opening a Bank Account in Ireland

The most complicated bureaucratic process I went through in Ireland was opening a bank account. Someone I talked to at the Revenue office joked that it would be easier to rob a bank than to open one (please don’t rob banks). The issue was that I didn’t have valid proof of address for a while. I was renting, but not directly from a landlord (I was paying my roommate for my portion of the rent), so there were no utility bills in my name or address. When opening a bank account, your mobile bill doesn’t count as proof of address. Neither does a verifiable company letter from your employer. A letter from your roommate or landlord (even a utility bill) stating that you live at the address doesn’t count either. Think you can use the letter from the PPS office (with your PPSN on it)? Nope. The only thing you can use as proof of address is your Tax Credit Certificate. Why? Because it’s an official government letter with your address and your PPSN on it. Likely, opening a bank account will be one of the last steps in the paperwork you get to do. Of course, if you have a utility bill in your name and address, you can apply for your bank account right away.

There are several different banks in Ireland, including AIB, Ulster, KBC, Bank of Ireland, and Permanent TSB. A great site to compare current accounts (chequing accounts) with various banks in Ireland is Bonkers.ie. To open an account with any bank, you’ll want to book an appointment with your closest branch. At your appointment, you’ll need to bring your passport and your proof of address. Remember, the proof of address will either need to be a utility bill in your name and address or your Tax Credit Certificate that was mailed to you.

After your appointment, you’ll be given your account details. If your employer has direct deposit (most do), you can give them your bank account details for payroll. It may take up to a week for a deposit to go through. You won’t get your bank/debit card at your appointment. Instead, they will first send you a PIN number in the mail, and a few days later they’ll mail a card to you. As soon as you get your bank card and PIN, you can go to your bank’s ATM to change your PIN. You’ll be able to deposit any cheques or cash you have (again, there may be up to a 7-day waiting period).

It’s worth noting that there are no free bank accounts in Ireland. All of the banks charge maintenance fees, and some have fees for various transactions (like using your debit card, etc.). I opened an account with Permanent TSB and paid €12 every quarter for maintenance fees, but I also got a bit of cashback every time I used my debit card.

My Experience Getting Settled in Dublin

All the paperwork, forms, and appointments you go through are probably the least fun aspects of moving abroad. It can get confusing, especially when you need a permanent address and might still be looking for a place to rent. You might find yourself in a situation like I was. I had applied for my PPSN, left my job, but still hadn’t received my PPSN in the mail. My former employer couldn’t pay me for a few weeks while I worked on getting my tax credit certificate. I actually told them to hold off on paying me until I had this sorted because I didn’t want to pay the 41% emergency tax. You can get the difference between what you should be paying in tax and your emergency tax rate back before you go home, but from what I’ve been told, it takes time and is a pain to deal with. While usually I would have been paid by direct deposit, I was able to get a physical cheque to deposit when I finally opened my bank account. It was a bit stressful waiting for my paycheque, but that’s why you should have extra money in your support funds.

I’ll go through finding a place to live in the next part.

Have you moved abroad? Do you hate paperwork as much as I do?