Health Care in Ireland

Information

Public health care for people coming to Ireland

If you are a European Union (EU)/EEA/Swiss national or if you are normally resident in Ireland, you are entitled to receive the same level of health care as Irish citizens. Depending on your income, you may be eligible for a medical card, which entitles you to the full range of medical services at no cost.

If you are not from an EU/EEA member State or Switzerland, you will be entitled to certain services free of charge and you will have to pay for the remainder.

If you are coming to live, work, study or retire in Ireland you can find out more information on eligibility for public health services here. If you are coming to Ireland on holiday or on a short stay (e.g. on business), find out more information on health services for visitors to Ireland.

A comprehensive guide to public health in Ireland is available in the Health Category of this site.

Private health care for people coming to Ireland

In addition to the public health system, people in Ireland can avail of a range of private health care services. You must pay the full costs of treatment if you opt for private health care.

There are a number of private health insurance companies in Ireland - the major ones are the Vhi , QUINN-healthcare and Hibernian Aviva. As long as you are from the EU/EEA/Switzerland or normally resident in Ireland, you are entitled to the same benefits from your private health insurance with any of these three companies as any other Irish citizen.

Your private health insurance premium attracts tax relief at the standard rate (20%). This tax relief is deducted at source by the health insurance provider.