GP visit cards

If you are not eligible for a medical card you may be eligible for a GP visit card. A GP visit card allows you to visit a participating family doctor (GP) for free.

The GP visit card does not cover hospital charges. Prescribed drugs are not free but may be covered by the Drugs Payment Scheme. The GP visit card does cover visits to GP out of hours services. Blood tests to diagnose or monitor a condition are covered.

In order to qualify for a GP visit card, you must meet the eligibility rules below and be ordinarily resident in Ireland. That is, you must have been, or intend to be, living in Ireland for at least one year. You can read more about entitlement to public health services here.

Budget 2023

In Budget 2023 it was announced that the income limit for the GP visit card will be increased to include people on or below the median income in 2023. It was also annouced that GP visit cards for children aged under 6 will be extended to children aged 6 and 7.

These changes require legislation. This page will be updated as more detail becomes available.

All children under the age of 6 can get a GP visit card. Find out about the GP visit card for children under 6 here.

If you get Carer’s Benefit or Carer’s Allowance, at full or half-rate, you are eligible for a GP visit card.

The GP visit card is available to everyone aged over 70 without an income test.

If you are aged under 70, eligibility for the GP visit card is means tested. That is, your income is assessed by the HSE as part of the application process.

Income limits for people aged under 70

The rules for assessing the amount of your income are the same as for the medical card means test for people aged under 70 but the income limits for the GP visit card are higher than the limits for the medical card.

The following expenses are allowable, which will increase the income limit:

• Childcare costs.
• Rent (not including amounts paid by Rent Supplement or Housing Assistance Payment).
• Reasonable mortgage payments (after mortgage allowance and tax relief is deducted) on family home and other land or property.
• Mortgage protection insurance and associated life assurance.
• Home insurance.
• Maintenance payments you make.
• Nursing home, private nursing or home care costs for the applicant or spouse.
• Costs of travelling to work:
  • The cost of public transport.
  • Driving expenses if a car is required, at a rate of 30 cent per mile/18 cent per km. If a couple needs two cars to travel to work, a double allowance applies. The cost of parking can be taken into account.
  • Reasonable contributions towards carpooling costs.

Dependants of people aged over 70

If you are aged over 70 you are eligible for a GP visit card.

If you are over 70 and you have dependants who are aged under 70, for example a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner, your dependants may also qualify for a GP visit card if your income is below a certain level.

The rules for assessing the amount of your income are the same as for the medical card means test for people aged under 70 but the income limits for the GP visit card are higher than the limits for the medical card:

• If you have a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner, the limit for your combined income is €1,400 per week, not including the first €72,000 of savings or similar investments
• If you do not have a spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner, the income limit is €700 per week, not including the first €36,000 of savings or similar investments

Income over the limit

When you apply for a GP visit card, your application will first be assessed for a medical card. If you don't qualify for a medical card, you will then be assessed for a GP visit card.

If your income is over the limit for a medical card or GP visit card, you may still qualify for a discretionary card if your medical expenses would cause you financial hardship without one.

If you want to apply for a discretionary card, you should also include information about your family’s medical expenses in your application.

Appeals

If your application for a GP visit card is refused, you will receive a letter from the HSE to let you know. The letter will also set out the reasons why your application has been refused.

If you are not satisfied with the decision, you may have it reviewed. Your circumstances may have changed or you may have left out some relevant information from the original application.

If you are not satisfied with the review you can make an appeal to the Appeals Office of your HSE Area. You can also find the contact details for the Appeals Office in the letter of refusal from the HSE.

The Appeals Office will conduct a reassessment of your application. This will be conducted by HSE staff who were not involved in deciding on your original application.

Reviews

Your entitlement to a GP visit card is reviewed periodically. This is because your circumstances may change. If you don’t return your review form, your GP visit card may not be re-issued.

If you return your review form by the given date but the review process continues past the expiry date of your card, the card’s validity may be extended so that you can continue to use it while the review is taking place. The extension is on a month-by-month basis so it is advisable to contact the Client Registration Unit to confirm that your card has been extended and continues to be valid.

Cards that were due to expire between March and August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, were extended automatically for up to one year. The HSE will write to people with these cards when they are being re-assessed.

Aged under 70

If you are aged under 70, you use the same application process to apply for a GP visit card as for a medical card. As part of the application process for the GP visit card, your entitlement for a medical card will also be assessed.

You can apply online for a medical card or GP visit card on medicalcard.ie.

Alternatively, you can download an application form for the GP visit card and medical card (pdf).

Aged over 70

For the GP visit card for people aged 70 and over, you can register for the card online on gpvisitcard.ie, you can download the registration form for people aged 70 and over (pdf) or you can call 0818 22 44 78 to request a registration form.

If you are over 70, with a dependant who is under 70, and you think your income may be under the limit, you can apply for GP visit cards for both of you. To do this, you use the standard medical card/GP visit card application form (pdf) and include details of your income. (For the relevant income limits, see ‘Dependants of people aged over 70’ above).

Carers

If you get Carer’s Benefit or Carer’s Allowance, at full or half-rate, you are eligible for a GP visit card. You can register for the GP visit card for carers online or by post.

Contact Lo-call 0818 22 44 78 or your Local Health Office for more information on GP visit cards. You can also contact the Client Registration Unit. This is where you return the completed application form to: