Week one decides everything: the landing stamp sets your clock, the ISD portal queue sets your registration date, and the PPS number unlocks tax, banking and healthcare.
Overview
Your first month in Ireland is mostly about joining two queues early and feeding one number into everything else. The immigration clock starts at the border: the landing stamp in your passport states how long you have to register — typically up to 90 days — so check it before leaving the airport. Registration appointments at Burgh Quay in Dublin are booked through the ISD Customer Service Portal, with slots released on a rolling basis up to 10 weeks ahead; creating the account and starting to check in week one is the single most time-critical task. In parallel, apply for your Personal Public Service (PPS) number on MyWelfare.ie — it is the key that unlocks Revenue registration (avoiding emergency tax), the medical card system and most public services. Healthcare entitlement follows 'ordinary residence': once you live in Ireland intending to stay at least a year, the HSE accepts you into the public system with either full (medical card) or limited eligibility. Verified against irishimmigration.ie, gov.ie, revenue.ie and citizensinformation.ie as of June 2026.
Week-by-Week Plan
| Week | Action | Where / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Check your landing stamp date; create an ISD Customer Service Portal account and start checking registration slots (Dublin) or contact your regional registration office | irishimmigration.ie — slots open on a rolling basis up to 10 weeks ahead; never pay a third party for an appointment |
| Week 1 | Apply for your PPS number with MyGovID basic account | MyWelfare.ie — upload ID, proof of address (bill-payer letter accepted) and evidence of need; in-person appointment follows |
| Week 1–2 | Open an Irish bank account | Any bank; photo ID + proof of address. Needed for salary and for direct-debit proof later |
| Week 2 | Register your job with Revenue once the PPS number arrives | myAccount at revenue.ie — without it your employer must apply emergency tax |
| Week 2–3 | Attend registration appointment when slot secured; pay €300 by card | 13/14 Burgh Quay (Dublin) with all original documents — incomplete files are turned away |
| Week 3 | Register with a GP; apply for a medical card or GP visit card if eligible | HSE — entitlement once 'ordinarily resident' (intending to stay 1+ year); cards are means-tested |
| Week 4 | Receive IRP card by post (~10–15 working days after appointment); verify all details | Report errors to ISD immediately; carry the card — it is your proof of permission and replaces re-entry visas |
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See Paid Plans →Frequently Asked Questions
What is genuinely urgent in my first week in Ireland?
Three things. First, read your landing stamp before leaving the border — it states the date by which you must register, typically giving up to 90 days. Second, create an ISD Customer Service Portal account and start checking for Burgh Quay registration appointments immediately; slots release on a rolling basis up to 10 weeks ahead and disappear fast. Third, begin the PPS number application on MyWelfare.ie, because the number gates Revenue registration, the medical card and most public services. Everything else — banking, GP registration, even starting work — flows more smoothly once those three clocks are running.
How do I avoid emergency tax when I start working?
Emergency tax applies whenever Revenue doesn't know about your job: your employer must over-withhold until the record exists. The fix is sequential — get your PPS number via MyWelfare.ie (apply week one; an in-person appointment is part of the process), then register on Revenue's myAccount and add your job using your employer's registration number. Do this before or immediately after your first day. If you do get emergency-taxed, the excess is refunded through payroll once your record is in place, but that can take pay cycles — unpleasant when you're also funding deposits and the €300 registration fee.
When am I entitled to use Ireland's public health system?
From the point the HSE accepts you as 'ordinarily resident' — living in Ireland and intending to stay at least one year — regardless of nationality. That gives you at least Category 2 (limited) eligibility: public hospital services at subsidised statutory charges, but full-price GP visits. If your income is low enough you can apply for a medical card (Category 1): free GP care, prescriptions at small charges, and free public hospital care. Too much income for that? The GP visit card covers free GP appointments alone. Apply through the HSE once you have your PPS number and address evidence.
Can I travel abroad during my first month, before my IRP card arrives?
Think hard before you do, especially if you are visa-required. Re-entry visas were abolished on 13 May 2019 precisely because the IRP card now proves your right to return — but in your first weeks you don't yet hold the card; it arrives by post roughly 10–15 working days after your registration appointment. Until then a visa-required national returning to Ireland may face questions at boarding, since a single-entry D visa may already be used. If unavoidable travel arises before your card comes, check current ISD guidance and carry every approval document you have.
What if I can't get a registration appointment before my landing stamp deadline?
Don't ignore it — document it. Keep evidence that you created your ISD Customer Service Portal account promptly and have been checking for appointments (screenshots with dates help). Appointment scarcity is a known pressure point; ISD releases slots on a rolling basis up to 10 weeks ahead and continues releasing new ones, so persistent checking usually succeeds within the window. Never buy an appointment — ISD warns third-party sellers have no real access. If the deadline genuinely approaches with no slot, contact ISD through the portal in writing before the date passes, rather than presenting as undocumented afterwards.
Which month-one tasks do people most regret skipping?
Registering with a GP before they need one — many practices have closed lists, and hunting for a doctor while sick is miserable. Photographing and filing the landing stamp, permit and every approval letter — renewals and the Stamp 4 application (21 months for Critical Skills holders, 57 for General Employment Permit holders) demand a paper trail. Setting up address-proof early, since every institution wants a document under three months old. And verifying the IRP card on arrival: name spelling, stamp category and expiry errors are far easier to fix immediately than at renewal time, when an error can cascade into permit and travel problems.