After arriving in the state of Republic of Ireland, you will receive a stamp from immigration at the airport which is valid for 3 months initially. Once you have settled in your place of stay, its time for you to apply for Irish Residence Permit (IRP).

Irish Residence Permit (IRP):


If you have come here for studies, you will be issued Stamp 2 (student visa), Stamp 1 (work permit) or irrespective of the visa category your stay falls under, you will have to register yourself with Irish Immigration to get you residence permit card for the first time. There are different processes for getting your first IRP, depending upon if you intend to live in Dublin or outside Dublin.

If your place of residence is in county Dublin, then visit How to register your immigration permission for the first time - Immigration Service Delivery (irishimmigration.ie). Once you have registered your account with INIS, you have to book an appointment and bring in the documents required. You can book your appointment by visiting Burgh Quay appointments - Immigration Service Delivery (irishimmigration.ie) or by calling 1800 800 630. 

The IRP costs 300€ and is valid for 1 year. 

Documents required: Passport, Health Insurance, House Address Proof, College admission letter.

Usually the processing takes about 3-4 weeks and the IRP card is then posted to your postal address.


Registration for IRP if you live outside Dublin:

The Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) operates a network of registration offices throughout the country. You must register at the registration office nearest to where you live. You can find your nearest Garda station at Station Directory - Garda

You have to make an appointments, and on the date and time of appointment, you have bring the same documents, your fingerprints and photograph will be taken. 

Once the above process is done, upon confirmation, you will have to return to the local registration office to pick up your new IRP card.




Personal Public Service Number (PPSN):

After getting your IRP card sorted, you will have to get yourself a PPSN card, it's completely free to get. PPSN is like a tax number of Ireland, all your payslips or salaries or any other incomes are linked to your PPSN card. If you intend to work while you are living in Ireland, it is mandatory to get the PPSN to get a job legally in Ireland.

PPSNs are given by the Department of Social Protection (DSP).


Why do I need a PPSN?

The awarding body for all colleges/universities is QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland). QQI requires all students to have a PPSN to graduate and receive their parchment. A PPSN is also needed to work in Ireland as it is required for tax purposes.

Applying for a PPSN:


The process to apply for a PPSN changed in December 2020 and you can now apply for it online with the following steps.

1. Set up a basic at MyGovID Account at https://www.mygovid.ie/
2. Go to MyWelfare.ie and apply online for a PPSN.


Checklist to apply for PPSN:

Proof of ID->Your Passport
Evidence of why you need a PPSN -> (Your college) PPSN Letter addressed to the Tax Office confirms that students require a PPSN for their studies
Proof of Address ->(Your college) PPSN Letter is also accepted as proof of address. Note, you must have secured your long-term accommodation such as Student Residences or private rented accommodation and have updated your My Details account with your address (home and mailing address). Short-term temporary accommodation can not be used when applying for the PPSN.

PS: You need to have an Irish phone number to verify your phone number linked to Revenue account on the date of your appointment. The processing time for getting your PPSN card is about 3-4 weeks.


PPS: For getting a new phone number, there are multiple networks available in Ireland, some popular ones are Vodafone, Eir, Three, Virgin, etc. If you are going to make international calls a lot, then Lyca can also be a good option for you as it has reasonable calling options packs. Lyca sim cards can be found in Asian stores for free. Usually all networks costs about 15-20€ a month. My personal recommendation is Vodafone as it is quiet reliable in countryside and also in other European countries. But if you are looking for calls to Asia/Africa- go for Lyca, they have good international packs.

Also just FYI, please keep your cards scanned on your email as these will be used throughout your stay in Ireland for various different purposes, so its always good to have them saved digitally in one place that you will always remember.