Expat guide · iPhone & iPad
Moving to Ireland, one step at a time
244 guides on visas, paperwork, renting, healthcare, schools, transport and pets — free to start reading here, and turned into a personal checklist in the app.
4.9 on the App Store
The guides
Eight sections, in the order a move happens
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Pre-move
Passports, visas, what to sell, what to bring, and how to move your money before you land.
8 guides
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Checklists
Everything in order: three months out, the week you land, and your first 90 days.
4 guides
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Visas and permits
Critical Skills and General Employment Permits, every immigration stamp, Stamp 4, citizenship by descent and IRP wait times.
7 guides
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Moving from
Country-by-country guides for every major country: whether you need a visa, licence exchange, tax treaties, pensions, pets and the first 30 days.
154 guides
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Pets
The rules, airlines and airports for bringing a pet — and the rental market you will face with one.
5 guides
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Paperwork
PPS number, residence permit, bank account and proof of address, in the order they unblock each other.
7 guides
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Work and tax
Take-home pay, PAYE, USC and PRSI explained, the 2026 minimum wage, and how to land a job from abroad.
6 guides
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Cost of living
What Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick really cost in 2026: rent by county, groceries, childcare, and how Ireland compares with the UK and Europe.
8 guides
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Accommodation
A twelve-step route through the hardest part of the move: budget, search, viewings, lease and your rights.
12 guides
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Where to live
The best areas of Dublin, Cork and Galway for families, professionals and commuters, with rents by district.
6 guides
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Utilities
Phone, electricity, gas, water, broadband, the TV licence and the bins.
6 guides
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Transportation
Buses and trains, the Leap card, and what happens to your driving licence depending on where it was issued.
9 guides
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Healthcare
How the HSE works, finding a GP, emergencies, insurance and children’s health.
6 guides
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Schooling
Pre-school to third level: how Irish education is structured and how to enrol your child.
6 guides
Start here
The four guides most people need first
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Pre-move
Obtain your visa
If you are travelling to Ireland and you are not a citizen of the UK, Switzerland, or a country in the European Economic Area (the EU plus Norway…
3 min read
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Paperwork
Your top priority: Apply for PPS number
PPS (Personal Public Service) Number is an important document for anyone who moves to Ireland, as it serves as a unique identifier for accessing public…
3 min read
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Accommodation
How to rent accommodation in Ireland
Renting accommodation in Ireland can be a challenging process, but with the right tips, you can make it a smooth experience. Whether you're a student, a…
2 min read
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Healthcare
Irish Healthcare System
The healthcare system in Ireland is a complex mix of public and private services, with the government providing the majority of funding. Ireland's…
2 min read
The app
What the app adds to the guides
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Step-by-step checklist
Every task in the order it has to happen, ticked off as you go, so nothing important slips.
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99 in-depth guides
Around 59,000 words — roughly 170 book pages — covering the whole move in one place.
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Tailored to your passport
EU, non-EU and US citizens face different steps. The app shows only the ones that apply to you.
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Pre-move and post-move
Useful before you have a flight booked, and still useful when you are opening a bank account.
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Family and pets
Extra sections for your partner, children and pets, switched on when you say who is coming.
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Works offline
The guides are on the device, so they are there at the airport and in the letting agent’s office.
Frequently asked
What do I need to do first when I move to Ireland?
Apply for a PPS number. It is the personal public service number that employers, Revenue, the HSE and most services ask for, and you cannot be paid properly without one. Non-EU citizens then register for their Irish Residence Permit. A bank account and a proof of address follow.
Is the Moving to Ireland app free?
The app is free to download and the first guides are free to read. Full access to every guide and the tailored checklist is a subscription, priced in the app.
Are the guides on this website the full guides?
No. Each page here is the opening of the guide, about a fifth of it. The complete guides live in the app, where they sit inside a checklist built around your passport, your move date and who is moving with you.
Who writes the guides?
They are written by the Moving to Ireland team, expats who made the move themselves, and they link to the official source — Citizens Information, the HSE, Revenue, the Department of Justice — for every rule and fee they mention.
Beyond the guides
Plan the whole move from your phone
Moving to Ireland turns 99 guides into a personal checklist. Tell it your passport, whether you have moved yet, and who is coming with you, and it lays out every step in order — from the visa to the bins.
- Step-by-step checklist
- Tailored to your passport
- Pre-move & post-move
- Family & pet sections
4.9 on the App Store
