Guides
The paperwork, explained.
How to apply for cards and schemes, what documents you need, what things cost and who pays, and how to reach the right service. Every figure links to the official page it came from. Republic of Ireland only.
- published guides
- 17
- published guides
- official pages cited
- 127
- official pages cited
- topics
- 6
- topics
- Cards and healthcare schemesHow to get a Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) cardA Drugs Payment Scheme card caps what a person or family pays for approved prescribed medicines, CPAP rental and oxygen rental at €80 in a calendar month. There is no means test: anyone living in Ireland who does not have a medical card can apply, online at mydps.ie or on paper. The HSE says everyone without a medical card should apply.Checked 24 September 2026
- Costs and financial supportHow to claim tax relief on health expensesYou can claim back 20% of qualifying health expenses you paid for yourself or anyone else, through Revenue’s myAccount or ROS, for the current year and the previous four. Nursing home fees are relieved at your highest rate. You keep receipts for six years but do not send them in.Checked 24 September 2026
- Nursing homes and home supportHow to apply for Fair Deal (the Nursing Homes Support Scheme)Fair Deal is the HSE scheme that pays part of long-term nursing home fees; you pay a contribution set by a financial assessment. Applying has four steps on one 40-page form: the form itself, a care needs assessment, a financial assessment, and the optional Nursing Home Loan. There is no fee, funding is never backdated, and the HSE publishes no target processing time.Checked 24 September 2026
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Try “how do I apply”, “what documents”, “renew”, “fees” or a scheme name.
17 of 17 guides
Cards & Healthcare Schemes
Medical card, GP visit card, Drugs Payment Scheme, EHIC.
Medical card or GP visit card: what each one coversBoth cards make GP visits and GP out-of-hours services free. Only the medical card also covers prescribed medicines (with a small prescription charge), public hospital services, and dental, eye and ear checks. The GP visit card has higher income limits, and one application on mymedicalcard.ie assesses you for the medical card first and then the GP visit card.Checked 24 September 2026
How to apply for a medical cardAnyone living in the Republic of Ireland who plans to stay at least a year can apply for a medical card, online at mymedicalcard.ie or on paper form MC1 (MC1(a) at 70 or older). Under 70 the HSE assesses net household income after allowable expenses; at 70 or over it uses gross income. Completed applications are processed within 15 days, and anyone refused a medical card is automatically assessed for a GP visit card.Checked 24 September 2026
How to apply for a GP visit cardA GP visit card makes visits to your GP and GP out-of-hours services free; medicines and hospital charges are not covered. Children under 8, everyone over 70 and people on Carer’s Benefit or Carer’s Allowance register without a means test. Anyone aged 8 to 69 applies on mymedicalcard.ie and is means tested on net income, with the medical card assessed first.Checked 24 September 2026
How to get a Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) cardA Drugs Payment Scheme card caps what a person or family pays for approved prescribed medicines, CPAP rental and oxygen rental at €80 in a calendar month. There is no means test: anyone living in Ireland who does not have a medical card can apply, online at mydps.ie or on paper. The HSE says everyone without a medical card should apply.Checked 24 September 2026
How to apply for or renew a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)An EHIC gives you free or reduced-cost public healthcare on a temporary stay in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. Anyone living in Ireland who intends to stay at least a year can apply, free of charge, online at myehic.ie or on the HSE paper form; each family member needs their own card. Plastic cards are currently paused and a Provisional Replacement Certificate is issued instead. The card is not accepted in the UK and does not replace travel insurance.Checked 24 September 2026
Costs & Financial Support
Published fees, PRSI benefits and tax relief.
PRSI Treatment Benefit: dental, optical and hearing supportIf you have enough PRSI contributions, the Department of Social Protection pays for a yearly dental examination and an eye test every second year, and contributes set amounts towards a scale and polish, glasses or contact lenses, hearing aids and hair replacement products. The provider checks your entitlement and claims the payment; you pay any balance.Checked 24 September 2026
How to claim tax relief on health expensesYou can claim back 20% of qualifying health expenses you paid for yourself or anyone else, through Revenue’s myAccount or ROS, for the current year and the previous four. Nursing home fees are relieved at your highest rate. You keep receipts for six years but do not send them in.Checked 24 September 2026
Root canal treatment: costs, quotes and what the schemes coverThere is no official price for root canal treatment in Ireland, but dentists must display their private fees, may show root canal treatment as a range with a stated minimum and maximum, and should give a written treatment plan and estimate for complex or costly work. The medical card scheme covers one first-stage root canal a year on front teeth, PRSI Treatment Benefit does not cover it, and the cost qualifies for 20% tax relief with a Form Med 2.Checked 24 September 2026
Finding & Booking Care
Joining a practice, referrals and first appointments.
Finding a GP in IrelandHow to join a practice, what the medical card and GP visit card cover, out-of-hours care and what to bring to a first visit.Checked 24 September 2026
Preparing for your first occupational therapy appointmentWhat an OT does, how to get an appointment publicly or privately, how to check registration, and what an assessment involves.Checked 24 September 2026
How to get HIV PrEP in IrelandThe HSE has run a national PrEP programme since November 2019. You can self-refer to a public PrEP clinic without a referral letter, where the consultation, tests and medication are all free, or attend an approved GP or private provider, where the medication is free but you pay for the consultation and tests. At the pharmacy you need a Drugs Payment Scheme card, medical card or Long-term Illness card.Checked 24 September 2026
Nursing Homes & Home Support
Fair Deal, fees, home support and choosing a home.
How to apply for Fair Deal (the Nursing Homes Support Scheme)Fair Deal is the HSE scheme that pays part of long-term nursing home fees; you pay a contribution set by a financial assessment. Applying has four steps on one 40-page form: the form itself, a care needs assessment, a financial assessment, and the optional Nursing Home Loan. There is no fee, funding is never backdated, and the HSE publishes no target processing time.Checked 24 September 2026
Nursing home fees and extra charges: what you pay and what must be in the contractEvery nursing home in the Fair Deal scheme has a maximum weekly price agreed with the NTPF, and the HSE publishes the full lists. Under Fair Deal your own payment is fixed by the financial assessment, not by the home’s price. Extras such as hairdressing, activities and therapies sit outside the scheme and must be agreed and written into the contract of care before admission, with at least 30 days’ notice of any increase.Checked 24 September 2026
How to apply for the HSE Home Support ServiceThe HSE Home Support Service helps people aged 65 or over, and some younger people, with personal care at home such as getting up, dressing and showering. It is free and not means tested. You apply on a 24-page form sent to your local Home Support Office, or through the hospital discharge team; a public health nurse, physiotherapist or occupational therapist then assesses your needs. The HSE publishes no waiting time and does not offer 24-hour care.Checked 24 September 2026
Choosing a nursing home in IrelandWhat HIQA registration tells you, how the Fair Deal scheme shares the cost, and what to look at on a visit.Checked 24 September 2026
Family & Carer Support
Payments and services for people caring for someone.
Records, Rights & Feedback
Registers, records, complaints and who to contact.
Coming next
Topics we are researching
These are not published yet. Each will be written from official sources in the same way as the guides above; they are listed here so you know what is planned, not as a measure of demand.
- Renewing or replacing a Medical Card or GP Visit Card
- Drugs Payment Scheme refunds
- Changing GP and transferring records
- Questions to ask before booking a private specialist
- Getting an OT appointment through public or private services
- Booking physiotherapy: referrals, fees and practical questions
- Booking speech and language therapy for a child
- Nursing home visit checklist
- Arranging respite care
- Requesting copies of your healthcare records
- Giving feedback or making a complaint about a health service
- Moving to Ireland: getting started with healthcare
- Using the HSE Health App for supported administrative features
- Preparing documents and questions for a first appointment
Guides explain processes, schemes, costs and access. They do not describe conditions, diagnosis or treatment, and they cannot decide your eligibility. Sources are checked on the date shown; the planned check date is an editorial intention, not an automatic monitor. Last source check across all guides: 24 September 2026.