Your first 90 days at a glance
| When | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Day one | Check your landing stamp. Book your registration appointment. | Slots fill quickly, and you must book within 90 days. |
| Your first weeks | Get proof of address. Set up MyGovID and apply for a PPS number. Open a bank account. | Each one unlocks the next: address, then PPS number, then pay and tax. |
| Before your first payday | Have your employment permit if you need one. Register your job on Revenue myAccount. | So you don’t start work without permission or pay emergency tax. |
| Your appointment | Bring every original and the fee. | Registration isn’t completed without all the documents. |
| After you register | Watch for your IRP card. Note its expiry date. | You renew online, from 12 weeks before it expires. |
Plan your 90 days
Choose why you’re in Ireland and enter the date you arrived. You’ll get your book-by date and a plan you can tick off and copy.
First 90 days planner
Your registration deadline and everything else to set up, in order.
Your plan
Paste it into your notes. Your ticks are included.
Worked out in your browser: nothing you enter or tick is sent to us or saved. Guidance only, not legal advice.
Still planning the move from the US, Canada, Australia or New Zealand? Start with moving to Ireland from the US, Canada or Australia.
Day one: your landing stamp
When you’re allowed into Ireland, the immigration officer stamps your passport. The stamp gives you permission to stay up to the date written on it, for a maximum of 3 months. If you’re staying longer to work, study or join family, you have to register your permission with Immigration Service Delivery (ISD).
Came in over the land border from Northern Ireland? You still need a landing stamp. Report to an immigration officer at the Dundalk Immigration Office, Dublin Airport or Port, or a Garda immigration office within 30 days, or within 7 days if you’re working.
Book your registration straight away
Create an account on ISD’s Customer Service Portal and book on the day you arrive. You can’t book before you arrive, booking is free, and slots go quickly. If the first free slot is after your 90 days, book it anyway: a booking made within 90 days lets you stay until the appointment.
Everything about the appointment itself, from documents to the €300 fee, is in how to register for your first IRP.
Proof of address: the document everything needs
Your PPS number, your bank account and your registration all ask for proof of address, so sort it out early. For a PPS number, the document must show your name and address and be less than 3 months old:
- a household utility bill, a bank statement, or an official letter,
- a lease or tenancy agreement, or
- a confirmation from the person in charge of where you’re staying, such as a hotel or hostel manager, a school or a landlord.
Staying with friends or family? Use their household bill with a note from them confirming you live there.
Your PPS number
You need a Personal Public Service (PPS) number to start work and register with Revenue, to enrol on a college course, and to use public services.
- Only once you’re here. You can’t apply while you’re still planning to move.
- Online, then in person. Set up a basic MyGovID account, apply on MyWelfare, and book your in-person appointment as part of the application.
- Bring your passport (as a non-EU citizen) and your proof of address.
- By post. Your PPS number is posted to you once the application is complete.
Employers can ask for your PPS number when you take up a job, not while you’re still applying.
A bank account
To open an account, banks ask for proof of identity and proof of address. If you’re legally resident in the EU and don’t already have a current account in Ireland, you can open a basic bank account: no charges for everyday banking for at least the first year, but no overdraft.
Starting work
- Permission first. On Stamp 1 you can’t start a job until you or your employer has the employment permit.
- Register your first job with Revenue as soon as possible, or you may pay emergency tax. In Revenue myAccount, choose ‘Add Job or Pension Details’ under PAYE Services and enter your employer’s tax registration number. Revenue then tells your employer how much tax to deduct.
- After that, new employers register your jobs for you.
Students and partners
- Students: your course must have started before you register, and you need proof of your fees and medical insurance.
- Partners of permit holders: your partner comes to the appointment with you.
- Spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens: no registration fee.
The registration checklist lists exactly what to bring for each.
After you register
Your passport is stamped at the appointment and your IRP card arrives by post: ISD’s first-registration page says within 10 working days, its FAQ about 15 business days. Note the expiry date on it: you renew online, from 12 weeks before it expires.
Common mix-ups
Common questions
What should I do first when I arrive in Ireland?
Check the landing stamp in your passport, then create an account on ISD's Customer Service Portal and book your registration appointment. Slots fill quickly, so book on day one.
Do I have to register within 90 days?
You have to book within 90 days. ISD says that if no appointment is free in time, a booking made within 90 days of arriving is enough to stay until the appointment date.
Can I get my PPS number before I move to Ireland?
No. You can't apply for a PPS number while you're planning to relocate. Apply once you're living in Ireland, on MyWelfare with a basic MyGovID account, and attend an in-person appointment.
What counts as proof of address?
For a PPS number, a document from the last 3 months showing your name and address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, official letter or tenancy agreement, or a confirmation from your landlord, hostel, hotel or school. If you're staying with friends, their household bill plus a note from them confirming you live there.
Can I open a bank account without a PPS number?
Banks ask for proof of identity and proof of address. If you're legally resident in the EU and don't have another current account in Ireland, you can open a basic bank account, which has no everyday charges for the first year.
How do I avoid emergency tax in my first job?
Register the job with Revenue as soon as possible through myAccount, using 'Add Job or Pension Details' and your employer's tax registration number. Revenue then tells your employer how much tax to deduct. After your first job, employers register new jobs for you.
Can I travel before my registration appointment?
If you need a visa to enter Ireland and you leave before you've registered, you need a new entry visa to come back. If you don't need a visa, check your landing stamp's date and the guidance before you go.
When does my IRP card arrive?
By post, after your appointment. ISD's first-registration page says within 10 working days; its FAQ says about 15 business days. Your passport stamp shows your permission until the card comes.
Sources
All sources checked on 2 Oct 2026.
- Information on registering your immigration permission for the first timeImmigration Service Delivery
- Frequently asked questions for registrationImmigration Service Delivery
- Entry for non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss and non-UK nationals (at the border)Immigration Service Delivery
- Immigration permission stampsImmigration Service Delivery
- Personal Public Service (PPS) numberCitizens Information
- Opening a bank accountCitizens Information
- Basic bank accountsCitizens Information
- Starting your first jobRevenue