The short answer
- At a first registration, most permissions need medical insurance. Private medical insurance or travel insurance with medical cover usually both work.
- At renewal, students, guardians, graduates and Stamp 3 holders need private medical insurance: ISD says travel insurance is not sufficient.
- Some permissions don’t ask for insurance at all, such as Stamp 1 on an employment permit.
- Cash-back plans are never accepted.
Check your policy
Choose your permission, say whether you’re registering for the first time or renewing, and what kind of cover you have.
Insurance checker
Will your policy be accepted when you register or renew? Answer for your permission.
Nothing you choose is sent to us or saved. Based on ISD's required documents page and its student insurance guidance, checked 2 October 2026. ISD decides what it accepts at your appointment.
What the policy must cover
ISD’s lists use the same wording for almost every permission. Your policy must:
- cover accidents and medical incidents, including hospital stays, in Ireland;
- be valid for 12 months, or your whole stay if that’s shorter, with the dates on it;
- be an original policy document in your name.
ISD’s general rule adds that cash-back policies aren’t accepted. For Stamp 0 (for example, people of independent means), the list asks for private medical insurance only, not travel insurance.
By permission
| Permission | First registration | Renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp 1, employment permit | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Stamp 1H, hospital doctor (multi-site permit) | Not on the list | Not on the list |
| Stamp 1, researcher, working holiday, Atypical, Van der Elst; Stamp 1A | Private or travel | Not on the list |
| Stamp 1G, partner or child of a permit holder | Private or travel | Not on the list |
| Stamp 1G, graduate programme | Private or travel (moving to 1G) | Private only |
| Stamp 2, students (language, degree, master’s, PhD) | Private or travel | Private only |
| Stamp 2, Erasmus | The programme’s insurance details | The programme’s insurance details |
| Stamp 2A, secondary school, semester student, guardian | Private or travel | Private only |
| Stamp 3, minister of religion, volunteer, permission letter | Private or travel | Private only |
| Stamp 0 | Private only | Not on the list |
| Stamp 4, family of an Irish citizen | Private or travel | Not on the list |
| Stamp 4, investor or entrepreneur | Private or travel | Not on the list |
| Stamp 4EUFAM, and family of UK citizens | Private or travel | Not on the list |
“Not on the list” means ISD’s list for that stage doesn’t ask for insurance. Having health cover is still sensible.
Students
ISD has separate guidance for full-time non-EEA students. It says all students need private medical insurance, shown in one of three ways:
- Your college’s group scheme. Your letter of enrolment counts as proof if it says you’re in the scheme, that you’ve paid for it, and outlines the cover (for example, the insurer and the level of cover).
- Individual private medical insurance bought in Ireland.
- Travel insurance, in your first year only, if it covers the whole year (or your whole stay), gives at least €25,000 for accident and €25,000 for disease, and covers hospital stays.
At renewal, travel insurance isn’t accepted. You need private medical insurance, plus evidence that you kept it for the previous registration period, such as a renewal letter. The evidence must be in English.
Dependent parents and adult children
If a dependent parent or adult child joins you under family reunification, ISD’s policy asks for more: private medical insurance at or above the level of private healthcare in a private hospital.
Common mix-ups
Common questions
Do I need private medical insurance to register?
It depends on your permission. ISD's lists ask for it for students, researchers, working holiday makers, partners of permit holders, family of Irish and EU citizens and others. They don't ask for it if you're registering on an employment permit (Stamp 1) or as a hospital doctor on a multi-site permit (Stamp 1H).
Is travel insurance accepted?
At a first registration, usually yes, if it has medical cover for accidents and medical incidents including hospital stays in Ireland, for 12 months or your whole stay. Not for Stamp 0, and not when students, graduates, guardians or Stamp 3 holders renew: ISD says travel insurance isn't sufficient then.
What does the insurance have to cover?
Accidents and medical incidents, including hospital stays in Ireland, for 12 months or your whole stay if that's shorter, with the dates on it. Bring the original policy document in your name. Cash-back policies aren't accepted.
Can students use their college's insurance?
Yes. ISD's student guidance says a college group scheme counts if your letter of enrolment shows you're in the scheme, that you've paid for it, and outlines the cover.
What do students need at renewal?
Private medical insurance, not travel insurance, and evidence that you kept it for the last registration period, such as a renewal letter. The evidence must be in English.
Can I cancel my insurance after I register?
ISD's student guidance says a student who cancels their medical insurance after registering is in breach of their immigration conditions.
Sources
All sources checked on 2 Oct 2026.
- Documents needed to register your immigration permission (insurance per permission)Immigration Service Delivery
- Private medical insurance for full-time non-EEA studentsImmigration Service Delivery
- Frequently asked questions for studentsImmigration Service Delivery
- Frequently asked questions for registrationImmigration Service Delivery
- Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification (dependent relatives)Immigration Service Delivery