Ireland guide · verified 2026-07-04
After You Land in Ireland: First-Weeks Checklist
After you land
Ireland's post-arrival sequence centres on one mandatory step with a real deadline: registering with immigration to get the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. Around that, students need to apply for a PPS number, sort banking, and, the single biggest practical headache, find housing in a badly undersupplied market.
Register with immigration and obtain the IRP card
MandatoryNon-EEA students staying more than 90 days must register in person. Dublin-based students book online via the ISD Registration Office (Burgh Quay); students elsewhere register at their local Garda station immigration office. Bring passport, visa, proof of enrolment, proof of funds, and medical insurance. Pay the €300 registration fee by card at the appointment. Registration produces the IRP card, carrying the relevant immigration stamp (commonly Stamp 2 for full-time students).
Cost: €300 (paid by card at the registration appointment)You get: Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, the actual, checkable proof of permission to stay and study.Book the appointment as early as the system allows, availability can run to several weeks, and overstaying the visa's entry window without registering risks the student's status.- Renewing your registration permission (Republic of Ireland), Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice)
- Immigration permission / stamps, explained, Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice)
- Registration of non-EEA nationals in Ireland, Citizens Information (state-run public information service)
Apply for a PPS number
MandatoryA Personal Public Service (PPS) number can only be applied for after arriving and being resident in Ireland, it cannot be obtained from India. Set up a MyGovID basic account, start the application on MyWelfare.ie, and book the required in-person appointment. Needed to work legally (even part-time), for tax purposes, and, per QQI, to receive the degree parchment on graduation.
You get: PPS number, required for any paid work and for graduation.Open a bank account
RecommendedWith proof of address, passport, and enrolment confirmation, open an Irish bank account (many banks offer student accounts). Needed for receiving any work pay, paying rent by transfer, and day-to-day life.
Confirm private medical insurance is active
MandatoryWhatever policy was used for the visa/registration file (university group scheme or individual private policy) should now be active and its documents kept on hand, insurers or the university may ask for proof again during the year, and cancelling cover while registered is a breach of immigration conditions.
Find housing, expect this to be the hardest part
Ireland, and Dublin in particular, has a severe shortage of student beds, reporting in 2026 put the shortfall at tens of thousands of places nationally, with Dublin especially undersupplied relative to demand. Purpose-built student accommodation fills fast and is oversubscribed; most students end up in the private rental market, where a typical one-bed city-centre apartment runs roughly €1,700, €2,500/month and a room in a shared house roughly €800, €1,200/month (Dublin-area, 2026 reporting). Start searching months ahead, and treat 'no accommodation secured yet' as the single biggest risk to a smooth start, not a detail to sort out after arrival.
Never send a deposit for unseen accommodation to an unverified landlord, housing-scam reports targeting international students are common given the shortage.Know the rental deposit rules
By law a landlord cannot ask for a deposit greater than one month's rent, and cannot ask for advance rent greater than a further one month's rent (Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2021), so the legal maximum a tenant can be asked to pay up front to secure a tenancy is deposit + advance rent, i.e. up to two months' rent combined, not one. The tenancy must also be registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB). Keep the RTB registration confirmation and a dated inventory/condition report to protect the deposit at move-out.
Get a TFI Leap Card for discounted transport
OptionalFull-time international students on a course of at least 6 months (25+ weeks, 15+ hours/week) can apply online for the Student (or Young Adult) Leap Card, which gives roughly 50% off standard adult fares across Dublin Bus, Luas, DART, commuter rail, Bus Éireann and Local Link services nationwide. Apply online with the university acceptance/enrolment letter as supporting evidence; a small refundable deposit plus minimum travel credit is required to get the card.
Cost: ≈€5 refundable deposit + minimum €5 travel credit to obtain the card; ~50% fare discount thereafter
Unlike a soft administrative task, IRP registration is a hard legal requirement with a real fee and a real appointment queue. Book it the moment travel dates are confirmed, especially in Dublin where Burgh Quay slots can be scarce.
Counsellors coming from other European destinations may assume the immigration process is the hard part. In Ireland, especially Dublin, the accommodation shortage is often the bigger practical risk to a smooth start, treat it with equal seriousness to the visa file.
Sources
- Renewing your registration permission (Republic of Ireland), Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice)
- Get a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number, Department of Social Protection (gov.ie)
- Security deposits, tenant and landlord rules, Residential Tenancies Board (RTB, statutory body)
- TFI Leap Card, fares and discounts, Transport for Ireland (National Transport Authority)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Ireland journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Ireland
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.