No vaccinations, safe tap water and a good health service that will still bill you EUR 100 for walking into an emergency department without a referral. An EHIC or GHIC waives that charge.
- No vaccinations are required beyond being up to date with routine ones, and the tap water is safe everywhere.
- Walking into a public emergency department without a GP referral costs EUR 100, and the charge applies even if you are then admitted.
- An EHIC or GHIC waives that charge. Everyone else needs travel insurance - Ireland has no reciprocal arrangement with the USA, Canada, Australia or most of Asia.
- An emergency ambulance is free with no call-out charge; a GP visit is EUR 50 to EUR 70 paid on the day.
- The pharmacist is the right first stop for anything minor, and the HSE runs a live pharmacy finder for out of hours.
Before you go
- No vaccinations are required or recommended beyond being up to date with routine ones.
- Bring an EHIC if you are from the EU or EEA, or a GHIC if you are from the UK. It is the difference between free emergency treatment and a bill.
- Everyone else needs travel insurance. Ireland has no reciprocal arrangement with the USA, Canada, Australia or most of Asia, and private treatment is expensive.
- Bring prescription medicines in their original packaging with the prescription. Some medicines available over the counter elsewhere are prescription-only here.
If something happens
- 112 or 999 reaches everything, free from any phone including one with no credit or no SIM.
- An emergency ambulance is free. There is no call-out charge.
- Walking into a public emergency department without a GP referral costs EUR 100. Presenting a valid EHIC or GHIC waives it. The charge applies even if you are then admitted.
- A GP visit costs EUR 50 to EUR 70 paid on the day. Many practices will see a visitor the same day if you phone in the morning.
- VHI SwiftCare, Dublin, and similar private urgent care clinics handle sprains, stitches and X-rays without the emergency department wait, for about EUR 125 to EUR 200.
Pharmacies
- The pharmacist is the right first stop for anything minor. Irish pharmacists advise and dispense a wide range without a prescription.
- Boots and McCabes are everywhere, and most towns have a late-opening pharmacy.
- The HSE runs a live pharmacy finder on hse.ie if you need one out of hours.
Everyday health
- Tap water is safe everywhere, including rural supplies, though local boil notices are occasionally issued and posted publicly.
- Ireland is very far north. In December daylight is 08:40 to 16:10, and vitamin D and mood take a hit on a long stay.
- Sunburn is a real risk on the coast in summer despite the temperature, because the wind hides it.
- Ticks carrying Lyme disease exist in wooded and upland areas. Check yourself after a walk in long grass.
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