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Check if EU or cross-border rules might apply to you

You may qualify for a Medical Card under EU or UK arrangements instead of, or as well as, the normal means test.

Use this topic if you or someone you support:
  • Has strong link to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK, and lives in Ireland.
  • Think EU or cross border rules might apply to your situation.

You can use this page on its own. Or start with the Income and expenses checker if you want a simple first pass.

Go back to the start of the checker

Note

This page offers plain language guidance. It is not a legal document.
Only the Health Service Executive (HSE) can make an official decision about a medical card or GP visit card.

Check if any of these EU or cross border situations sound like you

Use the sections below as a guide. You can open as many as you need.
Each section points you to the right part of the Income and expenses guidelines for a Medical Card or GP Visit Card and to next steps for applying under EU or UK rules.

1. I work in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK but live in Ireland

You may be treated as a frontier worker or posted worker if:

  • you live in Ireland and are ordinarily resident here
  • you work in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK
  • you return regularly to Ireland
  • you are insured for social security in that other country and not paying Irish PRSI

Note

A frontier worker is someone who lives in one country but regularly travels to work in another country and normally goes back home at least once a week.

In many cases, people in this situation can get a Medical Card in Ireland under EU regulations.
Your dependants who live in Ireland and are not insured here may also qualify.

To apply under EU or UK arrangements, you normally need:

  • an S1 or E106 form from the country where you work, or
  • if you work in the UK, a recent payslip instead of an S1 form

What you can do next

2. I get a pension from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK

You may qualify for a Medical Card under EU regulations if:

  • you are ordinarily resident in Ireland
  • you receive a state or social security pension from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or from the UK
  • you are not entitled to an Irish contributory social welfare payment and do not pay Irish PRSI

If you meet these conditions, you may get a Medical Card for yourself.
Your dependants in Ireland who are not insured here may also qualify on the same basis.

To apply you usually need:

  • if your pension is from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. an S1 or E121 form
  • if your pension is from the UK. a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions that confirms your pension, instead of an S1 form
  • if you are a dependant of a pensioner abroad. an S1 or E109 form

What you can do next

3. I am a dependant of someone insured in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK

You may be a dependant if you live in Ireland and rely on someone who is:

  • working and paying social insurance in another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK, or
  • getting a state pension from one of those countries

You may qualify for a Medical Card in Ireland if:

  • you live in Ireland and are ordinarily resident here
  • you are not working in Ireland and not paying Irish PRSI
  • you are not receiving a contributory Irish social welfare payment

Frontier workers, posted workers and pensioners can often include their dependants living in Ireland, once they are not linked to the Irish social security system.

To show that you are a dependant, you usually need:

  • an S1 or E109 form from the country where the insured person is covered, or
  • if they are insured in the UK. evidence of their work or pension, such as a recent payslip or a letter from the UK Department for Work and Pensions

What you can do next

4. I am not sure, but I have links to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK

You might still qualify under EU or UK arrangements if, for example:

  • you have recently moved to Ireland from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK
  • you have worked and paid social insurance in another country in the past
  • your spouse, partner or parent works or gets a pension from another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK

If you qualify under EU regulations, you may not need a full means test.
If you do not qualify under EU rules, you can still be assessed under the normal Irish financial guidelines.

What you can do next

  • Check the general section on applying for a card under EU regulations
  • Gather any documents that link you or your family to another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK. for example S1 or E forms, pension letters, payslips
  • If you are still unsure, talk to Citizens Information, your GP, or the National Medical Card Unit about your own situation
5. None of these EU or cross border situations sounds like us

If none of the situations on this page seems to fit, you can still:

  • Use the Income and expenses checker if you have not already done so

Go back to the start of the checker

What you can do next

  1. Decide which EU or cross border panel matches you best.
  2. Follow the links in that panel to read the detailed rules in the Income and expenses guidelines for a Medical Card or GP Visit Card.
  3. When you are ready, move on to the apply steps for a Medical Card or GP Visit Card and use the EU or UK regulations route if it applies to you.
  4. If you are still unsure, keep a note of which panels you opened and bring this with you when you talk to a GP or Citizens Information.