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Update your details and keep your Medical Card or GP Visit Card

The HSE uses your up to date details to check that your Medical Card or GP Visit Card is still correct.
Some changes are simple contact updates. Others may affect your entitlement, but you may still be able to keep your card for a time.

This topic explains which changes you should tell the HSE about, how to report them, and what usually happens next.

Use this topic if you or someone you support wants to:
  • Tell the HSE about a change of address
  • Report changes in job, social welfare payments or income
  • Keep a Medical Card after you start work or join an employment scheme
  • Add a child or new dependant to your card
  • Understand which changes might lead to a review of your card

Before you begin

You do not need everything on this list, but these details can make things easier.

Try to have:

  • Your Medical Card or GP Visit Card
  • Your PPS number and date of birth
  • Your current address and Eircode
  • The name of your GP and practice
  • Details of any social welfare payment or employment scheme you are on
  • Recent information about your job, income and family circumstances. for example who lives with you

Keep any letters, emails or text messages you get from the HSE. They often include reference numbers and contact details.

Steps

Step 1. Know which changes you should report

Tell the HSE if any of these happen:

  • You move house or change your postal address
  • Your employment status changes. for example you start work, change job or finish an employment scheme
  • There are changes in your family or household. for example a partner moves in or out, a child is born or moves away
  • Your income or social welfare payments change in a lasting way

Reporting a change does not automatically cancel your card. It allows the HSE to decide whether you can keep it under the normal rules or a special arrangement.

If you are not sure whether a change matters, you can contact the Medical Card office on your letters or ask a Citizens Information Centre for advice before you get in touch with the HSE.

Step 2. When you move house or change your address

If you move to a new address, you should update your contact details as soon as you can. This helps:

  • Make sure review letters and new cards reach you
  • Avoid delays if the HSE needs extra information

You can usually:

  1. Update your address online using the HSE medical card system, or
  2. Phone or write to the Medical Card office named on your card or letters

Have these details ready:

  • Your PPS number
  • Your old and new address and Eircode
  • A contact phone number or email

In some cases the HSE may ask for proof of address, such as a recent utility bill or official letter.

If you move to a different area, you may also need to change your GP before your next renewal. For more detail, see:

Step 3. If you start work or your employment changes

If you have been on a social welfare payment or employment scheme and then start work, you may be able to keep your Medical Card for a time, often up to 3 years, even if your income goes above the usual limits.

Typical situations include:

  • You have been receiving a jobseeker or similar payment for at least 12 months, then start work
  • You move from long term unemployment into part time work
  • You start a Government supported employment scheme

What to do:

  1. Tell the HSE that you are returning to work and want to keep your Medical Card under the return to work rules
  2. Complete any review or application form they send you, explaining that you are applying under the return to work rules
  3. Include details of your new job or scheme, your income, and the family members who rely on your card

In many cases, this means:

  • You may keep your card for up to 3 years under the special rules
  • Dependent family members may also keep their cards during this time

After this period, the HSE will usually reassess your card under the normal guidelines.

If you are unsure whether your job or scheme qualifies, talk to:

  • Your GP or hospital team, or
  • A Citizens Information Centre, who can explain the current HSE rules
Step 4. If your family or dependants change

Tell the HSE if:

  • You add a child to your household
  • A child moves away or is no longer dependent on you
  • Your partner or spouse moves in or out of the home
  • Another adult now depends on you for support

Depending on the situation, you may need to:

  1. Phone the Medical Card office named on your letters
  2. Give your PPS number, card number if you know it, and brief details of the change
  3. Complete a form or send supporting documents. for example a birth certificate when adding a child

The HSE will:

  • Update your household details
  • Decide whether anyone should be added to or removed from your card

If you are unsure which documents to send, ask the Medical Card office or a Citizens Information Centre before posting anything. Do not send original documents unless you have been clearly asked to do so.

Step 5. If the HSE reviews your card after a change

Sometimes telling the HSE about a change will lead to a review of your Medical Card or GP Visit Card. For example, if:

  • Your income increases a lot
  • Your household size changes
  • You have kept your card under return to work rules and the special period is ending

If this happens, the HSE will:

  • Write to you with a review form or online instructions
  • Ask for updated details about your income, savings and family
  • Decide whether your card can continue as it is, change to a GP Visit Card, or stop

Always reply to review letters by the date given, even if your circumstances have not changed since you last applied.

If you receive a decision that reduces, changes or stops your card and you think it is wrong, see:

to learn how to ask for a reassessment or appeal and what to include in your request.

What to do next

If you:

  • Have had a change in address, job or family that you have not yet told the HSE about, or
  • Are unsure whether you can keep your card after starting work,

you can:

  • Contact the Medical Card office on your letters and explain what has changed
  • Bring your card, HSE letters and a note of your income and family to a Citizens Information Centre and ask them to help you contact the HSE
  • Read Renew or replace your Medical Card or GP Visit Card if you also need to deal with an upcoming expiry date

If a change leads to a review decision that you disagree with, use:

to see how to ask for a reassessment or appeal and what to include in your request.

You do not have to work this out on your own. Staff in the Medical Card office and Citizens Information can help you explain your situation and understand your options.