Getting a PPS number in Dublin as an American

Think of the PPS number as your Irish Social Security number: you apply online, show up once in person with your passport and proof of address, and it arrives by mail.

The short version

You need one to work, pay tax correctly and use public services, from the medical card to a driver's license [1].
Apply online on MyWelfare.ie with a basic MyGovID account, which just needs an email address [1][2].
Bring three things: your US passport, proof of your Dublin address dated within the last three months, and (if asked) proof of why you need the number [1][3].
You must go to an in-person appointment, which you book during the online application. The number then comes by mail [1].
There's no application fee on the official pages we checked [1][3].

What a PPS number is and why you need it

Your Personal Public Service (PPS) number is seven digits followed by one or two letters [1]. Like your Social Security number back home, it ties together your tax, social insurance and public services. Unlike your SSN, it's handed out to newcomers fairly quickly, and you can't get one from abroad if you're planning to move to Ireland: you have to wait until you arrive [3].

Citizens Information lists what it's used for [1]:

You need it for	Why it matters to a new arrival
Registering with Revenue when you start work	Without it, your employer can't put you on the right tax credits
All social welfare services	Including Child Benefit if you have kids
Public health services, the medical card and the Drugs Payment Scheme	Needed to register for a GP visit card or medical card
Registering for a school or college course	Including enrolling kids in school
Driver theory tests and driving licenses	Needed when you swap or apply for an Irish license
Housing grants and Revenue schemes	Less urgent, but you'll need it eventually

Employers aren't supposed to ask for your PPS number while recruiting, only when you actually take the job [1]. And the Irish embassy in Washington reminds working holiday participants that they'll need one too [4].

The tax hit if you wait

Your first paycheck is the big reason to move fast. Without a PPS number, your employer can't get your tax credits from Revenue, and you'll usually be taxed at a higher emergency rate until it's sorted. You can get the overpaid tax back later, but it's a painful first month. Apply in your first week.

Before you start: MyGovID

MyGovID is Ireland's single login for government services, sort of like Login.gov back home. There are two levels [2]:

Account	What you need	What it does for you
Basic	Just an email address	Book a PPS appointment, apply for a PPS number, request PRSI records, apply for jobs on JobsIreland.ie
Verified	A PPS number and a Public Services Card, or verification through the MyGovID app or in person	Two-step login with a code sent to your cell phone; required for things like driving licenses and the National Childcare Scheme

So the order is: create a basic MyGovID, apply for your PPS number, and once you've got the number (and, later, a Public Services Card), upgrade to a verified account [2]. A verified account is optional for many services, including your Revenue PAYE account, but it makes life much easier [2].

How to apply, step by step

Create a basic MyGovID account with your email address and a password. You'll confirm it with a code sent to your inbox [2].
Log in to MyWelfare.ie and start the PPS number application. You must be 18 or older [1].
Fill in the online form and upload copies of your documents [3].
Book your in-person appointment at a PPS number allocation office. If you live on the island of Ireland, you choose the location, date and time as part of the application [1].
Go to the appointment with your originals. Citizens Information is clear: you must attend in person to complete the application [1].
Watch your mailbox. Your PPS number is sent by post once the application is done [1].

You can also apply on paper using form REG1 (REG1M for a child) [1], but online with an appointment is the standard route.

Applying for your kids

If you're moving with children, you can apply for yourself and your child in the same online application, and you both go to the appointment [1]. A child living in Ireland but born elsewhere needs an application; at least one parent must have a PPS number for the child to be linked to [1]. You'll also need proof of the child's identity, why they need the number, and your relationship to them, which in practice means their US birth certificate and passport [1].

Documents: what actually counts

Proof of identity

As a non-EU citizen, you use your current US passport [1][3]. Irish citizens through the Foreign Births Register can use their Irish passport, or their FBR certificate together with an Irish or UK driver's license or learner permit [1].

Proof of address

This is where Americans get stuck, because you may not have a lease in your own name yet. Any one of these works, as long as it shows your name and address and is no more than three months old [1][3]:

a household utility bill
an official letter or document
a bank statement
a lease or tenancy agreement
written confirmation from a third party, such as a hotel or hostel manager, a school principal, or your landlord

If you're staying with friends or relatives, you can use an original household bill plus a note from the bill holder confirming you live there, and the note can be written on the bill itself [1][3]. That's a lifesaver if you're couch-surfing while you look for an apartment.

Proof of why you need it

Gov.ie lists examples such as a job (a contract or offer letter), a social welfare claim, or registering a child's birth [3]. Bring your employment contract or offer letter to be safe.

After you get it

Give it to your employer and register with Revenue so you're taxed on your proper credits.
Upgrade to a verified MyGovID once you have a Public Services Card or can verify through the app [2]. You'll need it to apply for or renew an Irish driver's license online and for several Revenue and welfare services [2].
Moving apartments? With a verified MyGovID you can update your address on MyWelfare; otherwise you write to the Department of Social Protection with proof of the new address [1].
Questions about your application: Client Identity Services at the Department of Social Protection, CIS@welfare.ie or (071) 967 2616 [1].

The American angle

Your PPS number lives alongside your SSN, not instead of it:

Keep your SSN in use. The IRS still needs your Social Security number on your US return, and US citizens owe a return on worldwide income wherever they live, with an automatic extension to June 15 for those abroad [5].
Irish bank accounts you open with your PPS number count toward FBAR and possibly Form 8938.
PRSI contributions you build in Ireland may matter for Social Security under the US–Ireland totalization agreement. A US expat tax preparer can check your situation.

Stuck on proof of address or wondering which allocation office has the shortest wait? Ask in our community group for Americans in Ireland.

Getting a PPS number in Dublin: Ireland's answer to your Social Security number