Residents » Overview » When You Arrive

Don’t panic! Whenever you move to a new country, there will always be a few weeks of transitioning and taking care of details. However, remember that in a few weeks everything will be sorted and you will be able to sit back and enjoy Dublin. Here are a few things that need to be taken care of when you arrive:

• Get your Personal Public Service (PPS) number (like a social security number) at your local Social Welfare office so that you can begin work (and start being taxed).

• If you need to, register with the police at the Garda National Immigration Bureau on Burgh Quay and get your GNIB card (an ID card that says you’re allowed to live in Ireland).

• Start work (p.65).

• Find a place to live. Having done some research on the internet, you can now go and view houses. Most places are rented furnished, and many are available on short-term leases, so you don’t have to find your dream home right away. See p.76.

• Open a bank account (p.71).

• Figure out how to get around the city. See www.dublinbus.ie or www.irishrail.ie (go to the Dart section) to find out routes and timetables or go to the Dublin Bus office on O’Connell Street or the Dublin Tourist Office, just off Grafton Street.

• Sort out a driving licence (p.60). If your country is eligible, you can exchange your existing licence for an Irish one. Even if you come from a non-eligible country, you can still drive for up to 12 months before you need to get your Irish licence.

• If you have children, take them to their new school to meet the principal, teachers and pupils.

• Make some friends and have fun. Look at newspapers or just wander around Temple Bar, Dublin’s cultural quarter (right in the city centre), to find out what’s going on.