In Ireland your GP (general practitioner, or family doctor) is the front door to the health system: prescriptions, referrals to hospital consultants, sick certificates and children's vaccinations all go through them. The problem in Dublin is that many practices have closed their lists. The Irish College of GPs says the country has about 4,600 GPs in practice against a need for more than 6,000, and its 2026 workforce data flags particular pressure in the Dublin commuter belt and parts of the north side. Start looking in your first weeks, not when you are sick. This guide explains where to look, what it costs and what to do out of hours. Figures are correct as of September 2026.
Where to search
How to approach a practice
Phone rather than email, mid-morning after the early rush. Say you have just moved to the area, give your Eircode (many practices only take patients within a catchment), and ask whether they are taking new private patients, or new GMS patients if you hold a medical card or GP visit card. Expect several calls before one says yes. If a practice is closed, ask whether they keep a waiting list and whether they know a nearby practice that is open. Once accepted, you will usually fill in a registration form with your PPS number, address, medical history and any regular medication, and be asked for a summary from your previous doctor.
What a GP visit costs
GP fees for private patients are not regulated. In Dublin, a standard consultation typically costs between €50 and €80, with city-centre practices at the upper end and evening or same-day appointments sometimes carrying a premium. Blood tests, vaccinations and minor procedures are charged separately unless covered by a public scheme. Some insurance plans refund part of the fee, and you can claim 20% tax relief on medical expenses through Revenue myAccount.
GP visit cards and medical cards
Two HSE cards make GP visits free. The GP visit card covers visits to a participating GP and the GP out-of-hours service, but not prescriptions or hospital charges. It is automatic, with no means test, for children under 8, everyone aged 70 and over, and people receiving Carer's Allowance or Carer's Benefit. For everyone else it is means-tested on net weekly income after tax, PRSI and USC; the basic rates set on 13 November 2023 are €418 for a single person living alone, €373 for a single person living with family and €607 for a couple or a lone parent, with allowances for children, rent, childcare and travel-to-work costs. The medical card has lower income limits but also covers prescriptions and hospital charges. Both are applied for with the same form at medicalcard.ie, and the HSE assesses you for the medical card first. You must be ordinarily resident, meaning living in Ireland and intending to stay at least a year. Note that a GP must have a GMS contract to accept these cards, so ask when you register.
Out of hours: D-Doc, Dubdoc and the rest
GP surgeries open Monday to Friday in office hours. Outside those hours, urgent problems that are not emergencies go to the GP out-of-hours co-operatives. You must phone first; a nurse triages you and books an appointment, a home visit or advice. Which service you use depends on where your registered GP is, so ask your practice which one covers you.
| Service | Area | Phone | Hours | Cost without a card |
| D-Doc (NorthDoc) | North Dublin city and county | 0818 22 44 76 | 6pm to 8am weekdays, 24 hours weekends and bank holidays | €75 at a centre for patients of member GPs, €90 for others; home visits €110 to €120 |
| Dubdoc | South inner city, based at the Meath Primary Care Centre, Heytesbury Street | 01 454 5607 | 6pm to 10pm weekdays, 10am to 6pm weekends and public holidays | Fee charged; free with a medical or GP visit card |
| Other co-ops (for example EastDoc, LukeDoc, SouthDoc in Cork and Kerry) | Varies by area | See the HSE list of out-of-hours services | Evenings, nights and weekends | Set by each service |
All out-of-hours services are free if you show a valid medical card or GP visit card. For a life-threatening emergency, call 112 or 999 or go to an emergency department; the HSE also runs injury units for minor injuries that are faster than an emergency department.
If you cannot find anyone
- Widen the radius: practices in the next suburb along a bus route are often open when your own is closed.
- Ask HSE Live to help if you have a medical card; they cannot assign a GP to private patients, but they keep track of which practices are open.
- Use an online GP service for prescriptions and certificates in the meantime, but keep looking for a local practice.
- Register the whole household at once; practices often prefer taking a family.
