# Moving to Ireland from Australia | Moving from | Moving to Ireland > Census 2022 counted 3,481 Australian citizens living in Ireland and a much larger 14,444 people with dual Irish and Australian citizenship, one of the… Source: https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/moving-to-ireland-from-australia/ Moving from · Country guide # Moving to Ireland from Australia 4 min read · Updated 13 September 2026 Census 2022 counted **3,481 Australian citizens** living in Ireland and a much larger **14,444 people with dual Irish and Australian citizenship**, one of the biggest dual citizen groups in the country. Australians come for the 12 month Working Holiday Authorisation, for jobs in tech, finance, construction and healthcare, to reconnect with family, or to use Ireland as a base for Europe. Here is what to expect.
Quick factsAustralia to Ireland
Visa to enterNo, up to 90 days
Working Holiday AuthorisationYes, ages 18 to 35, 12 months
Australian licence exchangeableYes
Double taxation agreementYes
Social security agreementYes (since 1992)
Australian citizens in Ireland (Census 2022)3,481 (plus 14,444 dual)
## Do you need a visa? Australian citizens are **not visa required** and can enter Ireland for up to 90 days on a passport alone. To stay longer you need an immigration permission and must register for an **Irish Residence Permit** (300 euro) within 90 days of arrival. The main routes: - **Working Holiday Authorisation**: Australians aged **18 to 35** can live and work in Ireland for **12 months** from the date of entry. You cannot work for a single employer for more than 6 months, and you do not need a job offer. Apply through the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra; the processing fee is 95 Australian dollars. You need proof of funds, health insurance and a return ticket or the funds for one. - **Critical Skills Employment Permit** for jobs on the critical skills list, minimum salary **40,904 euro** from 1 March 2026 (68,911 euro for other eligible roles). Partners get Stamp 1G and can work without a permit of their own. - **General Employment Permit** for other jobs at 36,605 euro, usually after a labour market needs test. - **Study** on Stamp 2 with the Third Level Graduate Programme afterwards. - **Family** routes to join an Irish or EU citizen spouse or partner. Given how many Australians have Irish grandparents, check the **Foreign Births Register** first. Registration makes you an Irish citizen with full EU rights and takes roughly 9 to 12 months. ## Your driving licence Australia is **on the NDLS list of recognised states**, so a full Australian licence from any state or territory can be exchanged for an Irish licence with no theory or driving test. Apply online at ndls.ie or at an NDLS centre with your licence, proof of PPS number, proof of address and photo ID; the fee is 65 euro. Not every category transfers, and NDLS may ask for a letter of entitlement from your state licensing authority, so request one before you leave. Exchange it within 1 year of its expiry date at the latest. ## Tax, pensions and money Ireland and Australia have a **double taxation agreement**. You become Irish tax resident after 183 days in a calendar year, and the treaty decides which country taxes what. Tell the ATO whether you are ceasing Australian residency; if you keep Australian rental income it stays taxable there. Ireland has had a **bilateral social security agreement with Australia since 1992** (revised in 2006). It lets you add Australian working life residence to Irish PRSI contributions to qualify for a pension in either country, each paying a pro rata share. The Age Pension can be paid in Ireland, and Services Australia pays it in euro into an Irish account. Your **superannuation** stays in Australia until preservation age unless you were only ever a temporary resident, in which case you may claim a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment after leaving, taxed at 35% to 65% depending on your visa. Your **Australian credit history does not transfer**; Irish lenders only see the Central Credit Register. Open an Irish bank account or a Revolut account with an Irish IBAN as soon as you have proof of address. ## Healthcare Working holiday applicants must show private health insurance. Once you are **ordinarily resident** (living here or intending to for at least a year) you can use the public HSE system. Compared with Medicare, the main difference is that GP visits cost about 50 to 70 euro unless you have a medical card or GP visit card; public hospital inpatient charges were abolished in 2023. Australia has a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Ireland covering emergency and necessary treatment for visitors, but as a resident you should either take private insurance from VHI, Laya or Irish Life Health or budget for GP fees. If you are 35 or older, buy insurance **within 9 months of arriving** to avoid a Lifetime Community Rating loading. ## Bringing your things and your pet There are **no non-stop flights between Australia and Ireland**. One stop via Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi or Singapore takes 21 to 25 hours in total. If you do ship, household goods enter free of duty and VAT under **Transfer of Residence relief** if you have lived outside the EU for 12 months and owned them for 6 months. Australia is a listed country for pet travel, so your dog or cat does **not need a rabies blood test**. It needs an ISO microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before travel, an EU animal health certificate endorsed by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, tapeworm treatment for dogs, and advance notice to the Irish Department of Agriculture for a compliance check on arrival. ## First 30 days checklist 1. Apply for a **PPS number** through MyWelfare.ie once you have a letter confirming your Irish address. 2. Book your **IRP registration** with Immigration Service Delivery within 90 days (300 euro). 3. Open an **Irish bank account** and register with Revenue myAccount to avoid emergency tax. 4. Register with a **GP** and decide on private health insurance. 5. Get a **Leap card** and exchange your licence at the NDLS. ## ★ Useful links - [Embassy of Ireland, Canberra: Working Holiday Authorisation](https://www.ireland.ie/en/australia/canberra/services/visas/working-holiday-authorisations/) - [Immigration Service Delivery](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/) - [National Driver Licence Service](https://www.ndls.ie/) - [Irish and Australian Social Security Agreement](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-social-protection/publications/irishaustralian-social-security-agreement-sw87/) - [Foreign Births Register](https://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/citizenship/born-abroad/registering-a-foreign-birth/) ![](https://www.movingtoireland.co/apple-touch-icon.png) You have read 16% of this guide ## Keep reading in the Moving to Ireland app The rest of **Moving to Ireland from Australia** — about 4 minutes more — is in the app, free to download, alongside 98 other guides and a checklist built around your own move. Still to come in this guide - Your driving licence - Tax, pensions and money - Healthcare - Bringing your things and your pet [Download free on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) iPhone and iPad · no account needed ## More on moving from [All 154 guides in this section](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/) - ### [Moving to Ireland from the US](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/moving-to-ireland-from-the-us/) Census 2022 counted 13,412 US citizens living in Ireland, up 27.5% on 2016, plus another 30,044 people holding dual Irish and American citizenship… 4 min read - ### [Moving to Ireland from the UK](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/moving-to-ireland-from-the-uk/) UK citizens are the second largest non-Irish group in the country. Census 2022 counted 83,347 UK citizens living in Ireland, and a further 31,907 people… 4 min read - ### [Moving to Ireland from India](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/moving-to-ireland-from-india/) Indians are now the third largest non-Irish group in the country. Census 2022 counted 45,449 Indian citizens living in Ireland, and in the year before… 4 min read - ### [Moving to Ireland from Brazil](https://www.movingtoireland.co/guides/moving-from/moving-to-ireland-from-brazil/) Brazilians are the largest non-European community in Ireland. Census 2022 counted 27,338 Brazilian citizens living here, one of the fastest growing… 4 min read Keep going ## Get the full relocation roadmap in the app Moving to Ireland turns 99 guides into a personal checklist. Tell it your passport, whether you have moved yet, and who is coming with you, and it lays out every step in order — from the visa to the bins. - Step-by-step checklist - Tailored to your passport - Pre-move & post-move - Family & pet sections [![Download Moving to Ireland on the App Store](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-store-badge.svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261) ★★★★★ 4.9 on the App Store [![Expats who settled in Ireland, two five-star App Store reviews, and the Moving to Ireland app showing its relocation checklist](https://www.movingtoireland.co/images/app-social-proof.webp)](https://apps.apple.com/app/moving-to-ireland/id6446055261)