Moving to Dublin from Australia: the guide

Dublin is easy to love and hard to house. Sort your right to work before you fly, then put all your early energy into finding somewhere to live.

The short version

Australians aged 18 to 35 can apply for Ireland's Working Holiday Authorisation through the Irish Embassy in Canberra. It costs A$95, or A$195 for faster processing, and lets you stay up to 12 months [1][2].
Older, or staying longer? You'll usually need a job offer and an employment permit, such as the Critical Skills Employment Permit [3].
Most non-EU residents staying more than 90 days must register with Immigration Service Delivery and get an Irish Residence Permit. The card costs €300 [3][4].
A PPS number is your key to work, tax and public services. You apply online through MyWelfare [5].
Housing is the hard part. The average new rent in County Dublin hit €2,335 a month in early 2026 [6].

Your options for the right to work

Ireland isn't in the Schengen area, and a tourist stay doesn't let you work [7]. Australians can visit for up to 90 days without applying for a visa in advance, but anything involving a job has to be sorted before you leave home [7].

Route	Who it suits	Key facts
Working Holiday Authorisation	Australians aged 18–35	Up to 12 months, max six months with one employer, one-off only [1]
Critical Skills Employment Permit	Skilled workers with a two-year job offer	€1,000 fee, salary from €40,904 for listed jobs (March 2026) [3]
General Employment Permit	Other jobs not on the ineligible list	Employer-sponsored; check the current list before applying [3]
Irish citizenship	Australians with an Irish parent or grandparent	No permit needed. See our guide to citizenship by descent

The Working Holiday Authorisation

This is the route most young Australians take. It isn't a visa as such, but an authorisation you carry and show on request [1]. You apply on paper to the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra, not from inside Ireland [1].

You'll need to show at least A$5,000 in funds, or A$2,500 if you already hold a return ticket [1]. Standard processing is about 15 working days after the embassy has everything, or five working days if you pay for the expedited service [1][2]. You must activate it within 12 months of issue, it can't be extended, and you can only get one [1].

Employment permits

If you're over 35, or want to build a career rather than a gap year, the Critical Skills Employment Permit is the one to look at. From 1 March 2026 the minimum salary is €40,904 for jobs on the Critical Skills Occupation List, or €68,911 for most other eligible roles [3]. The permit runs for up to two years, and after 21 months of work you can apply for Stamp 4, which lets you live and work without a permit [3].

The paperwork, in the right order

Ireland runs on a few numbers and cards. Get them in this order and life gets much easier.

Before you fly. Get your Working Holiday Authorisation or employment permit. Check your passport has at least six months left and a blank page [7].
Land and find an address. Even a short-term let or a friend's spare room helps. Almost everything else asks for proof of address.
Register your immigration permission. If you're from outside the EU, UK or Switzerland and staying more than 90 days, you must register with Immigration Service Delivery, whose public office is at 13–14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2 [4]. The Irish Residence Permit card fee is €300 [3]. Working holiday makers also need this card before they can work [1].
Apply for a PPS number. Apply online at MyWelfare using a MyGovID account. You'll need your passport, a document showing your address that's less than three months old, and evidence of why you need the number, such as a job offer [5].
Open a bank account. Irish banks and app-based banks will usually want your passport and proof of address.
Register with Revenue. Once you have a PPS number and a job, register for myAccount so your employer can apply your tax credits. Otherwise you may be taxed at the emergency rate at first.

Tax in one paragraph

For 2026 a single person pays 20% income tax on the first €44,000 and 40% on the rest, with a €2,000 personal tax credit and a €2,000 employee tax credit [8]. The Universal Social Charge and PRSI come on top.

Where Australians tend to live

Dublin splits neatly into Northside and Southside, with the River Liffey down the middle. Postcodes run from Dublin 1 to Dublin 24, plus D6W. Odd numbers are mostly north of the river, even numbers mostly south.

Rents vary more by area than people expect. The Residential Tenancies Board's rent index for the first quarter of 2026 put average new rents at €2,629 a month in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, €2,301 in Dublin City and about €2,270 in Fingal and South Dublin [6].

Rathmines and Ranelagh (D6). Classic first stop. Lots of house shares, cafes and a short cycle into town.
Stoneybatter, Smithfield and Phibsborough (D7). Northside village feel, close to the city and handy for the Luas.
Drumcondra and Glasnevin (D9). Quieter, close to Croke Park and Dublin City University.
Clontarf and Sandymount. Seaside suburbs on either side of the bay. Good if you miss a morning walk by the water.
Dún Laoghaire and the DART line. Pricier, but you get the sea, the pier and an easy train into the city.

For how leases, deposits and Ireland's new 2026 rent rules work, read our guide to renting in Dublin.

Your first month

Getting around

Get a TFI Leap Card as soon as you land. In Zone 1 an adult Leap trip costs €1.50 for a short fare or €2.00 for a 90-minute fare that covers multiple trips on bus, Luas and DART [9]. Adult fares cap at €6 a day and €24 a week [9]. If you're aged 19 to 25, the young adult Leap fare is half price [9].

Driving

Australian licences can be swapped for an Irish one without a test once you live in Ireland. Your Australian licence is sent back to the state or territory that issued it [10].

Health

Ireland and Australia have a reciprocal health care agreement covering emergency treatment in public hospitals [7]. It isn't a full substitute for health insurance, so look at private cover once you're settled, especially if you're on a working holiday.

Staying in touch with home

The Australian Embassy is at 47–49 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, and you need an appointment for help [7]. Smartraveller rates Ireland at "exercise normal safety precautions", but warns that pickpocketing and bag snatching are common in Dublin [7]. Keep your phone in your front pocket on O'Connell Street.

Mistakes to avoid

Booking flights before your authorisation arrives. Paper applications go by post. Leave a buffer.
Signing up for a room without seeing it. Rental scams target new arrivals. Never pay a deposit for a place you haven't viewed or a landlord you can't verify.
Forgetting the six-month rule. On a working holiday you can only work for one employer for up to six months [1].
Underestimating winter. Days are short from November to February. Budget for heating and get outside when the sun shows up.
Doing it alone. Join Cooee Ireland, our Facebook group for Australians in Ireland. Members swap leads on rooms, jobs and where to watch the footy.

Moving to Dublin from Australia: visas, paperwork and your first month