Get a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number

If you have recently arrived in Ireland from Ukraine under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, you should not apply online for a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number. Instead, you should call to one of our department’s PPS Number Allocation Centres. The department has put in place special arrangements to deal with your PPS Number application and help with any income support needs.

What a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number is

A Personal Public Service (PPS) Number helps you access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland.

A PPS Number is always 7 numbers followed by either one or two letters.

Rules

To get a PPS Number, you must provide evidence of:

• your identity
• why you need a PPS Number
• your address

Evidence of your identity:

If you are an Irish citizen born in the Republic of Ireland, you will need:

• your birth certificate
• AND photographic ID, such as your passport or driving licence

If you are an Irish citizen by naturalisation or Foreign Birth Registration, you will need:

• your current passport or Certificate of Naturalisation OR your Foreign Birth Registration certificate
• AND your Irish or UK driving licence or Irish learner driving permit

If you are an Irish citizen born in Northern Ireland or a UK citizen, you will need:

• your current passport OR your birth certificate showing your mother’s birth surname
• AND your current driving licence

If you are an EU/EEA citizen (other than Irish and UK), you will need:

• your current passport or national identity card

If you are a Non-EU/EEA citizen, you will need:

• your current passport

The following are not accepted as evidence of your identity:

• baptismal certificate
• employment identity cards or personal letters
• expired documents (for Irish and UK citizens, passports expired within the last 12 months may be accepted)

Evidence of why you need a PPS Number:

If you are applying for a PPS Number to work in Ireland, you must have a signed offer of employment from your employer confirming when your job is due to start or when it started. This letter should be on company headed paper with the employer’s contact details and employer/company registered number. You do not need a PPS Number to look for work or for an employer to make an offer of employment.

Some other examples of why you may need a PPS Number are:

• to apply for a social welfare payment
• to access medical services
• to apply for or exchange a driver’s licence
• to access other public services
• to register for a course in a school or college

Evidence of your address:

You need to show evidence of your address to get a PPS Number.

The document must show your name and address and not be older than 3 months.

You can use any of the following documents to do this:

• household utility bill
• an official letter or document
• a financial statement
• property lease or tenancy agreement
• confirmation of address by a third party such as a hotel or hostel administrator or manager, school principal or property owner*

*If you are staying with friends or relatives, an original household bill plus a note from the bill holder confirming that you live at the bill address is acceptable. This note can be written on the bill itself.

Apply for a PPS Number appointment at MyWelfare.ie

This service is available at mywelfare.ie for people living in Ireland who are 18 or over. The application process will require an in-person appointment. You must complete the online application in full. We will review your application and contact you with details of your in-person appointment.

You will need to upload photos or copies of:

• your identity document
• evidence of why you need a PPS Number and
• your evidence of address

You should ensure that all the documents that you upload are easy to read.

If you have any queries about your PPS Number application please contact your local PPS Number allocation centre.

Applying for a PPS Number for a child

Children born in the Republic of Ireland are usually given a PPS Number when their birth is registered with the General Register Office (GRO). This means you do not need to apply for a PPS Number for a child born in the state. However, if the birth is not registered within 3 months, a parent or guardian must make an application.

PPS Numbers for children living in, but not born in the Republic of Ireland, must be applied for by the parent or guardian. One of the parents or guardians must have a PPS Number for the child to be registered.

The parent or guardian should complete an application form REG1M (below) for a PPS Number for their child aged under 18 years, and provide evidence of:

• their own identity
• the identity of the child
• evidence of address
• why a PPS Number is needed
• the relationship between the parent or guardian and the child

You should submit the completed PPS Number application for the child to your nearest PPS Number Allocation Centre.

After you have submitted the application, and once everything is in order, the department will post a letter to you with details of the PPS Number.

A person who is under 18 years of age is considered a child for PPS Number allocation purposes.

Application Form: PPS Number for a child under 18 (REG1M)

Edition: October 2022

Applying for a PPS Number if you are living outside Ireland

If you are living outside Ireland and need a PPS Number to interact with a state agency in Ireland such as the Office of the Revenue Commissioners or other government departments, you need to complete an application form for a PPS Number (REG1) and also provide:

• evidence of your address
• evidence of your identity
• evidence of why you need a PPS Number
• a PPS Number Exceptional Registration Application Form
• a consent form signed by you if the PPS Number is to be given to a third party representative, for example, a solicitor or accountant
• a completed questionnaire

Completed forms should be emailed to CIS@welfare.ie or posted to;