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.

Find your PPS Number Allocation Centre.

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.

You can find a list of Specified bodies that use PPS Numbers here.

To apply for a PPS Number, you must provide:

• evidence of your identity
• evidence of your address
• The reason why you need a PPSN

Evidence of your identity:

If you are an Irish citizen born in Ireland:

• your current Irish passport

OR

• your current Irish or UK driving licence or Irish learner driver permit (if you have one)

For all persons born in Ireland, we will check birth records held by the General Register Office (GRO) when verifying a person’s identity details.

It should be noted that for adopted persons, SAFE officers can contact GRO to verify their details as SAFE officers do not have access to adoption records.

Where no record can be found and the SAFE officer is unable to verify your birth information provided, you will be asked to provide your birth certificate** to allow your birth details to be verified.

** Irish Birth Certificate – issued in pursuance of Civil Registration Act 2004

OR

Irish Birth Certificate – Certified Copy of entry in Adopted Children Register issued in pursuance of Adoption Act 2010.

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

• your current passport

OR

• your birth certificate AND your current full driving licence or Irish Learner permit

If you are an Irish citizen through Naturalisation:

• your current Irish passport

OR

• Certificate of Naturalisation (with your photograph on it)

If you are an Irish citizen through Foreign Birth Registration:

• your current Irish passport

OR

• your Foreign Birth Registration Certificate

AND

• your Irish or UK driving licence or Irish learner driving permit (if you have one)

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

• your current passport

OR

• national identity card

If you are a Non-EU/EEA citizen:

• your current passport

OR

• 1951 travel document

Other helpful documents

If you have any of the items listed below, please bring them to your appointment as they may help to confirm your identity:

• medical card
• European Health Insurance Card
• credit/debit card and statement from financial institution
• student card
• evidence from Revenue of employment
• Free Travel Pass

If you do not have any of these, you should bring any other supporting documents or any other form of photo ID you have.

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 bank statement
• property lease or tenancy agreement
• official letter from a Government department or agency
• official confirmation of address by a third party

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

Why you need a PPS Number:

Examples of why you may need a PPS Number:

• to take up employment
• to apply for or exchange a driver’s licence
• apply for a Social Welfare payment
• to register the birth of your child
• to complete “SAFEPASS” training to work in the construction industry
• to access other public services
• to register for a course in a school or college
• to apply for an Irish Passport (if you are resident in the State)
• if you intend to marry and reside in the State after marriage
• if you want a service provided by a Public (Specified) Body.

If you are aged 18 years or older you can apply for a PPS Number for yourself and your child online at MyWelfare.

To apply online, you will need a basic or verified MyGovID account. If you do not have one you can easily set one up here.

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 can apply online at www.mywelfare.ie, by post or by email.To apply online, you will need a basic or verified MyGovID account. If you do not have one you can easily set one up here.
You will also need to provide:

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

Third Party applications (for example made by a solicitor, accountant, or employer on behalf of the person who needs a PPS Number) can be sent by email or post. Completed forms should be emailed to CIS@welfare.ie or posted to;

Children born in the Republic of Ireland are 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. When a birth is not registered within 180 days of the birth, a parent or guardian must apply for a PPS Number.

PPS Numbers for children who are living, but not born in the Republic of Ireland, must be applied for by the parent or guardian. One of the parents or guardians of the child must have a PPS Number themselves before making an application for the child.

When applying for a PPS Number for a child, you will need to provide:

evidence of your relationship to the child, for example a birth/adoption certificate or court documents naming the parent/guardian and child

• evidence of your relationship to the child, for example a birth/adoption certificate or court documents naming the parent/guardian and child
• evidence of your own identity, for example a passport or driver’s licence

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