Publication
Habitual Residence Condition
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The term "habitually resident" is not defined in Irish law.
It generally means that you:
- have a proven close link to Ireland
- have been in Ireland for some time
- intend to stay in Ireland for the foreseeable future
You must be habitually resident in Ireland to qualify for the following payments:
- Blind Pension
- Carer's Allowance
- Child Benefit
- Disability Allowance
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Guardian's Payment (Non-contributory)
- Jobseeker's Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- State Pension (Non-contributory)
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance (other than exceptional needs or urgent needs Payments under section 201 or 202)
- Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-contributory) Pension
This condition took effect from 1 May 2004 and applies to any person applying for these social welfare payments, regardless of their nationality.
If you apply for a social welfare payment which includes an increase for a qualified adult or qualified child, only you, the applicant, must be regarded as being habitual resident in the State.
To be entitled to a payment, you must meet all other qualifying conditions.
To satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition (HRC) you must:
- have the right to reside in the State with permission to access social welfare services
and
- show that you are habitually resident using the five factors outlined in legislation.
The five factors are:
- the length and continuity of your residence in Ireland or in any other country
- the length and purpose of any absence from Ireland
- the nature and pattern of your employment
- your main centre of interest
- your future intentions to live in Ireland as it appears from the evidence
You will only be regarded as being habitually resident if you satisfy both parts of the condition.
People who have a right to reside in Ireland include:
- Irish nationals
- UK nationals under the Common Travel Area (CTA) agreement
- European Economic Area (EEA) nationals who are employed or self-employed in Ireland
- non-EEA nationals who are seeking or have been granted refugee or similar status
- non-EEA nationals who have permission to reside
To find out more about registering your immigration permission, visit the Irish Immigration service website.
For more information on the right to reside please see the HRC Operational Guidelines.
There are limited circumstances where there is no need to carry out a HRC assessment on payments where you ordinarily need to satisfy the HRC to qualify.
These circumstances arise where a payment is considered a Family Benefit or Social Advantage payment:
- to qualify for a family benefit payment, you must be a worker
- to qualify for a payment under social advantage, you must have retained worker status
You can read more about Family Benefits and Social Advantage payments here.
If you must satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition for a payment, you may be asked to fill out the HRC1 form.
Application Form: Habitual Residence Condition (HRC1)
DownloadIf you are not satisfied with the decision made on your case, you have the right of review and the right of appeal.
If you wish to have your case reviewed, you can submit additional evidence to the department and ask for the decision to be reviewed. You can also bring an appeal against the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
Further guidance on how to appeal a decision about your social welfare claim is available here.
The department has published comprehensive Operational Guidelines on the Habitual Residence Condition:
