Banking

Steps

1. Keep your current account to start with. With your European IBAN (from a country in the SEPA area), you can receive your salary and pay your bills in Ireland: nobody can force you to have an account in a particular country.
2. Gather two separate documents: valid photo ID and proof of address in your name. The name must be the same on both.
3. Compare accounts with the free tool of the CCPC (the public consumer protection agency): maintenance fees, withdrawals, app, branches. On 23 October 2026, it compares the offers of AIB, An Post Money, Bank of Ireland, bunq, credit unions (savings and loan cooperatives), EBS, PTSB and Revolut.
4. Open the account at a branch (often by appointment), online or in the app. Some banks accept remote applications from people who do not live in Ireland, provided they live in an EU Member State, sometimes with two proofs of identity and two proofs of address (CCPC).
5. No standard proof of address? Ask the bank which documents it accepts instead. Otherwise, ask for a basic bank account: it is reserved for people who do not already have a current account in Ireland.
6. Read the fee information document that the bank must give you before opening; you will then receive a statement of fees at least once a year.

Documents

• Identity: passport, driving licence, national identity card (cited by the CCPC, not in Citizens Information's indicative list: check with the bank), Irish residence permit or Public Services Card.
• Address (less than 6 months old, 12 months for insurance): gas, electricity or phone bill, car or home insurance certificate, letter from a public authority, tax credit certificate (Tax Credit Certificate) or Statement of Liability from Revenue, letter from a financial institution.
• PPS number: not always required, but requested in some cases (for example to claim tax relief on mortgage interest).
• The bank may also ask you about the source of your funds and the intended use of the account (anti-money-laundering rules).

Costs and timelines

• Basic account: no maintenance fees or fees for everyday transactions (withdrawals, card, transfers, direct debits, online banking) in the first year; free for up to 5 years in total if what is paid into the account each year stays below the minimum wage. No overdraft or chequebook, and only one account of this type.
• Current accounts (CCPC comparison on 23 October 2026): maintenance fees from €0 (EBS, standard Revolut) to €24 per quarter; €12 per quarter for the credit unions' account, €18 for several accounts from branch-network banks and An Post Money; bunq paid plans from €11.97 to €56.97 per quarter. Direct debits are free in all these offers. Prices change: check on the day.
• Euro transfers within the EU: the same price as a domestic transfer (European regulation 924/2009).
• Deposit guarantee: up to €100,000 per person per institution authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland (banks, building societies and credit unions).
• Savings interest: subject to DIRT (deposit interest retention tax); possible exemption at 65 and over under an income ceiling (sheet IE-RETRAITE-TOUS-001).

Common pitfalls

• The address – bank – PPS circle. Without proof of address, no account; quickly get a document in your name (lease, bill, official letter), or use your European account in the meantime.
• Having a foreign IBAN refused. An employer, a landlord or a supplier cannot impose an Irish account on you for a euro payment in the SEPA area. If they refuse, write to the organisation first, then contact the Central Bank (payment rules) or the CCPC (dispute with a trader).
• Forgetting the fees outside the euro area. Payments in pounds sterling (Northern Ireland, United Kingdom) can come with exchange fees.
• Putting more than €100,000 in the same bank. Above that, your money is in principle no longer covered by the deposit guarantee (except, for a limited time, certain sums such as the proceeds of the sale of a private home): spread it across several institutions. For a joint account, the limit applies to each holder.
• Mortgage: the Central Bank's limits apply to everyone (sheet IE-LOGEMENT-TOUS-002); a recent Irish account and income in Ireland often help, but each bank sets its own requirements: ask them.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: right to a basic account when legally resident in the EU; your country's IBAN can be used anywhere in the SEPA area.
• Swiss citizens: Switzerland is part of the SEPA area (36 countries); your Swiss IBAN works for euro transfers. For the basic account, the right to a basic account (Irish regulations of 2016 on payment accounts) is aimed at consumers legally resident in the EU, that is, having a right of residence under EU or national law: a Swiss citizen living in Ireland with that right of residence can claim it, but the bank examines your situation.
• British citizens (Scots included): the United Kingdom is also in the SEPA area, but your British accounts are in pounds: allow for exchange fees. The basic account rules are aimed at EU residents: once you are settled in Ireland, you have access to it.