debf

We are hoping to move (retire) to the emerald isle in the very near future.
any advice would be welcome re bank accounts, pension payments and medical stuff, anyone?

ruru

Hi debf, very nice retiring in Ireland. What part of Ireland are you thinking of moving to?

Here are a couple of websites for the Irish banks: AIB , Bank of Ireland , National Irish Bank . Those three are the main banks and provide the usual services.

Not sure about pension payments, but I'm sure you can get it transferred into an Irish bank account for easy access for you.

The 3 healthcare insurance co's in Ireland are VHI , BUPA , and Vivas .

I'm with VHI and find them very helpful with any queries I have. The rates for all three are fairly similar, so there isn't much competition. Vivas is the newest and is slightly more competitive rates. But best to check all three out and find out which programme suits you the best.

Any other questions feel free to ask me, I'll help you out where I can.

Cheers

debf

hi Ruru
Thanks for your reply We have bought a cottage in Feenagh Co Limerick Do you know it?? We dont!! just bought from internet mad or what
Do you not get free health care in Ireland ?? thought you did We were also hoping to keep a uk bank account with Irish connections Whereabouts are you??

ruru

Hi Debf,
Wow thats brave buying over the internet! Fair play to ya Will you be going to visit before you retire or will ya just land there?

I've not been to Feenagh, but as far as I know its in the middle of the country side, think lots of green fields anyway.. Is your cottage in the village itself or outside of it? Co. limerick is a nice spot, good people too. The nearest big town would be Charleville in Co. Cork I think? There is lots of fab scenery and you are close to lots of popular tourist attractions too. Good choice of location! Do you have or will you be bringing a car?

Healthcare is only free to a certain degree to people who hold a medical card, which you have to qualify for. Hopefully someone else on here can help you out with info on that as I know I dont qualify for one so dont know much about it. maybe have a browse on the Citizens information website here is a link to page on health : Oasis.gov . But healthcare isn't free to the majority anyway. The insurance covers certain things like half of the doctors fee, free bed in public hospital, some refunds on prescriptions and other stuff like that. I'm not very well up on this, hmm I should be though!

As regards having your pension paid into a UK bank account and having it transferred to an Irish bank, that should be no problem. I think all you will need to give your UK bank is the account no. and sort code. They can set up a standing order. Or you could just keep using your UK bank account here in Ireland as you can use your bank card to withdraw from the atm's here. But the fee's may be dear so you'd have to check with your bank.

Hope that info helps

Oh and I live in Dublin!! Every month I try to go down the country some where though. I love to get out of the city. There's lots to see in this small country.

debf

Hi again Ruru
we are going over next Tues just for one night Think it is probably in a rural village but we dont mind We will bring our car dogs and cats when we finally go With regards to the medical cards I am hoping that because I have to take quite a lot of medication I may be eligable Whats the cost of living like cheaper then GB do you think?? Sorry if this gets a bit boring but trying to find out as much as poss And the reason we bought so madly is because the cottage is thatched and the chance of us owning a thatch over here is 10000000 to1!!!

crazydaisy

We found that Bank of Ireland staff are sooo nice and helpful (it maybe that we just have a great branch!) The banking is free if you keep a minimum of 500 Euros or if you use internet banking once a month or once every 3 months, can't remember which then they waive the fees. The one thing we did find is that due to money laundering problems the banks are getting very strict on the documentation needed to prove residency. They wouldn't accept our landlord's agreement and insisted on a utility bill which isn't always easy to get when you've just moved in! In the end we went down the social security office, applied for P.P.S. numbers (personal social insurance number) and they did take the rental agreement as proof and then used the P.P.S. letter from Dublin as proof to the bank that we had actually resided here in Ireland. Getting internet access out in the country can be fun too. We started with dial up from Eircom but it is so slow after our hi-speed connection we had in Canada so we sent for someone to install a pole to try and get a connection to broadband. The poor guy went all around the garden trying to find a spot that would get good enough connection as we're surrounded by trees but finally he found a hot spot and we're running with a little faster speed now. Having said that, I do love the country side here and the air certainly smells a lot fresher. I hope it all goes well and good luck with your travels,

Daisy

debf

Hi Daisy Thanks for advice are you from GB Do you get pensions or benefits paid from GB Whereabouts are you??

ruru

Hi! Yes, it'll be rural village but as you will have a car you will be grand Most villages have all the basic shops anyway and plenty of pubs usually more than necessary!

Oh as far as the cost of meds, I think you can claim back a certain amount on the Drugs Repayment Scheme. I think if you spend more than €70 or 80 a month on meds you get the rest back.

Ah as far as expenses I think UK is dearer than Ireland. I've been over to the UK a good bit and I think its more expensive.

A thatched cottage, wow How gorgeous, how did you find it? Sounds charming, that is special thats like a piece of real Irishness! Lucky you

crazydaisy

Hi there - we're about 25 mins. East of Galway city and find the surroundings really beautiful. We are just looking into getting benefits now as it has taken longer to find work than anticipated (a temporary blip I'm sure). The downside is that we have been away from the UK for 8 years and to qualify for benefits you have to have contributed to national insurance for the last 2 years. However the social office have given us some forms for another type of benefit which is means tested and if we get that then we also qualify for medical cards too. Medical cards are available for anyone over 70 and also for under 70 if you fall within a means test. You have to be acccepted by your local doctor (within 7 miles of where you live) and forms are available at the GP office or local social welfare office. I would definitely suggest running down to your local social office as soon as you get there and register for a P.P.S. number and then find out about med. cards when you're there. There's another card called GP Visit Card which is designed for those who may not qualify for a medical card but whose GP visit costs are high so there are other options too. For the P.P.S application you'll need photo i.d. such as passport and also proof of residence such as a utility bill. The number is processed fairly quickly. If you do find that you have to go to the doctors meanwhile then you are covered for 6 months on your UK NHS card (according to our doctor!) but you will need to take your NHS card as they asked me for my NHS number and I had no clue!

As mentioned in a post above oasis.gov is a great site as it's produced by the government and some forms are downloadable too. There's tips on how to exchange driving licenses etc. and there maybe a section on pensions too.

Good luck with everything,

Daisy

debf

hello again Ruru and Daisy
Thanks again for all your info the more you tell me the more I am looking forward to it It was one of my dreams like winning the lottery (pity I dont buy tickets!!!!) to have a thatched cottage so when I saw it for sale on the internet I put an offer in straight away and we got it so quick anyway it is 200 years old apparently and in need of updating which we dont mind The agent said we may be able to get grants to help us as it is listed building So if you guys know any good builders etc please let me know!! Keep that info coming!!
Regards
Debbie

crazydaisy

Hi there - I'm not sure about Limerick but here in Galway people have sooo much trouble finding a good builder as they're all busy building massive houses and housing estates. It's great to see the West booming so much but it doesn't help when they build extra houses and don't think about setting up extra schools for the extra kids coming in! Sounds like an exciting project. It'd be nice if you can still run your heating and cooking on those peat ranges as the smell is divine. It's becoming less and less popular now as peat has become quite expensive and hubbies Uncle is thinking of getting a government grant to get a wood chip burner. His cottage still currently has the peat burner and a stone floor and people comment how old fashioned it is but I love the smell and the tradition of it all and it is sad to see that all diasppear.

Tonywalshh

Hi,
I came across your entry when browsing on the internet and as I know Feenagh, I could not resist replying.
Have you been to visit yet and if so - are you regretting your impulsive buy! I hope not but Feenagh is not exactly the most exciting village on the planet and if I am correct in my identification of your thathed cottage it is quite a distance in the fields and isolated? Was it previously owned by a family called O'Sullivan? if not, perhaps I have the wrong place in mind
Anyway, I hope it all works out for you - as a 'native' if I can be of any help do not hesistate to ask and I will do my best to answer any query.
Good luck!

debf

Hi Tony
If only you had replied before Yes by your description sounds like the place we had put a deposit down on We went over last week -just a little bit off the beaten track!!! We decided not for us and luckily got our deposit back Think the ladys name is Mary not sure of surname
We loved what we saw of Ireland but was horrified at the cost of things out there we thought it would be a lot cheaper then UK dont think we could have survived financially there Shame but there you go!!!

ruru

Hi debf,

Lucky you to get your deposit back. But I'm sad to hear its not for you.

Will you keep looking to buy in Ireland?

Anway best of luck in the future.

Cheers

snowqueen

I'm glad to hear that you went over to visit before it was too late. I must admit to being slightly surprised at the idea of buying a house over the internet, and then, only then, asking basic questions like the cost of living! I was worried for you, as Ireland is a very expensive country to live in! It is a lovely country, but like all places you really need to do your homework before making any kind of big decision. Rural irish life isn't for everyone either.

Anyway, sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, but better to have found and now and all that...
Regards,
Snowqueen