pkpk

Hi, I am relocating from Uk to Dublin with my family. Its a permanent move and therefore would like advise on following items

1) Accomodation- I have been advised that Dublin 4 is good area o live in and near to Dublin 2 where my office is. I would be looking for a 3 bed (house or flat). Would prefer to buy one but not sure if my credit history of UK is applicable.

2) School - I've a 10 year old daughter and would like to know which private or public schools are good in Dublin 4? A quick search revealed couple of private ones - Rosemont & rathdown. But I am not sure if these are in good residential areas and well connected to Dublin 2. Obviously the choice of accommodation will be primarily driven by the choice of school which I would like to be walking distance from home.

3) Medical - here in uk we have Nhs, not sure in Dublin/Ireland if we have anything equivalent in Ireland

4) what happens to my state pension that I have contributing thru national insurance. Also is there something equivalent of national insurance in Ireland?

5) Initially I was thinking of my selling my car here then buying a another one when I am in Ireland but trailing thru various posts I think it would prudent to import my vechile to Ireland. It is with me, for more than 2 years. Could some one let me know what formalities I need to do in this regard.also I take it I need to buy new insurance once I am there. Would I be able to carry my no claims bonus? At prensent my yearly car insurance is 270£ including home breakdown cover

At this time I can only think of these key questions but I am sure there will be more. Any response to these would be very helpful to us.

Thanks,

Horus

Hi and welcome.

I can't really advise you on your first 2 questions as I don't live in that area of Dublin, sorry.

Medical - no NHS or anything like it here. A visit to a GP costs around €50, prescriptions are extra as are repeat prescriptions. Alternative would be private medical insurance which is pretty expensive - look up VHI & quinn healthcare for ideas on prices.

Your UK state pension will be payable on your retirement. Your PRSI payments in Ireland should entitle you to a pension in Ireland as far as I'm aware - I'm sure if I'm wrong someone will correct me.

How old is your car? Cars bought here tend to be a lot more expensive than in the UK. But if you import your car you may have to pay a vehicle registration tax when you register it. Have a look here for ideas. It will also need to be NCT'd (Irish MOT) which is every 2 years until the car is 10 years old then every year. This costs €55 and retests are €28. But your first NCT will only run until the 2 year anniversary date of the cars first registration. So lets say for example your car was first registered (in the UK) on 1 September 2004 and it has it's first NCT on 1 June 2012 that NCT certificate (which must be displayed on your windscreen) will only run until 1 September 2012 when you will have to have it tested again.

Your UK insurance should cover you for a while driving in Ireland but remember to let your insurers know that you will be over here. Insurance can be pretty expensive depending on what you want. Have a look at Liberty Insurance a recent arrival on these shores and offering some decent deals to build up their customer base, 123.ie , Aviva
and no nonsense amongst many others.

Londonuck

I got my insurance through First Ireland. They are a brokerage and will get you the cheapest quote they receive.

Horus

Aye but they take a cut that's how they make their money - much better shopping around yourself and going to a direct marketing company

Londonuck

I was talking from experience Horus, after having the cab. They were by far the cheapest IMO.

nolanger

If you plan on living in D4 and working in D2 then a car is not really required as you can either walk to work or get the DART.

Horus

Might give them a try myself when my times up then,

There again taxi insurance is more specialised than general car cover

Londonuck

It also covered our family car which turned out to be a money pit. Renaults... dont do it kids

I also had issues with no claims history cos mine was all from Canada, never had a car in London, and wasnt accepted in Ireland.

pkpk

Thanks Horus and Londonuck for the suggestions. Very helpful.
Horus my car is almost 8 years old, an avensis with just 45K miles on clock. It works fine for me. I was thinking to keeping it because selling and buying another one is a project in itself. Also with a family having a car is very handy.

Horus

I'd keep it and re-register it over here mate - just check he VRT you may have to pay from the link to the revenue website I added to my first post

Londonuck

Saw a fella pour a pint of Guinness in one go yesterday. Almost had a word in his shell like.

Rusty Chainsaw

If you've owned the car for over 6 months and have proof of UK residency during that time (council tax bills, etc) then you won't have to pay VRT, you'll just have to get it registered and pay your road tax (dependent on engine size). Just expect to get a bit of a grilling from the staff at the VRT station about it - they have a lot of trouble with people who buy cars in the UK, leave them over there with friends for six months, then try to bring them in.

Rusty Chainsaw

Regarding your other questions:

D4 is a nice area (most of the southside is) - rentals are quite reasonably priced right now, but Irish banks are being very, very strict on who they give mortgages to right now, and you'll probably need at least a 25% deposit. Your UK credit rating isn't applicable in Ireland (they have their own credit agency) but, if it's in good shape, giving a copy to the bank manager won't hurt. I'd say rent first for a while and get yourself established with an Irish credit rating.

Schools - Ireland's state education is actually very good, much better than the UK's, so maybe consider the state system to start with, and, if you're not happy, consider private. Something to remember is that your kids will have to study the Irish language in school - they'll be new to it, and it's not an easy language to learn, so they'll be behind with that for a while. Also, many schools there are still very much tied in with churches, so they'll probably be getting a good daily dose of Catholicism.

Medical - Ireland does have a universal system for those on low incomes, but, since you'll be gainfully employed, you'll be required to get private insurance. Most employers will pay for it, or at least a share of it, for you. Doctor visits, prescriptions, etc are pricey and, even with insurance, you'll have to pay out of pocket, but you can take the bill/receipt, send it to VHI/Quinns/whoever and get reimbursed for most or all of it. Hospital costs are capped at €750 regardless of what procedure or treatment you get, so you'll have to pay that, but you can claim all that back through insurance. Also, all healthcare expenses that your insurer doesn't refund you are tax-deductible, so you can claim a rebate for them at the end of the financial year. It's a hassle compared with the sheer simplicity of the NHS, but it's nowhere near as complicated and horrible as something like the US system.

State pension - you can continue to contribute to your UK NI from Ireland. And Ireland does have its own state pension system under the social insurance scheme, and, compared to the UK, it's actually quite generous, although what you get is very much based on how long you've been contributing to it.

Car -see my post above.

Ireland's got its issues, but it's still a great place. Enjoy!

StephenDR

Dublin 4 is a nice area and close to the city centre, but overpriced in my opinion. Depends what you're looking for. Other nice aeras would be Blackrock, Rathmines, Rathgar, Terenure, Dun Laoghiare. Of you want to go farther out try Malahide, Greystones, Dalkey, Portmarnock. Commutes to Dublin 2 from those places is not bad. I live in Greystones and commute to Dublin 2.

All of these areas would have good schools. Much of the schooling here is run by the church, but you might want to try the multi-denominational Educate Together system.

Rusty Chainsaw

We lived in Greystones back in 2006 - lovely, lovely town (my father and grandfather were from there). I loved the village atmosphere and having the beach on our doorstep. It was also nice to have the DART there for getting to Dublin, even if it's a bit on the slow side.