jimbob66

Thanks Deadshoppingmals, very useful info. It's now a straight decision for us about whether it's affordable for the initial 6 months.

dmu

Compared to Continental Europe, Eire sounds the least complicated solution to your problem, especially as "affordability" is a major factor anywhere. A flat/house-share for a few months wouldn't be too much of a burden on your budget, and there'd be no problem of language to cope with....
All the Best!

deadshoppingmalls

Please don't call it Eire

Irish people never call it that...either it's "Ireland" or "The Republic".

dmu

Sorry!

scot47

"Eire" is simply the Gaelic for "Ireland". It has been used in error to designate the 26 counties of the Republic as opposed to the whole island. That is the bone of contention. Names and labels are difficult !

jimbob66

Happy New Year!
Can I just double check a few things?

First, am I correct in thinking that as a UK citizen I have the same rights in Ireland as an Irish citizen from the day that I move? I mean, in particular, the right to healthcare without the need to take out private medical insurance.

Second, my wife aquires those rights too because she can apply for an Article 10 residence card as the wife of an EU citizen. This is the bit I don't understand. What is her position during the period whilst her residency is being determined?

I think if I can get answers to those, then we are ready to to our new life next month.

Moses2013

Entitlement to health services is primarily based on residency and means, rather than on your payment of tax or pay-related social insurance (PRSI). Any person, regardless of nationality, who is accepted by the Health Service Executive (HSE) as being ordinarily resident in Ireland has eligibility to health services. You are ordinarily resident if you are living in Ireland and have lived here, or intend to live here, for at least one year.




Just be aware that not everything is free. For example you would have to pay €50 for GP. Further info here: Charges for hospital services

scot47

50 Euros to visit the doctor ?

Moses2013

Yes. Will vary but around €50 in general. I think it's similar to the Channel Islands where you pay £45-60. People with medical card are obviously covered and if you have private health insurance, you'd get a percentage back depending on the plan you have.

jimbob66

I know I'm labouring this but I'm almost there so please be patient as you read!
When my wife applies on Form EU1 for her Residence Card, it asks for details about the basis of my stay as an EU citizen. Appears to be no problem as I can tick the self-sufficiency box. Within that area it goes on to ask for proof of resources, can anyone refresh my memory about the figure for a couple? It also asks for proof of private medical insurance and it is that bit that I don't understand. I was thinking that as a UK citizen, and having the intention to reside more than 1 year ( as probably evidenced by a tenancy agreement )that I/we, wouldn't need the medical insurance?
Finally, the application for the PPS number. I read in some places that this is sometimes difficult to obtain and I assume it is needed to open a bank account?

Moses2013

The only information I could find (I posted in other thread) in relation to income requirements is this:
If the EU national is not currently in employment and is not studying evidence of finances should be given, as well as appropriate information on job prospects or qualifications that may potentially lead to employment opportunities.






Since you are are from the UK, you have exactly the same rights as an Irish person, including social welfare benefits etc.
Residence rights of UK citizens
Medical insurance is not needed in Ireland. However, many people go for private insurance so they can also use private clinics, maybe avoid longer waiting times and so on. What many people still don't know is that the EU has Cross Border Healthcare agreement, so people using public health can access clinics in different EU countries. A lot of patients in Northern Ireland might come to the Republic for treatment and vice versa but you need to read the fine print. To get a PPS number, you will need to fill out an application form in the PPS number centre, provide evidence of your identity and evidence of why you need a PPS number allocated. You must also provide proof of your address

jimbob66

As always Moses, excellent info, thanks. I need to sit quietly and read everything again very carefully.

jimbob66

I may need to start a new thread but will try initially as a continuation. Despite leaning towards a move to Ireland, we opted for Spain and are just coming to the 3 month mark. Unfortunately we are both struggling not so much financially, as surprisingly, that has proved to be ok.It's more the paperwork requirements for residency/healthcare and the climate ( surprisingly my wife is more affected than me, she craves a cooler climate!). Anyway, my main point is that we are looking into moving elsewhere, Sweden looked an option but realistically finance will be a big problem. So, we return to our initial choice, Ireland. The problem is how to find rented accommodation as a retired person from the UK. We will look to move in early September, our income will be about 19,000 euros pa. We have enquired via estate agents but got no replies regarding what references/guarantors we may need and how long the process takes. We want to avoid Dublin and the towns down the east coast and whilst Letterkenny was a preferred option at one time, we would think Sligo looks ok in terms of affordability. I posted on the Daft.i.e forum and was pretty much told there was no chance of renting without references and as we cannot pay more than the usual deposit plus 1 month up front, I'm at a loss really of what to do.My thought about my daughter acting as guarantor was blown away too as she wouldn't be subject to Irish law. If we did manage to solve the above, how long does the process take to set up the rental agreement? We need to be mindful of heavy costs of hotel stays whilst waiting.Finally, any pointers to other areas of Ireland would be welcomed as would pretty much any comment!

deadshoppingmalls

Ireland is a landlords market at the moment, especially in cities and towns that have universities and IT's (so for Universities...Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Maynooth and IT's...Cork, Dublin,Limerick, Waterford, Athlone, Galway, Castlebar, Letterkenny, Sligo etc) you are going to be competing with students for places in your price range...especially in September.

You have to be in the country, no landlord worth anything will take you without meeting you etc. You may get lucky as an older couple and not need references or guarantor, but doing things remotely won't cut it. You can usually move fairly quickly once a lease is in place. The common thing to do is apply 4-6 weeks before you want to move. This will allow the landlord to make any improvements/painting before you move in.

Perhaps the best thing you can do is come for a week, stay in a B&B and tie things up, then head back to Spain to pack things up.

jimbob66

Thanks deadshoppingmalls, interesting for very depressing for us, but better that way than to be fed optimism as here in Spain but then to find the system is unfavourable.
Anyway,I'm struggling now to find another area! Do you have any suggestions, anywhere, where rentals might be a better prospect than those areas you mention. We had looked at County Kerry?
As for 4 to 6 weeks to move in, I know things move slowly in Ireland, but come on, many places on Daft.ie and Rent.ie say "ready to move" or is that a false statement? LOL
We would never attempt to rent anything without viewing but were hoping that we could get things sorted within say 2 weeks. It seems that that is absurdly short. we also were hoping just to stay in hotel for that period and then move in and start to get things settled quite quickly with paperwork etc.
I suppose now I'm struggling for ideas. I've contacted Daft.ie and been directed to their Forum. No suggestions there that improve my thoughts.. Similarly, contacting estate agents directly has not helped. Just a general enquiry asking about the need for references and describing our situati0n yields not even a reply. I will try a few more.