Medical Cards allow people to access Family Doctor or GP services, community health services, dental services, prescription medicine costs, hospital care and a range of other benefits free of charge.

Most people who get a Medical Card do so because their income is below a certain level.

For Medical Card Applications, the HSE only considers your income after tax and PRSI is deducted, rather than total income.  We also make allowances for expenses on childcare, on rent and mortgage costs and on travel to work. 

It is also possible to get a Medical Card if the costs of meeting your medical needs causes you financial hardship, or if you have entitlement under EU regulations.

In 2009, changes were made to Medical Card Eligibility for people aged 70 years and over. You can read more about these Changes for Over 70's here.

How and Where do I apply?

Medical Cards are issued by the HSE's Local Health Offices nationwide, and these offices also accept and carry out the assessment of your application.

Some medical card assessments are in the process of being centralised into the HSE's Primary Care Service in Finglas in Dublin. This currently includes all medical card applications for people aged 70 and over and applications from parts of North Dublin.

You can get a medical card application form from this website at the link below, or from your Local Health Office and other HSE locations.

The HSE has set up a new website, www.medicalcard.ie, which may be of help to many people making an application for a medical card.

People who are within the income guidelines to get a medical card can now make their application online, through www.medicalcard.ie, and if their application is successful, most will receive their card within 15 working days. The website can also be used to check eligibility in advance of making an application.

To check if you are eligible on www.medicalcard.ie, make sure you have all the information you need to hand - your PPSN and those of your dependents, a recent payslip or details of your income, and details of your outgoings on tax, PRSI, rent and mortgage etc.

What next?

If you would like to apply for a Medical Card, the following options will be useful.

Q & A:
A detailed page with a range of Questions and Answers on Medical Cards and how they work

Forms and Guidelines:
This section provides you with the Medical Card Application Forms in Irish and English. It outlines the income limits for applicants. It also includes the Assessment Guidelines followed by HSE staff when assessing applications.

Apply:

Send your completed form to your Local Health Office, and if you need to ask any questions before you send it, you can call the HSE infoline on 1850 24 1850, or find contacts for the Medical Card Section in your Local Health Office below:

Applications for People aged 70 and over should be returned to the address on the form - the HSE Primary Care Reimbursement Service in Finglas, Dublin.

HSE Medical Card Offices - Direct Telephone Contacts:

Dublin Central 01 8575402
Dublin North 01 8661413, 01 8661408, 01 8661407, 01 8661411, 01 8661410, 01 8661414, 01 8661409
Dublin North West 01 8825000
Dublin South City 01-6486500 or 6486599
Dublin South East 01 2680313, 01 2680311
Dublin South West 01 4156974, 01 4156972
Dublin West 01 6206461, 01 6206462
Dun Laoghaire 01 2365216, 01 2365217
Kildare / West Wicklow 045 876001
East Wicklow 0404 68400
Laois/Offaly 044 93 84448, 044 93 84437
Longford/Westmeath 044 93 84448, 044 93 84437
Cavan/Monaghan 047 30410, 047 30411
Drogheda 041 9800494, 041 9801085, 041 9800494, 041 9800490
Louth 042 9381240, 042 9385448, 042 9381365, 042 9381302
Meath 046 9078833, 046 9078893
Galway 091 546266
Mayo 094 9022333
Roscommon 0906 637509 0906 637510
Donegal 074 9189006, 074 9131391
Sligo/Leitrim and West Cavan 071 9155141, 071 9620308
Clare 065 6868075
East Limerick/North Tipperary 067 46600
Limerick 061 483703, 061 483756
Carlow 059 9136533, 059 9136549
Kilkenny 056 7784733, 056 7784619, 056 7784604
South Tipperary 052 77249, 052 77250, 052 77251
Waterford 051 842800
Wexford 053 23522
Cork City 021 4923900
Kerry 066 7184543

For Over 70s Applications - Client Registration Services, Central Office, Finglas, Dublin 11 Callsave: 1890 252 919