Moving to Australia from Ireland

What changes when you move from Ireland to Australia

Two agreements between Ireland and Australia make this move simpler than most, but neither covers as much as people tend to assume:

• The health care agreement is narrower than the UK's. It covers public hospital treatment and some medicines, not GP visits, so you still need to plan for everyday care.
• Your Irish social insurance record still counts. Australia and Ireland have a social security agreement, so years paying PRSI in Ireland can help you qualify for some Australian pensions later.
• Your Irish car licence is recognised in NSW and Queensland. In those states you can swap it without a knowledge test or driving test.
• Pets can come directly. Ireland is on the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Group 3 list, but the process still takes at least 6 months.
• The seasons flip. Winter runs from June to August, and Christmas falls in summer.

From Northern Ireland? Your licence, health cover and police certificate are UK ones, so our guide to moving to Australia from the UK fits your move better.

This is general planning information, not immigration, tax or financial advice. For your visa, start with the Department of Home Affairs' visa finder, and check any adviser on the OMARA register before you pay them.

Healthcare: what the Irish agreement covers

If you were living in Ireland before you arrived, the reciprocal health care agreement gives you:

• Public hospital care as a public patient, for medically necessary treatment, as an inpatient or outpatient.
• Some PBS prescription medicines at the general rate.

It doesn't cover GP visits or other care outside hospital. Show your Irish passport when you're treated, and ask to be treated under the agreement. Cover starts the day you arrive and ends when your visa expires. Services Australia says student visa holders aren't covered. See Services Australia: visiting from Ireland.

Because GP visits aren't included, check your visa's own condition too. Many temporary visas carry condition 8501, which means holding adequate health insurance for your whole stay. See Home Affairs: adequate health insurance and enrolling in Medicare and finding a GP.

Your Irish pension and the social security agreement

Australia and Ireland have a social security agreement, so you don't lose the value of your Irish contributions by moving.

• Australian pensions: periods of Irish social insurance can be added to your Australian residence to help you meet the residence requirement for some payments. For the Age Pension, the combined total needs to reach at least 10 years.
• Irish pensions: Ireland's own pension authority decides your Irish entitlements under its rules.
• Keep your records: your PPS number and a statement of your PRSI contributions will make any later claim much simpler.

See Services Australia: social security agreements with countries in Europe.

Tax and your TFN

• Apply for a Tax File Number once you've arrived. You apply online with the ATO from inside Australia. See applying for your TFN.
• Your tax residency is a separate test from your visa. It decides how Australia taxes your income, including any Irish rent or savings interest. Use checking your Australian tax residency and the ATO's residency tool.
• Moving money: your savings move from euro into Australian dollars, so the rate and the fees decide what arrives. Compare a few providers before a large transfer. Our currency exchange task covers what to compare.

Driving: swapping your Irish licence

Licensing is run by each state and territory, so the steps depend on where you land. Here's what three of them say about Irish licences:

• New South Wales: Ireland is a recognised country, so you don't need the knowledge or driving test for a car or rider licence. Your licence must be current or have expired within the last 5 years, and it can't be a learner licence. See Transport for NSW: knowledge and driving test exemptions.
• Queensland: Ireland is recognised too, so you don't need a road rules test or practical driving test for a car or motorcycle licence issued in the last 5 years. Heavy vehicle licences still need both tests. See Queensland Government: recognised countries.
• Western Australia: your Irish licence is first verified with Ireland's Road Safety Authority, which WA says can take up to 10 business days, so apply early. See Transport WA: recognised countries.
• Elsewhere: check your destination's transport authority.

An Irish learner permit isn't a full licence. See converting your overseas licence.

Pets from a Group 3 country

Ireland is on DAFF's Group 3 list, so your dog or cat can travel to Australia directly. The main steps are:

1. Import permit, applied for through DAFF with your pet's rabies and blood test records.
2. A government-approved vet for all of the pre-export preparation in Ireland.
3. Rabies vaccination and a rabies blood test (RNATT), with a result of at least 0.5 IU/ml. Your pet can't be exported for at least 180 days after the blood sample arrives at the laboratory.
4. Quarantine at the post-entry quarantine facility in Mickleham, Victoria, for at least 30 days, or at least 10 days if an official vet verified your pet's identity before the blood sample was taken.

Dogs and cats each have their own guide with further tests and treatments. DAFF recommends starting at least 7 months before you plan to export. See DAFF: bringing your dog from a Group 3 country, the cat guide, our pet biosecurity clearance task and our guide to moving with pets.

Shipping your household goods

• Declare your shipment on Form B534, the Australian Border Force's Unaccompanied Personal Effects statement. Anything you've owned for less than 12 months has to be declared and may be assessed for duty. See the ABF's Form B534.
• Clean anything that's been outdoors. Hurleys and sports gear, bikes, boots, garden tools and camping gear all need to be free of soil before they're packed.
• Pack with biosecurity in mind. Don't reuse fruit, vegetable or meat cartons, avoid straw as packing material, and number every box against a contents list.

See DAFF: preparing your personal effects for shipment and arranging international shipping. A shipment from Ireland travels a long way, so book early and get at least 2 or 3 quotes.

Documents to gather

Your first days in Australia

1. Get a local SIM and data plan. Most of what follows needs an Australian phone number.
2. Apply for your Tax File Number with the ATO.
3. Open an Australian bank account with your passport and visa details.
4. Keep your Irish passport handy for hospital care, and confirm any health insurance your visa needs is active.
5. Start your licence swap with your state's transport authority.

Setting up your life in Australia

• Utilities: once you have a fixed address, connect electricity and gas and connect your internet. Compare retailers on Energy Made Easy.
• Housing: bonds, condition reports and tenancy rights are set by each state and territory. Our guide to finding a place to rent or buy in Australia covers the process, including the limits on temporary residents buying an established home.
• Insurance: see our home and contents insurance guide once you've secured a place.

Where Irish people settle

The 2021 Census counted about 80,900 people born in Ireland living in Australia. New South Wales had the most, about 27,000, most of them in Greater Sydney, followed by Western Australia and Victoria, with about 18,100 and 17,500. See the ABS's QuickStats for people in Australia born in Ireland.

If your job or visa sets your city, start there. Otherwise, weigh up the state as well as the city, since it sets your licence process, tenancy rules and schools. The Bureau of Meteorology publishes climate data for each city, and most are a good deal hotter in summer than anywhere in Ireland.

Timeline

Build your personalised moving plan

This guide covers what's different about moving from Ireland. Your own plan depends on your move date, your destination state, whether you're renting or buying, whether you have pets, and plenty of details a general guide can't know. Navaroa can build a personalised, week-by-week moving plan for your situation, free and with no signup needed to get started.