Under the Common Travel Area rules British citizens and Irish citizens, studying in each other’s jurisdictions have the same right to access healthcare as citizens who are resident.    

This means cross-border students can continue to access healthcare as a resident at home and as a student, temporarily resident across the border.  

North

GP

Cross-border students are regarded as eligible visitors for the purposes of accessing healthcare in NI. Once registered they can access a wide range of healthcare services in NI, including GP services and prescriptions which are free of charge (unlike other regions of the UK).  

To register with a doctor’s surgery, talk to the receptionist who can tell you whether you live in the area the surgery covers and whether it is taking on new patients. For further information please visit: nidirect – Your local doctor (GP) 

You will have to fill out a HSCR-1 form which you can get from your GP of choice or find it here: Entitlement to NHS services and first time registration (hscni.net).  

Once registered you’ll be issued with an NI medical number, which is entirely different to the means-tested medical card in the Republic of Ireland.  

Sexual health clinics

You can find information on accessing sexual health clinics here: GUM clinics in Northern Ireland | Sexual Health Northern Ireland (sexualhealthni.info) 

See also

• Border People: – Accessing dental health service in Northern Ireland 
• Border People –  Medical Cards – Northern Ireland 

South 

In ROI, most people who do not have a (means-test) medical card or GP visit card will pay a fee for a GP visit (typically between €45 and €70). If you go directly to an Emergency Department without a GP referral, there is a charge (€100). 

However, if you earn below a certain amount, you can apply for a medical card which would entitle you to a range of health services and medicines for free (see: Apply for a medical card – HSE.ie)

Even if you don’t qualify for a medical card, you might qualify for a GP visit card to access GP services for free (see: GP visit cards – HSE.ie) 

Emergency healthcare (EHIC card)

Irish and UK nationals travelling in the Common Travel Area (i.e., between Ireland and the UK) are not obliged to carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or the new UK Global Health Insurance Card (UK GHIC). In order to obtain immediately necessary [e.g., emergency] healthcare in either country, Irish or UK nationals simply provide evidence of residence in either country, such as driver’s licence, passport etc. (citizensinformation.ie). 

In practice

Students from NI who are studying in ROI often use the healthcare services within their college or university, or their EHIC/GHIC card for immediately necessary care.  For everything else they tend to travel home to see their GP in NI. 

Sexual health clinics

STI screening is free of charge. A list of services is available from the HSE website sexualwellbeing.ie. Most universities and colleges also have free or subsidised STI clinics.  

See also:

Border People – GP services in Ireland 

Border People – European Health Insurance Card 

Border People –  Dental, aural and optical health services in Ireland 

Questions

Q: I’m from NI and studying in ROI. Can I apply for a medical card in the South?

Anyone who is ‘ordinarily resident’ in Ireland can apply for a medical card. This means that you are living in Ireland and intend to live here for at least one year.

Medical cards are ‘means tested’, which means they’re based on your income and personal circumstances. Source: citizensinformation.ie  

Q: When I crossed the border to study, I registered with the GP as a student. Now that I’ve decided to stay and work here after my course, do I need to reregister?

You will need to tell the GP about your ‘change of circumstances’, you’ll still be entitled to access services but under different rules. The GP may advise you to contact the authority that issued your first medical card/number, HSE (South) https://www2.hse.ie/services/schemes-allowances/medical-cards/managing-your-medical-card/  or the BSO (North) https://hscbusiness.hscni.net/ , so that they can make the necessary changes.  

Page last updated March 2023

This webpage is for general information purposes only and while we endeavour to keep it up-to-date, errors may occur. It is very important that you check with the relevant body to ensure the information is current and is applicable to your situation.

If you would like to suggest amendments or highlight new information that could be useful to others please don’t hesitate to get in touch.