Who gets a free GP visit in Ireland?

Children under 8 and adults aged 70 and over are entitled to free GP visits without a means test. Others qualify through a medical card or GP visit card, which are means-tested for under-70s.

What is the difference between a medical card and a GP visit card?

A medical card covers GP visits, prescriptions (bar a small charge), public hospital care and more. A GP visit card covers only free GP and out-of-hours visits — not medicines or hospital charges. The GP visit card income limits are higher, so more people qualify.

Medical card & GP visit card in Ireland — who qualifies, 2026 limits

Who qualifies automatically

Children under 8 — entitled to a GP visit card automatically, no means test.
Adults aged 70 and over — entitled to free GP care, subject to a higher, simpler gross-income test (and most over-70s qualify).
Certain carers and people in receipt of particular payments may have entitlement — check your circumstances.

Everyone else qualifies (or not) through a means test.

Medical card vs GP visit card — what each covers

Covered	Medical card	GP visit card
GP visits	Free	Free
Out-of-hours GP	Free	Free
Prescriptions	Small per-item charge (capped monthly)	Not covered — you pay
Public hospital charges	Covered	Not covered
Other (dental, optical, aural, etc.)	Some cover	Not covered

In short: the GP visit card makes seeing your GP free; the medical card goes much further across medicines and hospital care. Because the GP visit card's income limits are higher, many households who don't qualify for a medical card still qualify for it.

The income test, in principle

For under-70s, eligibility is based on your net weekly income — what's left after tax, PRSI and USC — and the HSE allows deductions for things like rent or mortgage, childcare and reasonable travel-to-work costs before applying the threshold. Because of those deductions, two households on the same headline salary can get different outcomes, so the only reliable answer is to run your own figures.

For over-70s, a simpler gross weekly income test applies, with higher limits for a couple than for a single person.

Check your own position in minutes: the HSE provides an online preliminary assessment, and Citizens Information publishes the current income limits and the full list of allowable deductions. Start at hse.ie and citizensinformation.ie. If you're over both thresholds but medical costs would cause hardship, you can still apply for a discretionary medical card.

How to apply

Gather proof of income, your PPS number(s), and details of allowable expenses (rent/mortgage, childcare, travel).
Apply online through the HSE's medical card service (you can also get a quick preliminary indication of eligibility).
If granted, you nominate a participating GP; if refused, you can appeal or apply for a discretionary card on hardship grounds.

If you don't qualify

You're paying out of pocket — which makes route choice matter. The cost guide compares every option, an online doctor often undercuts a private GP visit for simple issues, and the pharmacy handles a defined list of conditions cheaply. Some people also weigh up private health insurance, though that's aimed more at hospital and consultant costs than everyday GP visits.

The medical card and GP visit card, explained.