Medical Insurance

All students from outside the EU/EEA must obtain medical insurance as a requirement of their Irish study visa. Immigration Service Delivery requires that this insurance must include hospital cover and a minimum of €25,000 for Accident and €25,000 for Disease. Students must buy their own medical insurance as it is not provided by DBS.

Students may purchase medical insurance in their home country prior to travel for their first year only in Ireland provided it meets these requirements.

Courses with a Duration of 12 months or less (Postgraduate/ MBA/ MSc)

If you are coming to Ireland to study on an academic course of one year or less, basic medical expenses insurance policies are available for approximately €160. These insurance policies will satisfy the visa/immigration requirement for private health insurance and can be obtained before students arrive in Ireland. The following policies are only available for students for courses of 12 months or less:

Courses with a Duration of more than 12 months (Undergraduate)

Students studying a course of more than 12 months must buy private medical insurance. Studyandprotect.com provide a policy which meets this requirement.

Comprehensive plans are also available from one of the three main private health insurance companies in Ireland: VHI, Irish Life or Laya Healthcare.

There are a large range to choose from and the HIA (Health Insurance Authority) have a comparison tool to help you decide on the best policy to suit your needs, budget and the requirements for your student visa.

Graduates

Medical insurance is a requirement for graduates on the Third Level Graduate Scheme (Stamp 1G or 1A) which must include hospital cover and a minimum of €25,000 for Accident and €25,000 for Disease.

Graduates can buy Graduate Medicover from Study& Protect. This policy is designed specifically for International graduates and currently meets visa requirements.

If graduates are working and their employer provides medical insurance that meets the visa requirements they can submit this with their visa application.

Graduates can also buy private health insurance from any provider in Ireland. There are a large range of policies that you can choose from and the HIA (Health Insurance Authority) have a comparison tool to help you decide on the best policy to suit your needs, budget and the requirements for your graduate visa.