Moving from the UK to Ireland (2026): Complete Guide

The UK–Ireland corridor is unlike any other move in Europe. Since Brexit, the UK sits outside the EU customs union and single market, so goods technically cross a customs border — but people don’t. Britain and Ireland have run a Common Travel Area (CTA) since 1922, a bilateral arrangement that predates the EU and survived it intact: British and Irish citizens can live, work, study and vote in each other’s country without a visa or residence permit (Citizens Information, GOV.UK). This guide is for a UK resident relocating to Ireland and explains exactly what does and doesn’t apply: no immigration paperwork for you, but real (if simplified) customs and vehicle rules for your belongings and car.

Key takeaways

• No visa, no residence permit, no registration with immigration — the CTA gives British citizens the automatic right to live and work in Ireland (Citizens Information: Residence rights of UK citizens).
• Household goods are not duty/VAT-free by default — the UK is outside the EU customs union, so Ireland’s Revenue requires a customs declaration for your move; most people qualify for full relief under Transfer of Residence (ToR) if they’ve lived in the UK for 12+ months (Revenue: Moving to live in Ireland from outside the EU).
• Moving from Great Britain (not Northern Ireland) by ferry freight requires a Pre-Boarding Notification (PBN) before check-in (Revenue: Procedure at importation).
• UK driving licences exchange directly for an Irish one under a bilateral agreement — no test required (NDLS: Exchange a foreign licence, gov.ie).
• Bringing a UK-registered car may qualify for VRT relief under Transfer of Residence, but it must be registered in Ireland within days of arrival (Revenue: Transfer of Residence (VRT)).
• The GHIC/EHIC only covers temporary visits — once resident in Ireland you fall out of NHS entitlement and must register for Irish healthcare instead (NHS: Planning your healthcare when living abroad).
• Pets travelling from GB to Ireland now need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC), not a pet passport, issued no more than 10 days before travel (GOV.UK: New EU rules for pet travel for GB residents).
• You’ll need a PPS number from Ireland’s Department of Social Protection before you can work, register for tax, or open most bank accounts (gov.ie: Get a PPS Number).

1. What actually applies: people move freely, goods cross a real (but relieved) customs border

Two separate legal regimes govern this move, and it’s easy to conflate them.

For you as a person: the Common Travel Area is not an EU mechanism — it is a standalone UK–Ireland arrangement recognised in the UK–EU Withdrawal Agreement’s Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and reaffirmed by both governments’ Memorandum of Understanding (gov.ie: The Common Travel Area). Because of it, you do not need an Irish Residence Permit (IRP), an EU Treaty Rights registration, or any immigration paperwork at all — a status no EU/EEA citizen moving into Ireland even needs, but which non-CTA nationals of any nationality, EU or not, typically do.

For your goods: the UK left the EU customs union on 1 January 2021. Ireland remains in it. That means household effects moving from Great Britain to Ireland are, in principle, dutiable imports — but the "personal effects on transfer of residence" relief exists precisely for people in your situation and, if you qualify, removes both Customs Duty and VAT. There is no equivalent relief process needed for a genuine intra-EU move (e.g. France to Spain); this UK–Ireland move sits in between the "free movement of goods" and "full customs" categories. Note Northern Ireland is treated differently again, under the Windsor Framework, and is outside the scope of this guide.

For the practical side of the move – crews, customs paperwork and a fixed price – start here: international movers in the UK.

2. Leaving the UK: what to close, cancel and notify

• Tax residency: if you’re a PAYE employee, file a P85 with HMRC to formally end UK tax residence and reclaim any overpaid tax; if you file Self Assessment, declare your departure via the residence pages (SA109) of your return instead.
• National Insurance: decide whether to keep your UK State Pension record intact. You can apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions from abroad using form CF83 — HMRC has confirmed changes to voluntary Class 2 contributions for time spent abroad taking effect from 6 April 2026, following the Autumn 2025 Budget, so check the current CF83 guidance for exact eligibility before assuming older rules still apply.
• NHS: tell your GP practice you’re moving abroad so you and your family are removed from the NHS register — the NHS is residency-based and stops covering you once you permanently leave (NHS: Planning your healthcare when living abroad). Request copies of your medical records and vaccination history before you deregister.
• Vehicle export: if taking your car for 12 months or more, complete the "permanent export" section of your V5C logbook and send it to DVLA, Swansea — this also triggers any road tax refund (GOV.UK: Taking a vehicle out of the UK).
• Electoral register: you can register (or stay registered) as an overseas elector for UK parliamentary elections — since the 15-year limit was abolished in 2024, there’s no cap on how long you can have lived abroad, but registration lasts 3 years and must be renewed. Ask your local electoral registration office to remove you instead if you no longer want to vote in UK elections (GOV.UK: Register to vote if you’re living abroad).
• Also worth doing: mail redirection with Royal Mail, closing/transferring UK utility and council tax accounts, and telling your bank and pension providers your new address.

3. How your household goods actually move

Nearly all UK–Ireland removals travel by road freight + ferry, not air. The main commercial routes:

• Holyhead (Wales) → Dublin — the shortest and most heavily used crossing for freight, roughly 2–3.5 hours depending on the vessel (fast craft vs conventional ferry).
• Liverpool → Dublin — a longer sea crossing, around 8 hours, often used for overnight freight.
• Pembroke → Rosslare and Fishguard → Rosslare — favoured for removals heading to the south/southeast of Ireland, roughly 3.5–4 hours at sea.

These routes and timings are freight-industry estimates based on standard ferry-operator schedules, not government data — actual crossing times and sailing frequency vary by operator and season. Door-to-door transit for a full house move is typically 2–5 working days from collection in the UK to delivery in Ireland, once loading, the ferry crossing, and customs clearance of the ToR declaration are factored in. Movers using the ferry freight lane must have a valid PBN ID requested from Revenue in advance, or the lorry will be turned away at check-in (Revenue: Procedure at importation).

For the Customs Duty/VAT relief itself: you generally need to have lived outside the EU (i.e., in the UK) for a continuous 12 months before the move, and have owned/used the goods for at least 6 months beforehand. Goods must be imported within 6 months before, or 12 months after, your move date. You (or your mover) submit form C&E 1076 to Revenue by email at least two weeks before the goods arrive (Revenue: What rules apply to the relief?, Revenue: Procedure at importation). Alcohol, tobacco and goods for business use are excluded from the relief.

4. Arriving in Ireland: what you register (and what you don’t)

Because of the CTA, you skip the immigration step that would otherwise be the first task in any relocation — no Irish Residence Permit, no EU Treaty Rights application (Citizens Information: Residence rights of UK citizens). What you do need to sort out:

• PPS Number — Ireland’s tax/social welfare ID, required to work, register for tax, claim benefits, or open most bank accounts. Apply online via MyWelfare.ie once you’re in Ireland (a MyGovID basic account and, for most applicants, an in-person appointment are required).
• Tax registration — once you have a PPS number and a job, register with Revenue via myAccount and add your employment under "PAYE Services" so you’re taxed correctly from day one (Revenue: Starting your first job).
• Healthcare — Irish public healthcare eligibility is based on ordinary residence, not nationality: if you can show the HSE you intend to live in Ireland for at least a year, you’re assessed for free/subsidised services on the same basis as an Irish citizen, and can apply for a means-tested medical card or GP visit card (Citizens Information: Entitlement to health services; apply via HSE). Your GHIC/EHIC does not cover you as a resident — it’s for temporary trips only.
• Driving licence — UK licences can be exchanged directly for an Irish one under a bilateral agreement, without a test, via the National Driver Licence Service (fee €65, free if 70+). Bringing the original UK licence, rather than only a DVLA letter of entitlement, speeds up processing.
• Vehicle registration (VRT) — if you bring a UK-registered car, you must book an inspection at an NCT centre within days of the car entering Ireland and complete registration within 30 days of arrival, or face a further VRT charge and risk driving illegally on foreign plates (Revenue: Transfer of Residence (VRT)). VRT relief under Transfer of Residence requires you to have owned and used the vehicle abroad for at least 6 months, and you must not sell it within 12 months of registering without Revenue’s permission.

5. Bringing pets

The GB→EU pet travel regime changed after Brexit and again in 2026: a Great Britain-issued pet passport is not valid for travel from GB to Ireland. Instead, your dog, cat or ferret needs:

1. A microchip and valid rabies vaccination (minimum age 12 weeks for first vaccination).
2. An Animal Health Certificate (AHC) issued by an Official Veterinarian, obtained no more than 10 days before travel — the certificate is then valid for 10 days for entry to the EU and up to 6 months for further travel within the EU and re-entry to Great Britain, as long as the rabies vaccination stays valid (GOV.UK: New EU rules for pet travel for GB residents).
3. You must travel with your pet, or within 5 days of it travelling separately.

Note Northern Ireland is not subject to this AHC requirement in the same way — this section applies to pets travelling from Great Britain.

6. Money, banking and things people forget

• Banking: you’ll typically need a PPS number and proof of address to open an Irish current account; many UK banks close or restrict accounts once you notify them of a non-UK address, so open your Irish account in parallel rather than after you land.
• Currency: Ireland uses the euro, not sterling — factor exchange-rate exposure into any lump-sum transfers (house deposit, removal payment) rather than converting everything at once.
• Pensions: UK workplace and state pensions aren’t automatically "moved" — you keep them in the UK system and can claim your State Pension abroad once eligible (GOV.UK: State Pension if you retire abroad); take independent advice on private pension transfers before doing anything irreversible.
• School enrolment and childcare: Irish primary/secondary enrolment and the National Childcare Scheme both require proof of address and PPS numbers for the child — start this well before term starts, as popular schools have waiting lists.
• Mail and subscriptions: UK mobile contracts, TV licences, and subscriptions tied to a UK address often need active cancellation — they don’t lapse automatically just because you’ve moved.

How Flyto handles your UK to Ireland move

Flyto runs its own offices, warehouses, crews and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe, and we combine that in-house network with a carefully vetted network of ferry and road-freight partners on lanes like Holyhead–Dublin and Pembroke–Rosslare where a specialist local operator gets your goods there faster and more safely than a single carrier could alone. We also handle the Transfer of Residence paperwork and PBN booking with you, so your shipment isn’t the one turned away at the ferry terminal.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa or residence permit to move from the UK to Ireland?
No. Under the Common Travel Area, British citizens can live and work in Ireland without a visa or residence permit (Citizens Information).

Will I have to pay customs duty or VAT on my furniture and belongings?
Not if you qualify for Transfer of Residence relief — broadly, having lived in the UK for 12 continuous months and owned the goods for at least 6 months. You (or your mover) submit form C&E 1076 to Revenue in advance (Revenue).

Can I keep driving on my UK licence in Ireland?
Only temporarily. UK licences can be exchanged for an Irish one without a driving test through the NDLS (NDLS); if you bring a UK-plated car, it must be registered (and VRT settled or relieved) within 30 days.

Is my NHS GHIC valid once I live in Ireland?
No — the GHIC/EHIC is for temporary stays only. Once resident, you register for Irish public healthcare based on ordinary residence, and your NHS entitlement ends when you permanently leave the UK (NHS).

Can I still take my pet’s old GB pet passport?
No — GB-issued pet passports stopped being valid for EU travel after Brexit. You need an Animal Health Certificate issued by a vet within 10 days of travel (GOV.UK).

What happens to my UK State Pension record once I move?
It doesn’t disappear — you can claim it from abroad once you reach State Pension age, and can pay voluntary NI contributions from Ireland to protect your record. Rules on voluntary Class 2 contributions for people abroad are changing from 6 April 2026, so check the current CF83 guidance (GOV.UK).

Sources

• Citizens Information: Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK
• GOV.UK: Common travel area
• gov.ie: The Common Travel Area
• Citizens Information: Residence rights of UK citizens
• Revenue: Moving to live in Ireland from outside the EU (Transfer of Residence)
• Revenue: What rules apply to the relief?
• Revenue: Procedure at importation
• Revenue: Transfer of Residence (VRT)
• NDLS: Exchange my foreign driving licence
• gov.ie: Bilateral Agreement on Exchange of Driving Licences with UK
• gov.ie: Get a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number
• Revenue: Starting your first job
• Citizens Information: Entitlement to health services
• NHS: Planning your healthcare when living abroad
• GOV.UK: Get your Income Tax right if you’re leaving the UK (P85)
• GOV.UK: Apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad (CF83)
• GOV.UK: State Pension if you retire abroad
• GOV.UK: Taking a vehicle out of the UK
• GOV.UK: Register to vote if you’re living abroad
• GOV.UK: New EU rules for pet travel for GB residents