Registry entry

Ireland Personal Public Service (PPS) Number Application

Apply for a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number, the identifier an individual needs to interact with Irish social welfare, tax, health, education, and other public services. This document models the standard adult (18+) self-application, covering both the online channel (MyWelfare, requiring a MyGovID account) and the paper REG1 form used for postal and third-party applications, for applicants resident on the island of Ireland and applicants resident abroad. A PPS Number issued automatically at Irish birth registration, a child (under-18) application on Form REGM1, and a third party's own submission workflow are out of scope for this document. It does not submit the application; the live gov.ie source is always authoritative (see VERIFICATION.md).

Registry entry

ie/dsp/pps-number-application

Jurisdiction
Ireland · national
Version
1.1.0
Verification
draft
Authority
Department of Social Protection

GovSchema spec v0.3

Authoritative source REG1

Machine access

Schema document
registry/ie/dsp/pps-number-application/1.1.0/schema.jsonapplication/schema+json
Registry catalog
registry/index.jsonone record per schema id

Field reference

36 fields across 5 steps, read from the published schema.json — names, types, requiredness, and validation as the document states them. The live government form remains the authoritative source.

Application channel and residency

  • applicationChannel enum required

    online = apply through MyWelfare using a basic or verified MyGovID account, available to applicants resident on the island of Ireland and applicants resident abroad; by_post = complete and post Form REG1 to the Department of Social Protection, Shannon Lodge, Carrick on Shannon, Leitrim, N41 KD81 — the channel used for third-party (solicitor, accountant, employer) applications and where MyGovID is not available.

    enum: online | by_post
  • residency enum required

    resident_in_ireland = resident on the island of Ireland; resident_outside_ireland = resident abroad and applying to interact with an Irish state agency (e.g. Revenue). Determines whether the overseas questionnaire and third-party consent form are required.

    enum: resident_in_ireland | resident_outside_ireland

Name, birth details, and identity

  • title enum required

    mr, mrs, ms, or other (specify in titleOther).

    enum: mr | mrs | ms | other
  • titleOther string optional

    Required only when title is 'other'.

    length: 0–40
  • surname string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–100
  • firstNames string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–100
  • birthFirstNames string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required only if your first names at birth differ from your current first names.

    length: 0–100
  • birthSurname string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required only if your surname at birth differs from your current surname.

    length: 0–100
  • mothersBirthSurname string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Used as an identity-verification question.

    length: 1–100
  • dateOfBirth date required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    classification: sensitive-pii
  • gender enum required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. The REG1 form (edition 00K 04-22) offers only male/female.

    enum: male | female

Address and contact details

  • addressLine1 string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–120
  • addressLine2 string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 0–120
  • addressTown string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–80
  • addressCounty string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Applies to Irish addresses; leave blank for a non-Irish address.

    length: 0–60
  • eircode string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Irish routing-key postcode, e.g. 'D02 AF30'. Applies to Irish addresses only.

    pattern
  • addressCountry string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required for both Irish and overseas addresses.

    length: 1–60
  • mobilePhone string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. International format recommended, e.g. +353851234567.

    length: 0–20
  • landlinePhone string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 0–20
  • email string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required in practice for the online channel, where it is tied to the MyGovID account.

    length: 0–254

Reason, nationality, and residence history

  • reasonForApplication enum required

    employment = to take up employment; driving_licence = to apply for or exchange a driver's licence; social_welfare_payment = to apply for a Social Welfare payment; register_birth_of_child = to register the birth of your child; safe_pass_training = to complete SAFE PASS training to work in construction; education_enrolment = to register for a course in a school or college; irish_passport_application = to apply for an Irish passport (if resident in the State); marriage_and_residence = you intend to marry and reside in the State after marriage; specified_body_service = to access a service from a Public (Specified) Body; other_public_service = to access another public service not listed; other = another reason, detailed in reasonOtherDetail.

    enum: 11 values
  • reasonOtherDetail string optional

    Required only when reasonForApplication is 'other'.

    length: 0–200
  • nationality string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–60
  • countryOfBirth string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data.

    length: 1–60
  • countyOfBirthInIreland string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required only when countryOfBirth is Ireland.

    length: 0–60
  • mostRecentPriorCountry string optional

    Applies only to applicants who lived elsewhere before Ireland.

    length: 0–60
  • mostRecentPriorCountryIdentifier string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required only when mostRecentPriorCountry is provided.

    length: 0–40
  • irishNationalInsuranceNumberPre1979 string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Legacy identifier predating the PPS Number system.

    length: 0–20
  • previousIrishAddress string optional

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Required only if you previously lived in Ireland.

    length: 0–200

Supporting evidence

  • identityBasis enum required

    irish_citizen_born_in_ireland; irish_citizen_born_in_northern_ireland_or_uk; irish_citizen_by_naturalisation; irish_citizen_by_foreign_birth_registration; eu_eea_citizen_other (EU/EEA citizen other than Irish/UK); non_eu_eea_citizen. Determines which document(s) satisfy identityDocument.

    enum: irish_citizen_born_in_ireland | irish_citizen_born_in_northern_ireland_or_uk | irish_citizen_by_naturalisation | irish_citizen_by_foreign_birth_registration | eu_eea_citizen_other | non_eu_eea_citizen
  • identityDocument file required

    The accepted document depends on identityBasis: irish_citizen_born_in_ireland = current Irish passport, or current Irish/UK driving licence or Irish learner permit (checked against General Register Office birth records; a birth certificate is requested only if no record is found); irish_citizen_born_in_northern_ireland_or_uk = current passport, or birth certificate plus a current full driving licence or Irish learner permit; irish_citizen_by_naturalisation = current Irish passport or Certificate of Naturalisation bearing a photograph; irish_citizen_by_foreign_birth_registration = current Irish passport, or Foreign Birth Registration Certificate plus an Irish/UK driving licence or Irish learner permit; eu_eea_citizen_other = current passport or national identity card; non_eu_eea_citizen = current passport or 1951 travel document.

  • addressEvidenceDocument file required

    A document showing your name and address, dated within the last 3 months: a household utility bill, an official letter or document, a bank statement, a property lease or tenancy agreement, an official letter from a government department or agency, or official third-party confirmation of address.

  • reasonEvidenceDocument file optional

    Required for applicants resident outside Ireland (residency = resident_outside_ireland); recommended for others where the reason is not otherwise evident, e.g. a letter from an employer.

  • overseasApplicantQuestionnaireDocument file optional

    Required when residency is resident_outside_ireland.

  • authoriseThirdPartyToReceiveNumber boolean optional

    Relevant mainly to applicants resident outside Ireland. If true, thirdPartyConsentDocument is required.

  • thirdPartyConsentDocument file optional

    Required when authoriseThirdPartyToReceiveNumber is true.

Version history

Independent and non-affiliated

GovSchema is an independent, open-source project. This reference is not produced, reviewed, or endorsed by Department of Social Protection or any government. The authoritative source is always the live government form and its official instructions.