GP Visit Cards 

Certain people in Ireland who do not qualify for a medical card may apply for a GP (family doctor) Visit Card. GP Visit Cards allow individuals and families who qualify, to visit their family doctor for free.
Unless you have either a medical card or a GP Visit Card, visits to family doctors are not free. In order to apply for a GP Visit Card, you must be ordinarily resident in Ireland. That is, you must be currently living in Ireland and intend to continue to live here for a year. You must also meet specific income guidelines in order to qualify for a Card.
In situations where for example, someone has an ongoing medical condition that requires exceptional and regular medical treatment or visits to the doctor, then the Health Service Executive (HSE) may grant a Card to that individual or family even where their income is greater than the guidelines. Usually the HSE will only consider these applications where an ongoing medical condition is causing or likely to cause undue financial hardship.

Rules

Eligibility for all GP Visit Cards is means tested. That is, your income is assessed by the HSE as part of the application process. To qualify for a GP Visit Card, the rules are largely the same as those for medical cards, except the income guidelines are 50% higher. Broadly speaking, you will qualify for a GP Visit Card if;

• the combined income of you and your partner (if any) is less than the income guidelines set out below that relate to you;
• the HSE decide that financial hardship would occur because of your medical costs or other exceptional circumstances even where your combined income is greater than the income guidelines below.
  

If your application for a GP Visit Card is refused, you will receive a letter from the HSE stating this. The letter will also set out the reasons why your application has been refused. You may appeal this decision by requesting your local health office review your application. When you seek a review, you should draw attention to any change in circumstances since you made your original application. In addition, it is useful to include any relevant issues, which may have been overlooked.

Rates

The weekly income limits (gross less tax and PRSI deductions) were last updated 26 June 2006. To qualify for a GP visit card your income should normally be below the following limits:

Income Guidelines for GP Visit Card
Category	Aged under 66	Aged 66-69
Single person living alone	€276	€302
Single person living with family	€246	€260
Married couple/lone-parent family with dependent children	€400	€447
Allowance for each of first 2 children aged under 16	€57	€57
Allowance for 3rd and for each subsequent child under 16	€61.50	€61.50
Allowance for each of first 2 children aged over 16 (with no income)	€58.50	€58.50
Allowance for 3rd and for each subsequent child over 16 (no income)	€64	€64
Each dependant over 16 years in full-time non-grant aided third-level	€117	€117

How to apply

To apply for a GP Visit Card, you use the same application form as that for a medical card. While your GP Visit Card application is being processed, the HSE will also assess your entitlement for a full medical card.