Under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS), an individual or family in Ireland will pay no more than €80 per calendar month for approved prescribed drugs and medicines and certain appliances for use by yourself or your family in that month.

If you are not eligible for a medical card or only have a GP Visit card, you should apply for a Drugs Payment Scheme Card. There is no means testing and, as long as you are ordinarily a resident in the Republic of Ireland, you qualify to have one. 'Ordinarily resident' means that you are living in the Republic of Ireland and intend to do so for at least one year.

The scheme covers the person who has applied, his/her spouse/partner and children under 18 years or, if in full time education, under 23 years of age. A dependant with a physical/intellectual disability/illness living in the household who does not have a medical card and who is unable to fully maintain himself/herself, may be included regardless of age. You will need to include a medical report for the applicant who cannot maintain themselves.

How do I Apply?

Click - DPS Form (hse.ie)  to download a DPS application form to apply by post or you can go to HSE - PCRS (mydps.ie) and apply online.

When you apply online, you will be given a reference number at the end of the application process which can be used to check the status of your application. This reference number will be sent by text if you have applied by post and you have given a mobile number otherwise, it will be sent to you by post. You can contact the DPS registration unit on LoCall - 1890 252 919 if you have any questions before you send off the form .

Fill in the details of all your family members and send completed forms to if applying by post: 

Drugs Payment Scheme

Client Registration Unit

PO Box 12966

Dublin 11

D11 XKF3 

If you have a prescription for medication that are expensive and you have not signed up to the Drug Payment Scheme already, we can submit a temporary emergency registration for you. You will still need to apply for the scheme within 3 months as detailed above but it means you won't have to pay over the €80 threshold while you wait for your full DPS Card to arrive.