Moving Back To Ireland From Australia (2026): The Complete Guide

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Moving back to Ireland after years in Australia is a bigger job than moving out was. You arrived with a backpack. You’re going home with a car, a flat full of stuff, maybe a partner and kids, and a lot of paperwork on both sides of the world.

This guide covers everything in the order you’ll need it: what to sort in Australia before you go, getting your car and belongings home without paying tax on them, and what to do in your first few weeks back in Ireland. Everything was checked against Revenue, Citizens Information and the other official sources in September 2026.

Before you leave Australia

The Australian side has its own list: closing bank accounts, cancelling your phone and utilities, lodging your final tax return and claiming your super. We’ve covered all of it in what to do when you are leaving Australia forever.

A few things are worth starting months before you fly:

• Save a proper buffer. Rent deposits, a car, insurance and the gap before your first Irish payslip add up fast. Salaries in Ireland are usually lower than in Sydney or Melbourne, and Dublin rents are high.
• Line up somewhere to stay, even if it’s family for the first few weeks.
• Start job hunting from Australia on LinkedIn, Indeed and jobsireland.ie, and check your qualifications are recognised with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
• Get Irish passports for your kids through the embassy or consulate if they were born in Australia.
• Look at schools in the area you’re moving to, and get on waiting lists early.
• Ask your Australian car insurer for a letter confirming your claims-free driving history. Irish insurers take overseas experience into account if you can prove it, and without it car insurance can be painful.

Shipping your belongings home without paying duty or VAT

You can bring your used household goods and personal belongings into Ireland without paying customs duty or VAT under Transfer of Residence relief, as long as:

• you’ve lived outside the EU for at least 12 months in a row,
• you’ve owned and used the items for at least 6 months, and
• they arrive between 6 months before and 12 months after your move.

To claim it, email Revenue form C&E 1076 with your supporting documents to the port your shipment is arriving at, at least 2 weeks before it lands. Don’t sell, lend or hire out the items within 12 months, or the duty and VAT become payable. Trade tools and commercial vehicles aren’t covered. Full details are on Revenue’s Transfer of Residence page.

How to ship it:

• A few bags or boxes: Send My Bag collects from your door and is usually far cheaper than excess baggage. Irish Around Oz readers get 5% off.
• Half a flat or more: Seven Seas Worldwide has the MoveCube, a small container you pay for by the cube. Readers get 10% off the entire shipment.

Our full guide to shipping from Australia to Ireland compares prices and timings.

Bringing your car home

Plenty of people ship their car home, especially utes and 4WDs, which hold their value well. You can avoid Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), and customs duty and VAT on the car, under Transfer of Residence relief if:

• you’ve lived abroad (at least 185 days a year), and for customs and VAT, outside the EU for 12 months in a row,
• you’ve owned and used the car in Australia for at least 6 months before you move,
• you bring it in within 12 months of moving, and
• you haven’t claimed similar relief in the last 5 years.

Coming from Australia, the claim is made on the same C&E 1076 form, emailed to the port with your ownership papers, insurance and proof you used the car abroad, at least 2 weeks before it arrives. Once it lands, book your NCT (the vehicle test) and register the car within the deadlines Revenue gives you. If you sell it within 12 months of registering it, the full VRT becomes due. See Revenue’s VRT relief page for the details.

Before you ship it, get an insurance quote in Ireland. Insurance, not shipping, is what usually makes it not worth it.

Moving your money

This is where most people lose money without noticing. Banks advertise “free” transfers and then give you a poor exchange rate. On a house deposit or a few years of savings, that can easily cost you €1,000 or more.

• CurrencyFair is an Irish company with a low flat fee and a marketplace where you can set your own rate. It’s good for everyday amounts.
• TorFX gives you a dedicated broker, with no transfer fees. It’s good for larger sums like house sales or your savings, and they can lock in a rate for you.

Our money transfer guide compares the options in detail.

Your super and tax refund

If you were in Australia on a temporary visa, you can claim your super back once you’ve left, as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP). It’s taxed at 65% for working holiday makers and at lower rates for other temporary visas. If you became an Australian permanent resident or citizen, you can’t claim it early. It stays in Australia until retirement age.

Read our guide to claiming your super and our tax refund guide. If you’d rather someone else did it, Working Holiday Tax can handle both for you.

Your first weeks back in Ireland

PPS number

If you had a PPS number before you left, it’s still valid. Don’t apply for a new one. If you can’t find it, Intreo or Client Identity Services can look it up. Children born abroad, or a partner who’s never lived here, will need to apply once you’re back. You can apply online with a basic MyGovID account, and a letter from the family member you’re staying with is accepted as proof of address.

Tax and your first job

Give your employer your PPS number, then register the job in Revenue myAccount (PAYE Services, then “Add Job or Pension”). If you don’t, you’ll be put on emergency tax, which is 40% from week five, or from the start if you have no PPS number.

In the year you arrive, you can usually claim split-year treatment. Your Australian earnings from before you moved are ignored for Irish tax, and you normally get your full tax credits. See Revenue’s split-year page.

Healthcare and health insurance

Once you’re living in Ireland and intend to stay at least a year, you’re entitled to public health services. Medical cards are means-tested. GP visit cards are free for children under 8.

If you want private health insurance, buy it within 9 months of coming back. After that you can be charged a “late entry” loading of 2% for every year you’re over 34 without cover. Time you spent living abroad doesn’t count against you, provided you sign up within that 9-month window. Expect waiting periods of up to 26 weeks for some treatment. The Health Insurance Authority explains the rules.

Swapping your driving licence

Australia is one of the countries whose licences Ireland recognises, so you can exchange your Australian licence for an Irish one without sitting a test. It costs €65. Your licence needs to be current, or expired less than a year. You can drive on it for up to a year after you arrive, but exchange it once you’re living here.

Apply online with your Public Services Card and verified MyGovID, or book an appointment at an NDLS (National Driver Licence Service) centre. You’ll need an eyesight report and to hand in your Australian licence. Some Australian states need a consent form from their licensing authority, and some licences may come through as automatic-only, so check the NDLS exchange page for your state before you book.

Social welfare

If you need a social welfare payment when you get back, you’ll have to meet the Habitual Residence Condition. There’s no automatic exemption for returning Irish citizens. However, if you lived here before and are clearly moving back for good, you can be treated as habitually resident straight away. Evidence helps, like moving your bank accounts home and closing your Australian ones. Citizens Information explains what counts.

Partners who aren’t Irish

A non-EU partner or spouse needs to apply for permission to live and work in Ireland, based on your relationship. Start reading up on this before you leave, because it takes time.

Buying a home

You’re treated the same as anyone who never left. Banks usually want a 10% deposit for first-time buyers, you to be past probation in your job, and bank statements from abroad. The Help to Buy scheme only refunds Irish income tax paid in the previous 4 years, so it may not help much straight away, and you can’t use it if you owned a home in Australia.

Where to get free help

• Citizens Information: Returning to Ireland is the official one-stop guide, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
• Crosscare Irish Diaspora Support Project gives free one-to-one help with welfare, housing, medical cards and PPS numbers.
• Safe Home Ireland helps older Irish emigrants return, including a housing scheme for people aged 57 and over.

What people who’ve done it say

Some of the best advice comes from members of our returning group who’ve already made the move:

• Decide what matters most to you. Whichever way you go, you’ll give something up.
• The weather hasn’t changed. Buy a good rain jacket and move home in spring or summer if you can.
• Paperwork doesn’t sort itself out just because you’re Irish. Give yourself time.
• Be realistic about work. Most corporate jobs are in Dublin, and pay is lower than in Sydney.
• Don’t compare apples with oranges. A house in Dublin isn’t comparable with one in a small Queensland town, but outside Dublin, a family home can cost what a one-bed flat does in Sydney.
• People are lovely. Almost everyone says the welcome home is the best part.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay tax on my belongings when I move back to Ireland?
No, as long as you’ve lived outside the EU for 12 months, owned the items for 6 months, and you claim Transfer of Residence relief on form C&E 1076 before they arrive.

Is it worth shipping my car from Australia to Ireland?
It can be, especially for utes and 4WDs, because you can avoid VRT. Get an Irish insurance quote first, and remember you can’t sell it for 12 months without paying VRT.

Can I swap my Australian driving licence in Ireland?
Yes. Australia is a recognised country, so you can exchange it through the NDLS without a test. It costs €65.

Do I need a new PPS number?
No. Your old PPS number is still valid. Only family members who never had one need to apply.

Will I pay extra for health insurance because I lived abroad?
Not if you buy it within 9 months of coming back. Time abroad isn’t counted against you.

This guide is general information, checked against official sources in September 2026. Rules change, so check the linked official pages for your own situation. Some links are affiliate links, which means Irish Around Oz may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

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