How do you set up MyGovID in Ireland in 2026?

A basic MyGovID account needs only your name as it appears on photographic ID or a birth certificate, plus an email address for a one-time code. That basic login is enough to start some MyWelfare tasks, including a PPSN application.

A verified account unlocks the wider set of services that demand stronger identity assurance, such as fuller Revenue myAccount features, many MyWelfare claims, and online NDLS (National Driver Licence Service) licence exchange. To verify, MyGovID asks for a phone that can receive SMS, your PPSN, and a Public Services Card (PSC), or an approved alternative verification path.

SAFE registration is the Department of Social Protection process that confirms you are who you claim to be. You complete SAFE at a Public Services Card centre or, when eligible, through the official MyGovID smartphone app. After SAFE, the department posts a PSC and marks the MyGovID account verified.

If you already have a PPSN and can attend a PSC centre, book an appointment, bring identity and Irish address documents, and take your mobile phone so the department can verify the number used for login codes. The in-person interview is short. The PSC then arrives by post within the published working-day window.

The MyGovID app route is narrower. Official guidance limits online passport verification to people who are resident in Ireland, aged 16 or over, hold a current Irish passport, have a basic MyGovID account, and have not completed SAFE before. You scan the Irish passport, provide a selfie, confirm address evidence on the island of Ireland, and set security questions. Most non-Irish newcomers therefore use the PPSN-plus-PSC centre path rather than the Irish-passport app shortcut.

Protect the login. MyGovID will not ask for passwords or card numbers by random text or email. Use only mygovid.ie and the official app stores. Keep the verified phone number current so one-time codes still arrive when you renew a licence or file tax.