Under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS) you or your family will not pay more than €80 each calendar month for:
- approved prescribed drugs and medicines
- rental costs for a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine
- rental costs for oxygen
Apply for the scheme if you do not have a medical card and you pay more than €80 a month for any of these.
Who can apply
Anyone living in Ireland and intends to live here for at least 1 year can apply.
Provide a copy of 1 of these with your application:
- a utility bill dated within the last 3 months - gas, electricity or phone
- a recent bank statement or credit card statement
- a current car or home insurance policy in the applicant's name
- an official document from a government department, the Revenue or a local authority
There is no means test for a DPS card.
Family applications
A family is an adult, their partner and any children or dependants.
Include any family member who can't maintain themselves and has:
- a physical disability
- an intellectual disability
- an illness
Include a medical report for any family member who cannot maintain themselves.
To add a new baby or a dependant, email nmcu.cod@hse.ie or call 0818 224 478
Applying if you have children in full-time education
If you're applying as a family you can add anyone age 18 to 23 in full-time education.
To do this, complete section 2 of the Drugs Payment Scheme application form (PDF, 226KB, 6 pages), or the Scéim Íocaíoctaí Drugaí Foirm Iarratais (PDF, 743KB, 6 pages).
Anyone over the age of 18 not in full-time education must apply for their own card.
Check the status of your application
If you apply online you get a reference number. You can use this to check the status of your application.
If you apply by post and provide a mobile number, we text you your reference number. If you do not provide a mobile number, we post the reference number to you.
How long cards are valid for
Your card will have a ‘Valid to’ date on it. You can also use our online eligibility status check to see if your card is still valid.
If your card has expired you will need to apply again. The quickest way to apply is online.
Problems with your card
Call 0818 224 478 or email nmcu.cod@hse.ie if your:
- card is lost or stolen
- address has changed
- name has changed
Drugs Payment Scheme,
Client Registration Unit,
PO Box 12966,
Dublin 11,
D11 XKF3