A first-month guide for Omani students. Stamp off your checklist, follow step-by-step guides for your residence card, health insurance and housing, and find the mosques, halal food and campuses around you.
Places come from OpenStreetMap contributors and can be out of date. Check opening hours and halal status before you travel.Know a place we missed? Tell us
The guides
Everything official, in one place
Residence card, health cover and housing: step by step, written by students who have done it. Tick things off as you go. Your progress stays on this device.
Your Irish Residence Permit (IRP)
Every non-EU student must register after arriving. The whole process is online, apart from one appointment in Dublin.
€300Fee, paid by card at your appointment
10 to 14 daysFor the card to arrive
DublinAppointments are at Burgh Quay
Register for the first time
1Create your account
Go to the official immigration portal and create a new account. Follow the on-screen instructions and fill in every field.
When your details are in, the portal asks you to install the Microsoft Authenticator app and scan the QR code on the screen. You cannot move on until this is done.
3Verify your passport with ID-PAL
An email arrives with a link to the ID-PAL app. Open it, scan your passport, enter your details and complete the face check. Wait for the confirmation email: it can take up to a full day.
4Book your appointment
Once verified, you will get another email. Go back to the portal and choose First Time Registration Appointment, then pick a day and time.
5Need to change it?
Open the Registration section of your account to see the options for moving your appointment or booking another one.
6Go to your appointment
Bring the documents below and your bank card. The fee is paid at the appointment.
Documents to bring
Tick each one as you get it ready.
If you are under 18
Birth certificate
Copy of both parents' passports
No Objection Letter
Where to go
Immigration Service Delivery 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin, D02 XK70
You need prior approval. Before you go to a hospital or see a specialist doctor, email the insurer so they can confirm the treatment is necessary and covered.
Everyday illness and minor injuries
Colds, fever, infections and small injuries are covered. If you are unsure what to do first, call the 24/7 medical helpline below.
A real emergency
In a life-threatening emergency call 112 or 999 straight away. Contact the insurer afterwards.
Claim your money back
Pay for the treatment first, then claim. There are two ways.
By email
Email the insurer and ask for a claim form.
Fill it in: your details, treatment and doctor details (usually on the receipt) and your bank account.
Gather the original receipts, treatment invoices and any referral letter to a specialist.
Send the form and documents to the claims address.
Online
Submit your claim on the insurer's website. Follow the steps there to upload your receipts.
Trinity's partner page quotes €325 a week for 38 weeks (29 Aug 2026 to 22 May 2027). Booking directly with Yugo, a Classic en-suite is €342. Check which route you are eligible for.
Nothing fits that budget. Raise the maximum a little.
Want help finding a flat?
A member of our community helps students find a Dublin flat that fits their budget, even if you do not know what you want yet. Ask OSAI to put you in touch.
Researched 18 October 2026 from the operators' own pages. Prices are published starting or range rates, not quotes. Travel times are estimates to the campus area and depend on your exact building and timetable. Several room types already show sold out or waiting lists.
Three kinds of place: University of Galway residences, private student residences, and private flats.
University residences
On the North Campus. The walk to some medicine buildings is about 15 minutes or more, depending on the building and route.
Oldest and generally cheapest
Corrib Village
Shared bathrooms in some units
Shared kitchen
Private rooms, with simpler fittings than the newer villages.
Newer complex
Goldcrest Village
Private bathroom
Shared kitchen and living space
A private room with its own bathroom.
One of the newest
Dunlin Village
Private bathroom
Shared kitchen and living space
A private room with its own bathroom, in a flat that shares a kitchen.
Run by private operators. Check live prices and availability on each site.
Fairgreen Road, Galway, H91 ADC6
Galway Central
About 20 min walk to the university
Studios or shared flats
In the city centre, close to the bus and train stations. Shared flats give a private room and bathroom with a shared kitchen. Studios have their own kitchen.
A popular choice, and often cheaper when you share.
A two-person flat is often €1,500 to €2,500 a month for the whole flat. The share drops with more flatmates. These are estimates from student experience, not offers. Start early and watch student groups for listings.
Prices and distances are approximate and change by room type and booking date.
Based on student experience in 2024. Prices and availability change every year, and other host families and options exist that are not listed here.
Live with a host family
Best for your first year. You settle into the country, and meals and laundry are usually included, so you have more time to study.
Live in a flat
Best if you want full independence and privacy. You choose your own hours and meals, but you do the shopping, cooking and cleaning. Share with a classmate to split the cost.
Host families
The university gives students a list of host families. Always check the location on a map before you book.
Host family 1
€700 private bathroom, €600 shared
Meals
Laundry
Kitchen use
GoodAn understanding family that gives lifts to the university in the early days.
Watch out35 to 40 min walk to campus. A bus stop is 12 min away.
Multiply the weekly rate by the full contract length. Compare like with like: a twin room, a private en-suite and a studio are different prices. A €20 to €40 weekly gap becomes roughly €820 to €1,640 across 41 weeks.
2Contract dates and length
Write down the move-in and move-out dates and the exact number of paid weeks. Ask whether summer weeks are charged if you go home. Most residences run 39 to 41 weeks, some offer 51.
3Deposit and money up front
Get a written breakdown of the deposit, any booking or advance fee, instalment dates and refund conditions. Keep receipts. Some providers deduct an advance fee from the first instalment.
4Bills, fair-use caps and Wi-Fi
Ask what is included: electricity, heating, water, bins, Wi-Fi, contents insurance. Ask whether there is a fair-use cap or a room-specific service charge, and get the all-in total in writing.
5Room type and flatmates
Confirm whether it is single or shared, en-suite or studio, and how many people share the kitchen. Check whether the photos show your actual room.
6Commute to your exact building
Measure the journey to your own campus building, not just the university name. Test the early-morning and evening route. UCD Belfield, for example, is outside the centre.
7Availability and cancellation
Check live availability, and what happens to your money if your visa or course changes. Several 2026/27 listings already show sold-out or waiting-list rooms.
8Guarantor and payment plan
Some providers need a guarantor for monthly payments. Ask whether a guarantor from abroad is accepted and what happens if documents arrive late.
