This article was originally published in August 2017
The Public Services Card was brought in to provide a way for people (over 18) to access official services across Ireland - it was issued to those in receipt of social welfare payments in 2012 as a trial and has since been given to 2.5 million people.
The general idea of the ID is so that people can access services without needing to give the same information to different organisations.
It is also designed to make it harder for people to use false identification or commit benefit fraud as well as be used as a free travel pass for those who qualify.
Do I need one?
At the moment you will need one for the following services:
- Social welfare payments (including child benefits)
- first time passport applications and applications to replace stolen or lost passports
- applications for Irish citizenship
- driver theory test
- Revenue services and online public services
But in future....
You will need the card for the following from as soon as next year:
- College grant applications from the 2018/19 year
- New driving licence applications from April 2018
- Passport renewals and applications from sometime at the end of 2018
- an "optional" use as an official proof of age by mid 2018
How much do they cost?
Nothing, zilch, zero.
How do I get one?
You must do a face-to-face registration known as SAFE (Standard Authentication Framework Environment)
You can apply for an appointment by going to www.mywelfare.ie
The Department of Social Protection will then send you a letter with your appointment which will take place in your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch.
Once you have completed those steps you just need to go to the appointment with ID, answer some general security questions, and have your photo taken.
Why are people worried about it?
Although people do not need a card by law, it is "mandatory" that they have one according to Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty.
This has been problematic for some groups who feel that the PSC is going to slowly be turned into a National Identity Card and may harm people's privacy.
As it stands, your personal data can't be shared between government organisations without your consent - many people believe that the PSC could change this in future.
Things have not been helped by the Departments of Public Expenditure (DPER) or Social Protection who have not said exactly what they will be doing with people's data, although they have said they are “committed to protecting the rights and privacy of individuals.”
