IRELAND · CHAPTER 18
Staying safe and wellin Ireland.
Dial 112 or 999 for Gardaí, ambulance or fire. Samaritans answers 116 123 free at any hour, and every college has a free counselling service. The Embassy of India in Dublin covers all of Ireland for passports and emergencies. Rental fraud is the most common scam: the Gardaí warn students every autumn never to pay deposits for accommodation they have not viewed.
Published by Althéa Consulting · Adviser: Harshita Kohli
Source review: · How to use our guides
- Emergency
- 112 or 999
- Samaritans
- 116 123
- Free, 24 hours
- Indian mission
- Embassy of India, Dublin
- Top scam
- Rental deposits
- Garda warning
Mental health and wellbeing
Colleges provide free counselling and a student health centre; book through student services. Text-based support is available through 50808, a free 24-hour text line. Short winter days and a housing search can be stressful: start early and ask for help.
Scams aimed at international students
- Accommodation fraud: listings below market rent, landlords "abroad", requests to pay by transfer before a viewing. View in person or by verified video with the college accommodation office, and get a written agreement.
- Calls claiming to be immigration, Revenue or Gardaí demanding payment.
- Fake job offers that ask for fees or for your bank card to "receive payments" (money mule activity is a crime).
- Report fraud to your local Garda station.
Discrimination
Equality laws ban discrimination in jobs, housing and services. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission gives information, and the Workplace Relations Commission hears complaints. Report racist incidents to the Gardaí and your college.
Everyday safety
- Carry your IRP card once issued; keep your passport at home.
- Use licensed taxis (they display a roof sign and driver ID).
- Rain gear and good shoes matter more than heavy coats.
When to contact the Indian mission
- The Embassy of India in Dublin issues emergency certificates if your passport is lost or stolen (report it to the police first and keep the report).
- It helps in arrests, hospitalisation, a death, or when a student is missing; families in India can raise a request on the MEA's MADAD portal.
- It cannot pay your bills, get you out of a legal case or intervene in visa decisions of the host country.
- Save the mission's emergency number from its website in your phone before you fly, and register any address change with it if asked.
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
Never pay a deposit before viewing in person or through a verified video tour, check the landlord's identity, and use your college's accommodation office. Report suspected fraud to the Gardaí.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
IRELAND GUIDE
Health, bank & phone
Private medical insurance for non-EU students in Ireland, using GPs, banking and phone plans.
IRELAND GUIDE
First weeks in Ireland
After arriving in Ireland: register for your IRP, get a PPS number, open a bank account and a Leap card.
FROM INDIA
Scams & emergencies abroad
Study abroad fraud warnings for Indian students: fake agents, offer letters and visas, forex and job scams, plus lost passports and emergencies abroad.
FROM INDIA
A guide for parents
Study abroad answers for Indian parents: true costs, loans and co-applicants, sending money, safety, health, visiting your child and checking an agent.
TOOL
Compare countries
Compare countries on fees, living costs, visa rules and post-study work, in one table.
FRANCE
Study in France
The full France guide: degrees, fees, Campus France, visa, housing and work, chapter by chapter.
COMING SOON
Support for Ireland
opens soon.
Althéa’s personal support for Ireland is coming soon. Today we help students coming to study in France, and everyone already living in France.
Coming soonExplore France while you wait