ExpatMoneyEU verdict: Open Revolut first for a free Irish (IE) IBAN that Irish employers and landlords accept without question, add Wise for cheap EUR→UAH transfers to Ukraine, and open AIB once you have proof of address — as a Temporary Protection holder you already have a PPSN, so the traditional banks are open to you from the start.
Opening an Irish current account is the first admin task after arriving: employers need an IBAN for salary, landlords for rent, and the Revenue Commissioners for tax. Ukrainians arrive in Ireland in an unusual position: Temporary Protection holders are issued a PPSN on arrival, which removes the single biggest blocker at the traditional banks. This guide scores the six accounts specifically for Ukrainians: which accept your passport without friction, which give you an Irish IBAN in week one, and which move money to Ukraine cheapest.
The numbers behind this guide: Ireland had issued 121,048 PPSNs to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine by February 2026, with 84,100 still active in administrative records (Central Statistics Office, Arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland Series 18). Just over 29,000 were in paid work, with average weekly earnings of €540.
Expert-Score comparison
| Account | Monthly fee | IBAN | Opens without local address | English support | Home transfer ease | Expert Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolut | €0 | Irish (IE) | Yes | Full | 4/5 | 9.5/10 |
| N26 | €0 | German (DE) | Yes | Full | 3/5 | 8.8/10 |
| Wise | €0 | EU IBAN* | Yes | Full | 5/5 | 9.0/10 |
| AIB | €6/mo | Irish (IE) | No | Full | 2/5 | 8.7/10 |
| Bank of Ireland | €6/mo | Irish (IE) | No* | Full | 2/5 | 8.5/10 |
| PTSB | €8/mo | Irish (IE) | No | Full | 2/5 | 7.9/10 |
*Wise is a payment institution, not a bank, so its balances carry no deposit guarantee — but transfers are its strength, not savings. Bank of Ireland accepts an online application up to 45 days before you travel, though you must replace your home-country address with an Irish one within 60 days. All traditional-bank fees shown are the standard 2026 monthly charges; basic bank accounts and student accounts are cheaper or free — verify on the bank’s own price list.
Scores weight what matters most to this corridor: zero monthly cost, an IBAN you can actually get in week one, English support, cheap transfers home, and — uniquely for Ukrainians — how easily the account opens with a PPSN already in hand. See the methodology box below for the full scoring breakdown.
→ Best bank account for Sri Lankans in Ireland
Disclosure: the buttons below are affiliate links — they may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
1. Revolut — the Irish IBAN in minutes
the Irish IBAN in minutes
Revolut is the obvious first account for Ukrainians in Ireland, for one decisive reason: unlike in Germany or Belgium, Revolut issues an Irish IBAN to Irish residents. That ends the whole IBAN-discrimination worry — your employer, landlord and direct debits all see a local IE account number, exactly as they would from AIB or Bank of Ireland. Signup takes about 10–15 minutes with a Ukrainian passport and a selfie, and there is no proof-of-address hurdle at the start.
The free Standard plan covers everyday life well: free euro spending, €1,000 per month of free currency exchange (then 1%, plus roughly 1% on weekends), and €200 per month of free ATM withdrawals (then 2%). For sending money to Ukraine, Revolut works but is not the cheapest specialist — pair it with Wise for the corridor itself, and use Revolut as your Irish salary and spending account.
→ Best Bank Account for Indians in Ireland — November 2026 Guide
2. N26 — the fastest backup account
the fastest backup account
N26 is a Berlin-based bank with a full German banking licence, and it opens for Ukrainians in Ireland in roughly 10–20 minutes with a passport and video identification — no Irish address and no PPSN required at signup. Its role in Ireland is different from in Germany: here it is the backup account, because Revolut already gives you the Irish IBAN.
Why keep it anyway? Redundancy. If a Revolut verification check ever freezes your main account for a day, N26 keeps salary-adjacent life running, and its Spaces sub-accounts are genuinely useful for budgeting rent, bills and the monthly transfer home separately. The limits are real though: free ATM withdrawals are capped at two per month in the eurozone, then €2 each, and the German IBAN can still draw questions from the occasional Irish payroll system.
→ Best Bank Account for Bangladeshis in Ireland — October 2026 Guide
3. Wise — the cheapest way to send money to Ukraine
the cheapest way to send money to Ukraine
Wise is not a bank, but for Ukrainians it is the single most valuable account in this guide: it converts euros at the mid-market rate with a small transparent fee, and pays out to Ukrainian bank accounts in hryvnia. If you send money home every month — to family, or to support someone still in Ukraine — the exchange-rate margin you save against a traditional Irish bank wire is usually larger than any account fee you would ever pay.
Ukraine payout options change with the war and with sanctions rules, so check the provider’s Ukraine options at checkout before every transfer: some routes pause and resume, and card delivery is not always available. Run Wise and Remitly side by side for your usual amount and compare the total hryvnia received, not just the advertised fee.
→ Free money transfer cost calculator — compare the true cost of your EUR→UAH transfer
4. AIB — the full-service Irish bank
the full-service Irish bank
AIB is Ireland’s largest retail bank, and the account most settled Ukrainians eventually hold: a genuine Irish IBAN, 170-plus branches, a branch network that stretches into small towns, and a bank that Irish employers, mortgage lenders and landlords all recognise instantly. Since July 2026 the personal current account costs a flat €6 per month, which covers most day-to-day transactions, card payments and euro ATM withdrawals.
For Ukrainians the onboarding is easier than for most newcomers: Temporary Protection holders are issued a PPSN on arrival, so the document that usually blocks a traditional-bank application is already in your hand — proof of Irish address is the remaining step, and opening takes one to three weeks including branch verification and card delivery. Students, customers aged 66 and over, basic-bank-account holders and customers paying an AIB mortgage from the account are exempt from the fee — and the basic bank account is genuinely free in its first year, so ask for it explicitly if money is tight in your first months.
→ AIB vs Bank of Ireland for Expats — November 2026 Guide
5. Bank of Ireland — the pre-arrival option
the pre-arrival option
Bank of Ireland has one feature no other traditional Irish bank offers Ukrainians: you can start the online application up to 45 days before you travel, using your home-country address, and then replace it with an Irish address within 60 days of arrival. For anyone who wants the account substantially ready before landing, that head start is unique.
The standard account costs €6 per month, covering unlimited standard euro transactions and ATM withdrawals, with branches nationwide and cash services through An Post post offices. The usual newcomer caveats apply — PPSN and proof of address are still required to complete the account — but starting early means your salary IBAN can be ready in your first week rather than your fourth.
→ How to Open a Bank Account in Ireland as an Expat — October 2026 Guide
6. PTSB — the cashback alternative
the cashback alternative
PTSB (Permanent TSB) is the only traditional Irish bank that pays you back: its Explore account gives 5c cashback per card tap up to €5 a month, plus 2% cashback on PTSB mortgage payments, which softens its higher €8 monthly fee for heavy card users. It is a full-service Irish bank with branches nationwide and a genuine IE IBAN.
For most Ukrainians it is a third choice rather than a first one — Revolut is free, AIB is cheaper and bigger — but if you tap your card dozens of times a month and want a traditional bank that returns a little of its fee, PTSB’s cashback is a genuine differentiator. A basic payment account with no monthly fee is also available if you ask for it.
→ Best Bank Accounts in Ireland for Expats (2026 Guide)
Scenario framework: which account for which life stage
- Newly arrived under Temporary Protection. Open Revolut in week one — free, Irish IBAN, salary-ready. Your PPSN is already issued, so start the AIB application in parallel.
- Working and sending money home. Add Wise for EUR→UAH transfers and keep the transfer comparison fresh — Ukraine payout options change, so re-check before every large transfer.
- Moving to Stamp 4. The Temporary Protection Transition Scheme opened on 30 September 2026 and applications run until 30 March 2027. A Stamp 4 permission lasts up to two years, is renewable, and time on it counts towards naturalisation — a traditional bank account and a steady salary record both help a long-term life in Ireland.
- Family sender. Keep Wise as your Ukraine corridor account — the exchange-rate margin matters more than any account fee when you send monthly.
→ Best Bank Account for Turks in Ireland — October 2026 Guide
Practical tips: documents, address and direct debits
- Documents: Ukrainian passports are accepted by Revolut, N26 and Wise under their published non-EU ID lists; traditional Irish banks usually ask for your PPSN and proof of Irish address as well — and as a Temporary Protection holder, your PPSN is issued on arrival.
- PPSN first, then upgrade: if your PPSN has not arrived yet, open Revolut and N26 now and add AIB or Bank of Ireland the week it lands — your employer needs the PPSN for payroll anyway.
- IBAN discrimination: under SEPA rules every eurozone IBAN must be accepted, but an Irish IBAN avoids the argument entirely — one more reason Revolut leads this list.
- Government stamp duty: separate from bank fees, Ireland charges €0.12 per ATM withdrawal, capped at €2.50 per year per card — small, but it applies at every bank.
- Fees change: AIB’s €6 flat fee only began in July 2026 — re-check your account’s price list each January rather than assuming nothing changed.
→ Ireland Minimum Wage 2027: €14.94 Guide — what your first Irish payslip should show
What to watch in 2027
Two dates matter more than any fee change. 30 March 2027: applications close for the Temporary Protection Transition Scheme — if you have held temporary protection for at least a year and want Stamp 4, apply before this date. 4 March 2028: temporary protection itself runs until this date under the EU directive. Between them, Irish banks will revise their price lists in January as usual — re-check your fee schedule then. On the transfer side, Ukraine payout options change with the war and sanctions rules, so re-run your corridor comparison before every large transfer — see our Free money transfer cost calculator. None of this is a reason to wait: the free accounts above cost nothing to open now.
→ Best Bank Account for Pakistanis in Ireland — October 2026 Guide
By the numbers
Ireland had issued 121,048 PPSNs to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine by February 2026, with 84,100 still active in administrative records, and just over 29,000 in paid work at average weekly earnings of €540 (Central Statistics Office, Arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland Series 18, February 2026). Ireland’s deposit guarantee scheme covers deposits up to €100,000 per depositor per bank (Deposit Guarantee Scheme, Central Bank of Ireland, 2026). Ireland’s minimum wage rises to €14.94 an hour from 1 January 2027.
How we compared: the methodology
How we compared
Fees and features checked: the providers’ official websites and published price lists, as referenced throughout this guide. Criteria: monthly fees, IBAN type and expat-friendliness — including opening requirements, English support and deposit protection — plus corridor-specific factors for Ukrainians: PPSN issued on arrival, and EUR→UAH transfer options. Population figures: Central Statistics Office, Arrivals from Ukraine in Ireland Series 18 (February 2026); Temporary Protection Transition Scheme dates from the Department of Justice announcement (26 May 2026) and scheme opening (30 September 2026). Verdicts are the editorial judgment of the ExpatMoneyEU Research Team — not financial advice. Figures are illustrative; always verify the current terms with the provider before opening an account.
→ How to Open a Bank Account in Ireland as an Expat — October 2026 Guide
Disclosure: the buttons below are affiliate links — they may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.