Best Bank Accounts in Ireland for Expats (2026 Guide)

Ireland is one of Europe's priciest countries for basic banking — and one of the quirkiest. Monthly account fees are the norm at the big banks, the government taxes your bank card, and proof-of-address rules make the first weeks harder than they should be. This guide compares the accounts expats actually open — AIB, Bank of Ireland, PTSB, An Post Money, N26, Revolut and bunq — with real fees from current tariffs, and answers the questions expats search for most: can I open before I arrive, do I need a PPS number, which bank is free, and is my money safe in an app bank?

Compare: monthly fees at a glance

Fees change; confirm the current tariff on each provider's site before opening. Stamp duty on cards (below) applies on top of these fees.

1. AIB — the biggest branch network

Allied Irish Banks is the country's largest bank with 170+ branches and service centres, and the default choice for expats who want a traditional relationship — especially if a mortgage is on the horizon. The standard current account costs €6/month, which covers unlimited euro transactions. The fee is waived for students, graduates, over-66s, basic-bank-account holders and customers who pay an AIB mortgage from the account.

Onboarding is the usual Irish gauntlet: photo ID, proof of Irish address and commonly a PPS number. AIB's app is solid but unremarkable; the real value is face-to-face service and a bank that mortgage brokers know well.

Visit AIB →

2. Bank of Ireland — branches plus post offices

Bank of Ireland also charges €6/month for its current account, with fee waivers for students, graduates and over-66s. Its edge is distribution: a large branch network plus banking services through An Post offices, which matters outside Dublin.

Like AIB, expect an in-branch visit and the full document pack. English-speaking staff are a given — this is Ireland — but the onboarding paperwork surprises newcomers used to instant app banks.

Visit Bank of Ireland →

3. PTSB — the priciest, but with cashback

Permanent TSB's Explore account is the most expensive headline option at €8/month (€24/quarter), with no day-to-day transaction charges. The twist: you earn 5 cent cashback on every debit-card payment, up to €5/month — use the card 100 times a month and the effective fee drops to €3. There are also cashback offers on direct-debit bills with selected companies and 2% cashback on mortgage repayments for PTSB mortgage holders.

With ~70 branches it's smaller than AIB or BOI, but the cashback maths genuinely works for heavy card users.

Visit PTSB →

4. An Post Money — banking at the post office

An Post's current account costs €6/month plus €0.60 per ATM withdrawal, with no fee waivers — pay regardless. The selling point is access: 900+ post offices, which makes it the most reachable bank in rural Ireland.

No overdraft facility and per-withdrawal ATM charges make it a poor primary account for city expats, but a practical second account if you live somewhere the big banks closed their branches years ago.

Visit An Post Money →

5. N26 — the best free baseline

N26 is a fully licensed German bank that has operated in Ireland for years — which means your balance is covered by Germany's deposit guarantee up to €100,000, exactly as protected as in a traditional bank. The Standard plan is €0/month with no conditions: free euro bank transfers, a physical Mastercard, and 2 free euro ATM withdrawals per month. Paid tiers (Smart €4.90, Go €9.90, Metal €16.90) add travel insurance and savings spaces.

The killer feature for new arrivals: the whole account opens in minutes from your phone, before you even land in Ireland, with video ID verification. No Irish address needed on day one.

Visit N26 →

6. Revolut — best for multi-currency life

Revolut's Standard plan is €0/month (Plus €3.99, Premium €8.99, Metal €15.99, Ultra €55) and it's the multi-currency champion: hold and exchange dozens of currencies, spend abroad with the first €1,000/month of FX fee-free (then 1%), and withdraw from ATMs — the first 5 withdrawals or first €200/month are free, then 2% (minimum €1).

One honest caveat: Revolut's European banking accounts sit under its Lithuanian banking licence, so deposits there fall under Lithuania's deposit guarantee (up to €100,000); pure e-money balances are safeguarded (kept segregated) rather than insured. Check which entity your account is with in the app's terms. Also note weekend FX markups when markets are closed.

Visit Revolut →

7. bunq — best for a local Irish IBAN

bunq is a fully licensed Dutch bank with a genuinely free tier — the Free plan costs €0, Core is €3.99/month. Money is protected by the Dutch National Bank's deposit guarantee up to €100,000. Its standout feature for Ireland: local Irish IBANs (up to 25 sub-accounts, each with its own IBAN on paid plans; 3 on the free plan).

Watch the ATM pricing — the first 5 withdrawals cost €0.99 each, then €2.99 — so this is a receive-and-spend account, not a cash account. Foreign-currency card purchases carry a 2% FX fee.

Visit bunq →

How expats actually open an account in Ireland

The chicken-and-egg problem every newcomer hits: Irish banks want photo ID plus proof of Irish address, but you need a bank account to rent the flat that gives you the proof of address. Here's the sequence that works:

1. Before you fly: open N26 or Revolut from your current address. Fully online, free, minutes. You now have a working euro IBAN for deposits and bookings.
2. First week: apply for your PPS number (Personal Public Service Number) — Ireland's tax/employment ID. Your employer needs it to pay you correctly, and banks commonly ask for it.
3. Once you have an address: gather a utility bill, tenancy agreement or employer letter as proof of address, plus passport/EU ID card.
4. Open the Irish account: book a branch appointment at AIB, Bank of Ireland or PTSB — or stick with the app banks if your employer accepts a foreign IBAN (see below).

Banks must offer a basic bank account to legal EU residents — if a bank turns you away, ask about it explicitly.

The stamp duty nobody warns you about

Ireland taxes financial cards — and banks pass the charge straight to you:

• Credit cards: €30 per year, per account. Collected every 1 January for the previous year (from 2024 rules). Close a card mid-year and you still owe the full €30 — but get a letter of closure and you won't pay twice if you switch issuers.
• Combined ATM/debit cards: 12 cent per ATM withdrawal, capped at €5 per year (debit-only cards: capped at €2.50).
• Not liable if your billing address is outside Ireland for the entire tax year — useful to know in your first partial year.

In practice: one credit card costs you €30/year in duty alone, and a debit card used at ATMs costs at most €5/year. Factor it into any "free account" maths — the app banks' cards issued outside Ireland don't attract it.

Is your money protected?

The EU-wide standard applies: €100,000 per depositor per bank. Irish high-street banks are covered by Ireland's Deposit Guarantee Scheme; N26 by Germany's scheme; bunq by the Dutch scheme; Revolut's Lithuanian-licensed banking accounts by Lithuania's scheme. E-money balances (rather than bank deposits) are safeguarded — kept in segregated accounts — but not covered by deposit insurance. For a salary landing account, a licensed bank beats an e-money wallet.

Can your employer pay into a foreign IBAN?

Legally, yes — IBAN discrimination is illegal across the EU: no employer, landlord or utility may refuse a valid SEPA IBAN because of its country code. In practice, most Irish payroll systems handle German (N26) or Lithuanian (Revolut) IBANs without blinking. But older systems occasionally choke, and some expats report friction with smaller employers. If you want zero risk of payday drama, get an Irish (IE) IBAN — bunq issues them, or open a high-street account once settled.

Questions expats actually ask about Irish banking

Fees, stamp duty rules and waiver conditions change — always confirm the current tariff and Revenue guidance before opening an account.