The government provide a scheme for free GP care for children under 8 years of age (used to be under age 6) which is administered by the HSE. If you wish to avail of free GP care for your child, you must hold a valid Under 8’s Doctor Visit Card (DVC) for your nominated GP. To apply for an Under 8 Doctor Visit Card for your child, please see all the information and an online application by clicking here on the HSE website.
You usually need your child’s PPS number to apply for the Doctor Visit Card however, if your child has just been born (any time up to 4 months), you can apply for an emergency card without a PPS number. This is normally issued for a maximum of 6 months and the HSE will require you to reapply with the child’s PPS as soon as you get it.
Please note you do have to apply for the Under 8 DVC – it is not automatically issued to your child. You will be covered for free GP visits once you have the card issued to you with the DVC number. It is a good idea to apply for your child’s DVC as soon as possible, as normal consultation fees apply until the card is received by you.
Your free Under 8’s card is valid for the practice of the GP named on the card and for D-Doc, the Out of Hours GP service (D-Doc Tel: 0818 22 44 76).