The Maternity and Infant Care Scheme is the reason maternity care in Ireland is free, and it is the first thing on the list because everything clinical runs through it. If you live in Ireland or intend to live here for at least a year, you can get free maternity care through it.
Two things about it surprise people. It covers your GP, not only the hospital. And it keeps going after the birth, through to your baby's six-week check.
The short version
- Who qualifies
- Anyone living in Ireland, or intending to live here for at least a year
- What you need
- To be registered with a GP, and your own PPS number
- A medical card
- Is not needed. Neither is a GP visit card
- Your GP
- At least five times during the pregnancy, free
- After the birth
- Your baby at 2 weeks, and both of you at 6 weeks
- Where to start
- Your GP, or your local maternity unit
What it covers
During the pregnancy:
- appointments with your GP;
- appointments with midwives, or an obstetrician;
- ultrasound scans;
- blood tests for pregnancy.
For the birth itself:
- medical care during labour and birth from midwives, and from an obstetrician if needed;
- a bed in a public ward;
- a private room while you are giving birth, the single birth suite.
And afterwards:
- your GP appointment for your baby's 2 week check;
- your GP appointment for your baby's 6 week check;
- your own postnatal check-up, 6 weeks after the birth.
The PPS number you need is your own. Everything else on this site is about getting your baby's PPS number after the birth. This one is different: you need yours, now, along with being registered with a GP.
Free does not mean everything is free
This is the distinction worth getting straight early, because it decides money. There are three ways to have your care, and only one of them is covered:
- Public care is the free one. It covers births in hospitals and the HSE home birth service.
- Semi-private care mixes public and private, carries some costs, and is only available in Dublin maternity hospitals.
- Private care is available in all maternity hospitals and means consultant obstetrician fees plus hospital charges.
So the scheme does not make maternity care free in every form. It makes public care free, and public care is a complete route from the first appointment to the six-week check.
How many visits, and when
The scheme sets a schedule, and it differs depending on whether this is your first baby.
First pregnancy:
- your first examination is with your GP, ideally before week 12;
- then a further 5 examinations during the pregnancy, alternating between your GP and the maternity unit or hospital.
Not your first pregnancy:
- an initial examination, then a further 6 examinations.
That schedule is a default, not a rule. Your GP or the hospital obstetrician can change it depending on your situation. If you have a significant illness, diabetes or hypertension for instance, you may have up to 5 additional visits with your GP.
Alongside those, the maternity unit works to its own milestones: a booking visit between 8 and 12 weeks, the fetal anatomy scan between 20 and 22 weeks, and ongoing appointments from 28 weeks. You will have more if you are diagnosed with a pregnancy-related condition, or if you are expecting twins or more.
Hospital charges
Under the scheme you get free in-patient, out-patient and emergency care in public hospitals for your pregnancy and the birth, with no hospital charges to pay.
Two limits worth knowing. Care for an illness unrelated to your pregnancy is not covered by the scheme, although in practice there are no longer hospital charges for public in-patient and day care services anyway. And if you choose to be a private patient of your consultant, you pay the full range of in-patient charges.
Antenatal classes, and why to book them early
Antenatal classes are usually free through your maternity unit. They cover what to expect in pregnancy, preparing for labour and birth, caring for a baby, mental health, and breastfeeding preparation. Your partner can attend all of them.
Here is the part worth acting on. Classes usually start between 26 and 32 weeks, but the HSE says to book them as early as possible after your booking visit, which is between 8 and 12 weeks. That gap is the trap: by the time the classes feel relevant, the places may be gone. Ask your maternity unit how to book at the same appointment, because the method and the availability differ from hospital to hospital.
Several hospitals also run free online classes and courses, so if the timing or the travel does not work for you, ask about those rather than assuming you have missed out.
The first days at home
One appointment comes to you rather than the other way round. A public health nurse will visit within 72 hours of you leaving hospital. Then your GP or the practice nurse examines your baby at two weeks old, and your GP examines both of you when your baby is six weeks old.
Those last two are the same appointments listed under the scheme above. They are worth knowing about before you are in them, because they are also the point at which other things get raised, and our guide to the first weeks after the birth covers what actually happens at each.
How to start it
You do not apply to the HSE yourself. When your pregnancy is confirmed, your GP applies for you: there is an application form, you and your GP complete it together, and your GP sends it to the HSE. The diagnosis of the pregnancy is itself part of the scheme, so that first appointment is covered.
So the whole action on your side is to see a GP once the pregnancy is confirmed. Early is right, because the first examination is meant to happen before week 12 and the scheme is what makes it free. If you do not have a GP, the HSE has a find-a-GP service.
If you are struggling afterwards
Postnatal depression can affect some women within the first year after giving birth, and the symptoms may start as baby blues and then get worse. If you think that is happening to you, the people to tell are your public health nurse or your GP. Both are already part of your care under this scheme, so it is not a new door you have to find.
Who decides, and where to ask
The scheme is run by the HSE. Clinical decisions belong to your GP, your midwife and your maternity unit, and nothing on this page is medical advice or a substitute for talking to them. For any symptom or worry during pregnancy, contact your GP or your maternity unit rather than waiting for the next scheduled appointment.
See what comes after this
parentready puts your Irish parent admin in the order it has to happen, starting here and running through registration, benefits and the health schemes. Free, private, and on your device.
Official sources
- HSE: Public care during pregnancy
- HSE: Antenatal and maternity care options
- HSE: Antenatal and maternity care appointments
- Citizens Information: Maternity and infant care services
- HSE: Antenatal classes
- HSE: Getting help for postnatal depression
Facts checked against the official pages on 9 August 2026. This is general information, not medical advice, and it does not decide your eligibility or your care; the HSE and your clinicians make those decisions. For any clinical question or symptom, contact your GP or maternity unit. Details can change; always confirm on the official pages linked above.