Irish Public Service Card (PSC)

The Public Services Card (PSC) helps citizens to access a range of public services easily. Their identity is fully authenticated when it is issued so that they do not have to give the same information to multiple organisations. It was first introduced in 2012 and was initially rolled out to people getting social welfare payments. It is now being rolled out to other public services. This card holds personal information including person’s name, photograph, signature, card number and personal public service number. It also holds a magnetic stripe to enable social welfare payment such as pensions to be collected at post offices.
The PSC ensures that people can access public services across a number of channels, including online, via telephone or in person at a public office, with a minimum of duplication while preserving their privacy to the maximum extent possible.