Our 2 Euro cents worth...
There are many folk in the 'older' age group looking to make a significant change to their lives and plunging into a move to Ireland. This can be, and is very intimidating, especially if this is the first time of moving to a new country with all the uncertainties. Since no one size shoe fits all, it is very difficult to give good / definitive advice and so we can only share our experience and observations.... which is likely to and will differ from others.
Unless you have lived outside of South Africa (not talking here of short holidays abroad, but actually being immersed in another countries lifestyle, culture and people), you will come with your preconceived ideas based on your reality of how things work, or should work. Ireland is a different country, and despite a number of us choosing Ireland having their roots here, or in other European countries, the way things work have been and remain different to what we have been used to. And you aren't going to changes that.
We are both 58 years old and took the decision to move to Ireland / Wexford to semi retire in a safe environment. Safe being in the context when comparing to a life in South Africa. We were moving from Qatar in the Middle East where we had lived for the past 13 years. Mrs has some medical (heart related) problems and was fortunate enough to be referred to a specialist in Ireland by her treating physician in South Africa (whom she remained in contact with while we were in Qatar - see below) so managed to get into the system soon after arrival. It appears that it is not easy to get into the medical system and many in the profession were amazed we had 'made it that far' so quickly. This perhaps proves the old adage of "its not what you know its who you know", with a heaped teaspoon of good luck accompanying.
We were in the fortunate position to be able to afford a scouting trip to Ireland in September 2019 before making the big move and managed to identify a home to buy during this trip. As such we were sure that our furniture was able to fit (through the entrance doors to the home and in the rooms) and all our boxes were ticked. These, aside from cost included
1. Lockup garage
2. Craft room
3. Well-appointed kitchen
4. Built in cupboards
5. Single story - many house here have bedrooms upstairs and the stairways are very steep with small narrow steps
6. Spacious.
7. Rural but close to a town/medical/hospital
8. Move in and live.
We had several properties identified from searches on Daft.ie and had viewing appointments set up before arriving (we had a great response from Estate agents / Auctioneers to our enquiries despite the experience of other). None of the properties we had listed met our needs and we found the pictures didn't match what we saw when visiting. The houses were much smaller and in a poorer state in "real life" than they appeared in the pictures.
We took a drive around the area we "liked" and saw the property which we have purchased with a for sale sign. We contacted the agent, had an impromptu viewing with the owners son (which in itself was an experience), made an offer and went through with the transaction. We never physically met the agent, the actual owners or the solicitor during the entire process. We met the solicitor after arriving to finalize some paperwork...
(Getting used to the terminology was something else... Seller = vendor, estate agent = Auctioneer, Attorney = Solicitor...)
The transfer of the property took 4 months from when we made the offer to purchase and the process is somewhat different to what we know in SA. All correspondence between the seller and buyers solicitors is by post (mail)... so adds to the time although it must be said the postal system is amazingly efficient. Up until the last there is always a chance the deal can fall through. Luckily ours didn't. We moved in to the property 2 months after taking ownership and right before Covid lockdown in March.
So like others who had the opportunity, we knew what we were in for prior to arriving in terms of the available space and what we needed to dispose of before moving. We moved across with a 40' container and most of our personal possessions. Our container was sent from Qatar and was cleared on arrival and delivered two days later by a great team of guys on 26th March, right in the start of the lockdown. We had no problems with the clearance at customs, although there was always a concern in the back of mind. We had correctly declared tools and crafting material in the inventory, both of which apparently attract Customs attention as it is considered being able to start a business and therefore must attract duties. The import agent asked for, and we provided a letter stating the items were all for personal use and not to be used to generate income. It appeared some of the boxes had been opened for inspection.
Although we purchased a well-established and fairly modern property, there are always things which need to be done and that is a challenge in itself coming from an environment where we had help in and around the home. Mrs had made contact with the local community forums on Face Book and was added to a Whatsapp group long before we moved, so we were already familiar with activities and happenings in the community well before arrival. Through this group, we were lucky enough to get a great handyman / builder recommended, who then had contacts to do painting, plumbing, gardening and electrical... all the things we needed to get the place up to a standard we wanted. Unfortunately, not all provided a great service and the we still waiting for an electrician who quoted in April to get back to us. 3 other electricians have since been and gone with no further word... this seems to be the way it goes here.
As mentioned by above, medical is different and difficult as are quite a few other things which we didn't anticipate. On of the biggest surprises was the difficulty in Socializing (perhaps more so affected by Covid). We have managed to make a small group of friends mostly South African, although this circle is now growing.
Some of our unexpected challenges and things we didn't fully appreciate before arriving:
1. Gardening
Grass grows quickly here as do the weeds and hedges (which you aren't allowed to trim between March and August). Mowing the lawns, weeding garden beds and keeping a biggish yard is a full time and tiring job aside from the cost of buying lawn mower and gardening equipment. And if you don't have a compost heap, you need to pay to dispose of the garden cuttings... burning the waste is against the law.
2. Making friends.
Bearing in mind we are in a rural setting, which means fewer people and chance to meet, in general, it is difficult to make friends. Again, in general, the Irish do not entertain at home so don't expect an invitation to a dinner or bbq. They are very family orientated mostly (our age group +55) coming from large families (7 up to 17 (yes 17) children) all living in the same homes / area for generations. Some of those houses are very, very small known as a "two up, two down", which literally means two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs.... Those who we are friends with are either South Africans, families of mixed Nationality (Irish plus UK, or Irish plus Australian, etc.) or widely travelled Irish folk.
3. Medical.
There doesn't seem to be an urgency. Appointments can be long into the future, despite the urgency we might be used to. Doctors aren't necessarily as accessible as we may expect them to be. Again, we were lucky to be registered, during Covid, with the local medical centre, surprising many.
4. Sharing banking details
When ordering things - oil, opening electricity account, waste collection, purchasing firewood, etc over the phone, be prepared to provide debit / credit card details (including digits on the back) phone to the person you are speaking to...Its all about trust.
5. Waste management/recycling
If not used to it, this practice takes a bit of getting used to in terms of what can go into which bin. This becomes a problem if you generate a lot of waste which can't go into the bins as you need to pay for disposal.
6. Rules and regulations – Red Tape
From our perspective, there seems to be a lot of 'unnecessary' red tape specifically related to health and safety and which in some instances seem a little over the top. Some of these include the licensing of premises to prepare and sell food from – no 'tuis nywerheid' or "boer maak n plan" here, limited issuing of license to operate food / coffee wagons, contractors to only use rechargeable power tools and must wear safety harnesses to climb on roofs.
You can of course DIY around the home with tools connected to the power, but also will lose right to claim from insurance if electrical work done by non-registered / insured electrician if something goes wrong.
7. Car Insurance
In Ireland, as opposed to our previous experience, the insurance is linked to the person as well as the car, so no two premiums the same. Insurance premiums in South Africa is based on the make and age of the vehicle, and essentially anyone can drive. In Ireland the car is linked to a specific person/s and their risk profile determines the premium. Even when taking a courtesy car from the Dealer, we had to have our insurance temporarily transferred to the courtesy car.
8. Building Regulations
There aren't any compliance certificates required during the process of buying a property. No need for an electrical certificate of compliance, or a wood borer certificate (not that this would be needed). Electrics are quite an eye opener.
Some alterations and additions are allowed without planning, while no changes can take place to the front facing elevation of the property without approval.
Its very difficult if not impossible as someone who hasn't lived in Ireland to buy a vacant piece of land and build on it. Regulations differ from area to area and quite a few South Africans have been surprised by this ruling. It appears access to land and building is reserved for those directly linked to Ireland with existing heritage.
Lots of things which have been refreshing and which have worked well:
1. Opening a Bank account:
Being Irish passport holders (also applies to EU citizens) you can apply for an AIB bank account from an app on your phone once in Ireland. No proof of address required. Account is opened and process is completed within about a week...
2. Post / mail
Everything is sent by postal service and it works. Typically no more than two days after being sent. Even medical appointments are confirmed by post... not email even if you ask for it, they will still post the appointment details.
3. Exchanging drivers license
Need proof of residence which has a date on it. Date of issue must be within the last 3 months. Other documents as per the requirements on the site.
4. Applying for public service card
A PPS number is required which we had prior to arrival in Ireland as we needed these to buy the property - is a fairly easy process and again all the correct documentation makes it easier.
5. Buying a car
The process was easy enough. We bought for cash, went through a dealer and had our cars within a few days. Not having had SA no claims, insurance turned out to be a bit expensive. Insurance was arranged through a Broker and was cheaper than the quotes we received directly from companies. We used the same Broker for our house/contents insurance.
6. Connecting utilities and services
All done online/over the phone. Electricity connected, heating oil purchases etc.
7. EIR code
Like post code but unique to your home...it works for everything..., especially deliveries of things.
8. Safety
It has been refreshing to be able to go for walks in remote places, experience the beauty of the country and feel safe while doing it. Having our doors open till late in the evening allowing the fresh air in.
Everyone's means, needs, expectations, wants and desires differ, so what may be a challenge to one is an opportunity for another. We can only recommend coming here with an open mind and being prepared for both unexpected surprises and some frustration with things not being like we are used to. They aren't. This is a different country with its own history and way things work.
Hoping to meet up with you at some stage of your journey.
Important links:
#MapMyMove- Our coaching Services - Confused or lost and need some direction, book a session with us to help untangle the confusion and work out your route of immigration
