I'm in Ireland on a two year working holiday visa. Being that I'm from Canada I need to get the…read moreGNIB card and pay 300 Euros for it. I did my working holiday visa through SWAP/USIT and during the orientation they recommended getting to the Garda office early. They weren't lying. I got in queue at 630am (keep in mind they don't open until 8am) and the line was around the block. It eventually went to the other side of the the building. Silly me I forgot to charge my phone or bring something to do/read. I counted the windows on the building in front of me. There's 770. Anyway at 8am the doors opened and we were given a number. I was 119. I asked one of the officers who'd been directing traffic how long it would take, and he looked at my number and said to come back at 11. Luckily I'm staying only a few blocks away so I went back to my hotel and had breakfast. I went back at 10, just in case, and they were only on 48. I went out again, had some lunch, wandered around Grafton Street and came back at 1pm. My number was finally called close to 2pm. The waiting room is quite busy with people. There's lots of restless families and kids. I feel sorry for the parents there, and would recommend if you have to to go to the GNIB office with kids to bring something for them to do. You could be here for a while. The interview itself only took a few minutes. I had all the forms I needed. For my address I just had the hotel I'm staying at print a receipt with my name on it, because I don't have a permanent address in Dublin yet (I need to get a job first and for that I need the GNIB card and then when I get a job I can find a place to live). They take your photo and your fingerprints and you have to pay 300 Euros by card. If you can pay with a credit card that won't charge you any foreign transaction fees so you'll save a little bit of money. The part that makes it the worst is after this is done you still have to wait for the card to be finished. And while the Garda Officer told me it would be a few minutes it was closer to two hours. They don't call the number you had earlier from standing in line, but will call your name (actually they'll say "National of Canada (or whatever country your from)" and then your name). My name is a bit different, so I kept listening because I was worried it would be mispronounced and I might miss it. The officers were fine and professional. I didn't have any issues getting the card, but the system of standing in line to get a number and then waiting another two hours to get a card is a little ridiculous. I'm sure there are far worse bureaucratic systems out in other countries, but there has to be something better here. I did see signs in the waiting room saying they were going to start taking appointments in the fall, but not for new GNIB cards. Oh well at least I won't have to do this again. Tips - Get there early. Apparently it gets really busy in September and January with students, so you might want to plan ahead. - Wear comfortable shoes, because you'll be standing for a few hours. - Bring something to do while you stand in line/wait in the waiting room. - If you have kids especially bring something to keep them occupied. Maybe have some snacks on hand as well (good for kids and adults...no one wants to be hangry). - If you have a higher number ask a staff member approximately how long it will take. If they tell you it'll be a few hours you might as well head out for a bit instead of staying inside the waiting room. - Be polite to the staff working there, and answer their questions honestly. Getting upset won't help you. - Make sure to have all the paperwork you need, so you don't have to go back and do this again.

So no one who has to go here is ever in a particularly good mood. I mean, who gets excited about…read morehaving to register as an immigrant with the local authorities? The Garda National Immigration Bureau (or as most people call it the GNIB) is situated on the south side of the quays, next to the Tara Street Station. You would be amazed by the amount of people that fit into this modest building. When I was there on a Friday morning, there were at least 200 people waiting to speak to someone and get their passport stamped. The GNIB is confusing even to those who can read and speak English. You don't know where to queue and what forms you need. You're ignored for two hours until your number appears on the blinking screen and then you cross your fingers that the clerk is nice and doesn't send you back home for more information. I would sum up my experience here as painful and excruciatingly boring and compare it to a long wait in the emergency room where there's tons of commotion and unhappy people.