Public Service Identity

This department is responsible for:

• issuing the Public Services Card (PSC)
• managing the Personal Public Service (PPS) Number
• providing a range of Public Service Identity (PSI) management functions
• providing data matching services to other bodies specified under legislation

The department is also obliged to ensure that, as far as possible, all the personal data it holds is accurate, complete and up to date. Where bodies specified under legislation, for example the Road Safety Authority (RSA), collect PSI data from a person, that information can be used to maintain the person's PSI dataset, which is held and managed by this department.

The PSI dataset is defined in the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) as the following:

• PPS Number
• surname
• forename
• date of birth
• place of birth
• sex (more information about Gender Recognition Certificates is available here)
• all former surnames (if any)
• all former surnames (if any) of his or her mother
• address
• nationality
• date of death
• certificate of death, where relevant
• where required, a photograph of the person, except where the person is deceased
• where required, the person's signature, except where the person is deceased
• any other information as may be required for authentication purposes that is uniquely linked to or is capable of identifying that person
• any other information that may be prescribed which, in the opinion of the Minister, is relevant to and necessary for the allocation of a PPS Number

Information about how to change your name on your Public Services Card (PSC) is available here.