With inflation concerns in Ireland on the rise, many students or immigrants in Ireland resort to loans. It may be to purchase a new course, obtain a house deposit, or it may be to finance a car. Whatever the reason, you’ll be happy to know that as a student or immigrant there are options, with various lenders willing to provide personal loans for whatever reason.
While not all banks or financial institutions will want to work with non resident permit holders due to higher risk concerns, we’ve listed some of the more popular providers that do provide loans to students or non Irish citizens.
Your local Credit Union
Credit Unions are the creditor of choice for most Irish people for small loans, due to the easy application process and their non for profit nature. Unlike traditional banks, Credit Unions provide face to face meetings, don’t have any hidden charges, while allowing you to pay back loans early without penalties.
They have minimum loan amounts from €600. The maximum APR rate is12.68%, with most loans falling well under this maximum limit. You don’t have to be a Credit Union member and you can increase your chances of obtaining a personal loan if you have a guarantor, who can sign your loan with you. This can come in handy if you happen to know an existing member or Irish citizen.
You’ll find out more on the League of Credit Unions of Ireland website, or by visiting a local branch.
Your local Post Office
In Ireland you can take out a loan with your local Post Office, with an easy online application process. You don’t need to be an Irish citizen or residency permit holder in order to take out such a loan.
Note that with the Post Office the minimum amount of a personal loan is €5,000, with rates starting from 7.2% APR. As an example you can take out a €5,000 loan, repaid over 2 years. The total amount repayable is €5,531.85, paying back just over €230 per month. This is based on an APR of 9.9%, the APR applied for this minimum amount.
You can find out more or apply online here.
Permanent TSB Bank
Permanent TSB provides loans to non Irish nationals for terms of 6 months to a maximum of 5 years. They provide a quick online application, with funds deposited into your account as soon as you decide to draw down if approved. They provide loans from €1,500 to €25,000 online.
You’ll find a list of the terms and conditions on the Permanent TSB website.
AIB
AIB provides personal loans from €1,000 upwards, with an answer on your online applications provided within a few hours. They don’t charge any penalty for early repayments and you can set your own schedule or repayments.
You can apply online or use the online calculator on the AIB website..
Bank of Ireland
As one of Ireland’s mainstream banks you can apply for a loan using various methods with the Bank of Ireland. You don’t have to be a customer and like the others you’ll get an answer on your application within 24 hours. All loans are reviewed on a case by case basis and it may be more difficult for other lenders to obtain a student loan, with parental guarantees required in some situations. Parental guarantees from abroad may be a blocker for non Irish nationals.
You can apply for a loan of €2,000 uploads, with personal loan rates from 6.6% upwards at time of writing. If approved you have up to 30 days to draw down the loan.
You can apply online here.
We hope the above was of use. If you are looking for a personal loan be sure to shop around, and not just with the providers listed above. Switcher.ie and Bonkers.ie are websites that can compare and contrast different loan providers in Ireland.
