Prefer to visit a clinic?
Pick your county to see what's there, and where we checked it.
Or browse every county directly:
Nothing you pick here is sent anywhere — it just chooses which page the button opens.
Where do you live?
Free home testing works differently on each side of the border. Pick yours.
Republic of Ireland
Free kits from SH:24, run with the HSE. You need to be 17 or over.
Northern Ireland
Free kits from SH:24 UK. You need to be 16 or over and have no symptoms. With symptoms, Sexual Health NI says to contact your GUM clinic or GP instead.
Sources: HSE for the Republic, Sexual Health NI for the North. Checked 10 September 2026.
Three ways to get tested
Free home testing
A kit posted to you by SH:24, who run this with the HSE. Free if you're 17 or over and live in the Republic of Ireland. You order it and get your results from them directly.
Find a local clinic
Public HSE clinics test and treat you for free. Booking and walk-in arrangements differ by clinic, so each county page names where we checked.
Compare testing options
Free clinic, free home kit, your GP, private providers — side by side on cost, what's included and how to book. Where nobody publishes a figure, we say so.
What happens next?
Choose a route
Home kit, local clinic, or a private option. Whatever suits you.
Check the provider's own information
Who's eligible and what's covered is set by them, not us. Their page is linked from ours.
Order or book directly
You deal with them yourself. We never take your order, booking or results.
Got symptoms — sores, blisters, ulcers, pain or unusual discharge? Ring a sexual health clinic or your GP instead of waiting on a kit in the post.
More free sexual health services
Free condoms
Free by post if you're 17 or over, or collected in person from clinics, community organisations, LGBTQ+ venues and student services.
Free PrEP
Medicine that cuts your risk of getting HIV. The HSE covers it free for people who meet its criteria, through approved clinics and GPs.
Free clinic testing and treatment
Public HSE clinics test and treat you for free. Find your county's clinic and ring them.
These are three separate services with different providers and rules. The free test kit doesn't include condoms or PrEP.
Questions people ask
Is STI testing free in Ireland?
Yes. Public HSE clinics test and treat you for free, and SH:24 posts free kits to people 17 or over living in the Republic of Ireland. Compare the options.
Can I order a free home test kit?
Yes, if you're 17 or over and live in the Republic of Ireland. You order it yourself on SH:24 with your own mobile number — you can't order for someone else. How it works.
Is a test confidential — and is it anonymous?
SH:24 does not automatically send results to your GP or use your personal data for marketing. But it isn't anonymous — SH:24 keeps its own record and HSE clinics can see it if you need follow-up care. Who sees what.
Can a home kit diagnose herpes?
Not usually. With visible sores, blisters or ulcers, a clinician needs to look and probably swab it. Herpes testing in Ireland.
What if my test is positive?
Most STIs are easily treated. Whoever tested you explains the next step and sorts treatment or refers you on. If you test positive · Telling a partner.
Not sure whether you need a test?
Take the 30-second self-check, or read symptoms or not and how STI testing works.
Plain-language guides to each STI
About this site
We're an independent Irish guide to sexual health services — not the HSE, not SH:24, not a clinic. Nobody pays us to be listed and nobody pays to rank higher. Free options come first because they're free.
Every service detail here names the official source it came from and the date we checked it. Spot something out of date? The resources page has the official sources to check against.
Occasional sexual health updates
Now and again: changes to free services, new clinic information, the odd reminder. Nothing to do with getting tested.
We never ask you anything about your health.
See also: PEP — if it happened in the last 72 hours.
Sources
- HSE — Sexual health (free home STI testing: age 17 or older, living in the Republic of Ireland)
- HSE — Sexual health services and clinics
- SH:24 — Orders and delivery FAQs
- SH:24 — Privacy and security FAQs
Checked 10 September 2026. Opening hours and contact details change — ring ahead before you travel.