Excused as of right
If you are excused as of right, you are eligible for jury service but are entitled to be excused if you ask. You can still serve on a jury if you choose to.
info If you are aged 65 or over
You can still serve on a jury if you wish.
If you choose to be excused because you are aged 65 or over, you do not need to provide a medical certificate.
The following people are excused as of right:
- people aged 65 or over
- the head or principal teacher of a college, university, school or other educational institution
- full-time students
- teaching staff – if the principal certifies that the staff member performs essential services that cannot easily be performed by someone else, or cannot be postponed
- practising medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, midwives, veterinary surgeons or pharmacists
- people in Holy Orders, regular ministers of any religion, or members of a religious order living in a monastery, convent or other religious community
- members of either House of the Oireachtas or of the Council of State
- the Comptroller and Auditor General
- the Clerks of Dáil Éireann or Seanad Éireann
- members of staff of either House of the Oireachtas – if the Clerk certifies that the staff member performs essential and urgent services of public importance that cannot easily be performed by someone else, or cannot be postponed
- the Head of a Government Department and any civil servant – if the Head of Department certifies that the staff member performs essential and urgent services of public importance that cannot easily be performed by someone else, or cannot be postponed
- the Chief Officer of a local authority, health board or harbour authority and any employee of those authorities – if the Chief Officer certifies that the staff member performs essential and urgent services of public importance that cannot easily be performed by someone else, or cannot be postponed
- the Secretary of the Commissioners of Irish Lights and any staff of the Commission – if the Secretary certifies that the staff member performs essential services that cannot easily be performed by someone else, or cannot be postponed
- masters of vessels, duly licensed pilots and duly licensed aircraft commanders
- people who served on a jury or attended jury service in the previous three years and were excused from jury service by the judge presiding over the case
