How to check an electrician is registered in Ireland
Not all electrical work in Ireland is regulated, but a specific category of it is, and that category covers most of the jobs people actually hire an electrician for. Knowing which side of the line your job falls on tells you what to ask for and what you should be handed at the end.
Which work is restricted
“Restricted electrical works” is defined in law, under the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 (Restricted Electrical Works) Regulations 2013. In practice it covers the work that carries the most risk if done badly:
- Replacing or altering the fuse board, also called the consumer unit or distribution board
- Installing a new circuit, such as a shower, cooker or EV charger circuit
- Rewiring, in whole or in part
- Work on the installation in a bathroom or other special location
Swapping a like-for-like light fitting or socket faceplate is not in the same category. If your job appears on the list above, the person doing it must be a Registered Electrical Contractor.
How to check the register
Registered contractors are listed on the Safe Electric register, which is free to search and public. Look the business up before you book, not after the work is done.
Two things are worth knowing. First, registration belongs to the contractor, not to every individual who might turn up, so check the business you are actually contracting with. Second, the register is the authority here — a logo on a van or a website is not evidence of anything, and copied badges are common.
If a business does not appear on the register, it is not authorised to carry out restricted electrical work in Ireland.
The Completion Certificate
When a registered contractor finishes restricted work, they issue a Completion Certificate. This is not paperwork for its own sake. It records that the installation conforms to the national wiring rules, I.S. 10101, and it is the document that a solicitor, an insurer or a future buyer will ask to see.
Keep it with your house documents. The most common time people discover it is missing is during a sale, long after the electrician has moved on and the work would have to be inspected again to be certified.
Questions worth asking before you book
- Is this job restricted electrical work, and will I receive a Completion Certificate?
- What is your Safe Electric registration, so I can look it up?
- If the existing wiring turns out to be in poor condition, how will you tell me and how does that change the quote?
That last one matters more than it sounds. A new fuse board fitted over old rubber or fabric insulated wiring leaves the underlying problem exactly where it was, and a contractor who raises that before quoting is telling you something useful about how they work.
If something goes wrong
Safe Electric operates under the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, which oversees both electrical and gas installer registration in Ireland. If you have a safety concern about completed work by a registered contractor, that is the route for raising it.