You've heard of driver licenses, right? And I'm guessing you've heard of dog licenses. But have you ever heard of a TV license? They exist! No, you can't really have your TV taken away from you for some breach of rules such as too much channel-surfing, or for a violent act towards televisions. But, if you live in Ireland, and you own a television set, you must get a TV license (even if you have a broken, old banger of a television). What constitutes as a television is set out in the Broadcasting Act of 2009.

What's it for?
The government of Ireland collects a yearly fee from the TV-owning public which it then distributes a significant portion of to RTE (that's Ireland's national broadcaster). RTE is responsible for using this (easy) money to deliver TV shows to the public in return.

What will it cost me?
As I type this (in February 2015), a TV license costs €160. Not cheap!

Where to Pay
You have a number of options available to you to pay for the TV license, including online at www.tvlicence.ie or at any Post Office in Ireland.

But I'm a renter
Doesn't matter. If you are resident in the home, whether the TV is yours or not, you must have a license for it.

What if I don't get a TV license?
According to anpost.ie "it is a prosecutable offence to be found in possession of an unlicensed television set. Fines for an unlicensed television set can be up to €1,000 for a first offence and €2,000 for subsequent offences." If you continue to refuse to pay, you may even end up in prison.

I have 2 televisions
Lucky you! I guess you don't have to argue with the kids when your favourite show comes on. Seriously though, the good news here is that if they are in the same house, you just need one license. However if you have a holiday home (or even a caravan you use for occasional getaways), you need a license for each address with a TV.

More good news
For one, you can pay in installments. Also, even if it's a bit crazy, you don't have to own a TV (you could just use Netflix on your laptop). And lastly, you might be entitled to a free TV license, although this is unlikely if you have just moved here, as it is for qualifying welfare recipients.

How do I feel about it?
To be brutally honest, I think it's unjust to force me to pay 160 Euro per year for a television license. I can honestly say that I don't avail of the services that are provided for the fee. And if I do stumble upon something that seems interesting once in awhile (while I'm breaking the channel-surfing rule), more often than not I can do without whatever it is.
I pay a monthly TV subscription to receive channels my kids like to watch, movie channels and sport shows. I pay another monthly fee for Netflix (great service). I am forced to receive RTE TV channels because it comes across the air, but why shouldn't those that want them pay for them, and why shouldn't RTE charge the advertisers enough to cover their costs. That's my 2 cents.

What do you need to do
Basically, if you own a TV I'd recommend you get a TV license. It's a law like any other. For those of you who have been sent to Ireland by your employer for work, then you might be able to build in the cost of the license to your covered living expenses.