Request a consultationAm I eligible?

Eligibility · BMI

Who is eligible for a gastric sleeve?

The BMI criteria used in Ireland, the weight they mean for your height, and the other things a surgeon weighs up.

The short answer

In Ireland, weight loss surgery is usually considered if you have a BMI of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35 to 40 with a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. It must also be safe for you to have an anaesthetic, and you must be able to commit to lifelong follow-up. A surgeon makes the final decision after a full assessment.

  • BMI 40+on its own
  • BMI 35 to 40with a related condition
  • 18+adults only on this site
  • A surgeonalways decides

Free check · about a minute

Am I eligible?

See where your BMI sits against the usual criteria, what it costs in Ireland and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do. A surgeon always makes the final call.

Your height and weight never leave your device. If you ask a clinic to contact you, we send only a BMI band and your answers, with your consent.

Step 1 of 7

Your height and weight

We work out your BMI here on the page. Nothing is sent.

cm
kg
Your BMI–

Enter your height and weight.

Do you have any of these?

Tick all that apply. These are the conditions surgeons look for at a BMI of 35 to 40.

What have you tried before?

Tick all that apply. A clinic asks this at the first consultation.

Which option are you looking at?

Pick the closest. You can change your mind at the consultation.

How would you like to go about it?

Your result explains the cost and the wait for each route.

When, and where are you?

The clinic uses your county to plan consultations and check-ups near you.

Your result
Where should the clinic contact you?

One Irish clinic gets your enquiry, nobody else. They contact you to arrange a consultation with a surgeon. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Thank you

Your enquiry is on its way to one Irish clinic. Here's what happens next:

  1. Today. We pass your answers to one clinic whose bariatric surgeons are on the Medical Council's Specialist Register. No one else gets them.
  2. Usually within two working days. The clinic rings or texts you to arrange a first consultation.
  3. At the consultation. A surgeon and the team assess you, explain your options and give you a written quote. Nothing is booked unless you say yes.

Changed your mind? Email hello@gastricsleeve.ie and we'll delete your enquiry and tell the clinic.

The criteria

From the HSE: you may be able to have bariatric surgery if it is safe for you to have an anaesthetic and surgery, you can commit to long-term follow-up, and

  • you have a BMI of 40 or more, or
  • you have a BMI of 35 to 40 and other medical problems related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or obstructive sleep apnoea.

The HSE adds that a BMI below 40 may be considered if your ethnic background is South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean, because weight-related illness starts at a lower BMI in these groups.

The weight for your height

These are the weights at which your BMI reaches 35 and 40. Use the free check on this page for your exact BMI.

HeightBMI 35BMI 40
152 cm (5 ft 0 in)81 kg (12 st 10 lb)92 kg (14 st 8 lb)
157 cm (5 ft 2 in)86 kg (13 st 8 lb)99 kg (15 st 7 lb)
160 cm (5 ft 3 in)90 kg (14 st 2 lb)102 kg (16 st 2 lb)
163 cm (5 ft 4 in)93 kg (14 st 9 lb)106 kg (16 st 10 lb)
165 cm (5 ft 5 in)95 kg (15 st 0 lb)109 kg (17 st 2 lb)
168 cm (5 ft 6 in)99 kg (15 st 8 lb)113 kg (17 st 11 lb)
170 cm (5 ft 7 in)101 kg (15 st 13 lb)116 kg (18 st 3 lb)
173 cm (5 ft 8 in)105 kg (16 st 7 lb)120 kg (18 st 12 lb)
175 cm (5 ft 9 in)107 kg (16 st 12 lb)122 kg (19 st 4 lb)
178 cm (5 ft 10 in)111 kg (17 st 6 lb)127 kg (19 st 13 lb)
180 cm (5 ft 11 in)113 kg (17 st 12 lb)130 kg (20 st 6 lb)
183 cm (6 ft 0 in)117 kg (18 st 6 lb)134 kg (21 st 1 lb)
185 cm (6 ft 1 in)120 kg (18 st 12 lb)137 kg (21 st 8 lb)
188 cm (6 ft 2 in)124 kg (19 st 7 lb)141 kg (22 st 4 lb)

BMI is weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Rounded to the nearest kilogram and pound.

Two women talking in a calm, light room

What else the team looks at

  • Your health and safety for surgery: heart, lungs, other conditions and medicines.
  • What you've tried: diets, programmes, medicines. You don't have to have "failed" everything, but the team will want to know.
  • Your readiness: the eating changes, vitamins and lifelong follow-up. A psychologist is part of the team for this reason.
  • Insurance criteria, if you're claiming. An insurer's criteria can be stricter than the clinical ones. Insurance.

If your BMI is below 35

Surgery isn't usually offered, but there are other options. Your GP can talk to you about weight-loss medicines, and a gastric balloon is often used at a lower BMI. Injections vs surgery and the gastric balloon.

Questions people ask

What BMI do you need for a gastric sleeve in Ireland?

Usually 40 or more, or 35 to 40 with a weight-related condition. A surgeon decides after assessing you.

Can I get a gastric sleeve with a BMI of 30?

It isn't usually offered at that BMI in Ireland. The HSE notes a lower threshold can apply for some ethnic backgrounds. Talk to your GP about the options for you.

Is there an age limit?

The criteria are based on health, not a set age, and older people are assessed for safety. This site only takes enquiries from adults (18+).

Do I have to lose weight before surgery?

Many teams ask for a short low-calorie diet before the operation to shrink the liver, which makes keyhole surgery safer.

Read next

Bariatric surgery in IrelandThe operations surgeons use in Ireland, what each one does, how much weight…Gastric sleeve cost in IrelandWhat a sleeve costs privately, what the quote should include, the costs…The HSE route and waiting timesHow the public route works, how many operations the HSE does, how long people…

Free, private, one clinic

Check where you stand in about a minute

Your BMI against the usual criteria, the cost in Ireland, and what the HSE, insurance and tax relief can do.

Check if I'm eligible
Am I eligible?Prices