In short
Marital Affair is a discreet dating site for married and attached adults, with members in Ireland as well as its main UK and US audience. Joining and browsing are free; reading and replying to messages is paid. Adultery is not a crime in Ireland. Report scams to your local Garda station, and anyone 17 or over can order a free HSE home STI test.
| Report a scam | Your local Garda station |
|---|---|
| Emergency | 999 or 112 |
| Intimate image abuse | Hotline.ie, or An Garda Síochána |
| Free home STI test | HSE service for anyone aged 17 or over |
| Divorce | Living apart two of the previous three years |
| Relationship counselling | Accord, fees based on what you can afford |
Paying from Ireland
Joining, creating a profile, browsing and receiving interest are free. Reading and replying to messages needs a paid membership; the options are on the prices page. Prices have so far been shown in US dollars, so your bank converts the charge from euro and may add a foreign transaction fee. Your card's terms will say how much.
Checkout shows the billing name that will appear on your statement before you pay, and every membership renews automatically until you cancel it in Settings > Billing. Members in Ireland are a smaller group than in the UK or the US, and because profiles are shared with partner sites in the same network, some people you hear from will have joined elsewhere.
The law: adultery is not a crime here
Adultery is not a criminal offence in Ireland, and it plays no formal part in getting a divorce. The things that are crimes are the ones other people might try on you: fraud, blackmail, and sharing or threatening to share intimate images of someone without their consent. The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, in force since February 2021, created two offences covering the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
Reporting a scam or a threat
An Garda Síochána asks people to report fraud, including romance scams, to their local Garda station, and says romance-scam reports are treated in confidence. Report even if you are not sure you have been defrauded, or if someone tried and failed. If money has gone, contact your bank straight away, and report the profile to us so the evidence is kept. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.
If someone shares or threatens to share intimate images of you:
- Hotline.ie helps people living in the Republic of Ireland report intimate image abuse and can ask the online service to remove the content. It can also help you contact the Gardaí if you want the matter investigated. It cannot give legal advice or counselling.
- An Garda Síochána for anything urgent, or if you want to make a criminal complaint.
- StopNCII.org lets an adult create a digital fingerprint of an intimate image on their own device, so participating platforms can find and remove copies without the image itself being uploaded.
Stop replying, keep the messages and report the profile through our help centre. Our guide to scams and blackmail explains how these schemes usually run.
Sexual health: free home testing from the HSE
The HSE runs a free home STI testing service for anyone aged 17 or over. You order a kit online, take the samples at home and post them back; the service is provided by SH:24 under contract with the HSE, and the Department of Health reported about 10,000 kits being ordered every month in January 2024. Public STI clinics are free too, and the HSE's sexual wellbeing pages list them. Our guide to sexual health with a new partner covers testing and protection.
Separation and divorce in Ireland
This is not legal advice, but the basic rules are worth knowing. Since the Family Law Act 2019, a court can grant a divorce when:
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| Living apart | Two of the previous three years (it was four of the previous five before the 2019 Act). Couples can count as living apart while in the same house, if they are no longer in an intimate, committed relationship. |
| No reasonable prospect of reconciliation | The marriage cannot realistically be repaired. |
| Proper provision | Proper provision has been, or will be, made for each spouse and any dependent children. |
Fault plays no part in the test. If either of you is thinking about it, speak to a family law solicitor before acting.
Counselling, on your own or together
You don't need to have decided anything to talk to someone. Accord offers couples counselling in person and online throughout the island of Ireland, and works with individuals as well as couples, whatever their relationship status. Fees are based on need rather than ability to pay, with a Tusla grant covering part of the cost in the Republic. Our page on getting support lists more places to turn.
Keeping your account private
Read the discretion page before you choose photos or details: it explains the billing name, account emails and who can see your profile.
Questions people ask
Is having an affair illegal in Ireland?
No. Adultery is not a criminal offence in Ireland, and it is not a ground you need to prove for a divorce. What is a crime is what someone might do to you: fraud, blackmail, or sharing or threatening to share intimate images without consent.
How long do you have to be separated to divorce in Ireland?
Since the Family Law Act 2019, spouses must have lived apart for two of the previous three years when they apply. The court must also be satisfied there is no reasonable prospect of reconciliation and that proper provision has been made for each spouse and any dependent children.
Can I get an STI test without going to my GP?
Yes. The HSE's free home testing service lets anyone aged 17 or over order a kit online, take samples at home and post them back. The service is run by SH:24 under contract with the HSE. Public STI clinics are also free.
Are prices shown in euro?
Prices have so far been shown in US dollars. Check the amount at checkout before you confirm; your bank converts it from euro and may add a foreign transaction fee.
Keep reading
- Is Marital Affair legit? Who runs it and what you payWho runs Marital Affair, how long it has existed, what it costs and what is and isn't checked.
- Thinking about an affair? Questions to ask yourself firstWhat you want, what you could lose, who else is affected: questions worth asking before an affair, and where to get support.
- Scams, blackmail and fake profiles on affair sitesRomance fraud, sextortion and fake profiles: the warning signs, what to do and where to report it.
- What affair dating sites cost, and how billing worksMemberships, credits, trials and extras: what affair sites cost, how renewal works and what your statement shows.
Sources
- Fraud, An Garda Síochána
- Divorce, Family Law Clinic, University College Cork
- Home STI test kits: 10,000 ordered every month, Department of Health (4 January 2024)
- Sexual wellbeing, HSE
- Intimate image abuse, Hotline.ie
- StopNCII.org
- Marriage and relationship counselling, Accord
Checked 9 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.