Motion Picture Rating System - Ireland

Ireland

The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) under which theatrical films are placed into one of the following categories:

• G – General – Suitable for viewing by anyone. Examples: Puss in Boots, The Muppets, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Toy Story 3
• PG – Parental Guidance – Parental guidance is recommended for children under the age of 12. Examples: ParaNorman, Spider-Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Hugo, Moneyball, The Artist, The Simpsons Movie
• 12A – Parental Guidance required for children under 12 – A person over 18 years of age must accompany a child under the age of 12 when seeing a film theatrically. Prior to 2004 this used to be 12PG. Examples: The Amazing Spider-Man, Midnight in Paris, The Dark Knight Rises, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Moonrise Kingdom, To Rome with Love, Inception
• 15A – Parental Guidance required for children under 15 – A person over 18 years of age must accompany a child under the age of 15 when seeing a film theatrically. Prior to 2004 this used to be 15PG. Examples: The Social Network, 30 Minutes or Less, Easy A, The Five-Year Engagement, The Sitter, The Dark Knight, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• 16 – Films classified in this category are considered to be suitable for persons of sixteen or over. Children under this age cannot be admitted to screenings. Violent content, crude and sexual content, and depiction of violence may be stronger than in films designated 15A. Introduced in 2004. Examples: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream 4, Superbad, Kick-Ass, Zombieland, The Hangover, Inglourious Basterds, On the Road
• 18 – Adults only – The film is suitable only for adults. Nobody under this age can be admitted. 9 Songs in October 2004 became the first film featuring explicit sex scenes to receive a certificate. Examples: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Drive, Project X, The Raid

Films without certification are not ipso facto banned and have been shown at film festivals and arthouse clubs such as the Irish Film Institute.

For video releases (VHS and DVD), categories G, PG and 18 share the same meanings as above, however, there is no 16, and categories 12 and 15 are mandatory, not advisory.

There used to be an additional category, 12RA, for video releases. This means that children under 12 can watch the video however an adult of at least 18 years old must accompany him/her. This is an extremely rarely used rating.

Because there is no "16" classification for home video, a movie will sometimes be edited for content to reach a "15" classification.

All videos and DVDs (except for music videos and educational material) must be submitted for classification by the IFCO and then displayed on the front of the packaging, the back of the packaging and on the individual discs.

The rating of a movie may be appealed up to six months after the release of a film. After this period expires the same uncut film is not allowed to be appealed until at least seven years after the release.

Originally, IFCO used to ban far more films, however they still occasionally ban films (i.e. Boy Eats Girl was banned for showing a suicide attempt but was appealed and was re-rated as 15A).