Bail is a written commitment to appear in court, made by a person who has been arrested and charged with a criminal offense. It is a way for the accused to be released from custody until their court date, while still being presumed innocent until proven guilty. There are different types of bail, including station bail and court bail. Station bail is when the Garda in charge of the station decides to release the accused on bail from the police station after they have been charged. The accused must enter into a bond to appear before the District Court on a specific date. Court bail is when the accused makes an application in court to be released from custody on bail. The court may require an independent surety to guarantee the accuseds appearance in court. An independent surety is a person who makes themselves responsible for the accused coming to court and promises to pay a sum of money to the court if the accused does not appear as agreed.

Police bond is different from bail. It is the guarantee that an accused person arrested and taken to a police station for breaking the law will turn up whenever required to do so by the police. No money is paid on police bond, and if a police officer asks for money to release someone on bond, they should be reported to higher police authorities.