Moving to Ireland

Minimum annual remuneration: EUR 40,904 for occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, where a relevant degree or higher is required; EUR 36,848 where the applicant received that qualification in the 12 months before applying; over EUR 68,911 for any occupation not on the Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits, where an applicant without a degree must have the necessary experience. NO Labour Market Needs Test. The job offer must be for at least two years. The 50% EEA staffing rule applies, waivable for start-ups registered as an employer within the last two years that are client companies of Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. A permit for a different employer cannot be considered until nine months after the holder first started work in the State on an employment permit, unless the holder is made redundant or unforeseen circumstances fundamentally change the employment relationship. Fee EUR 1,000, 90% refunded if the application is unsuccessful. When the permit ends, holders apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 permission to live and work without an employment permit. Family reunification is immediate: once resident, a spouse, partner or dependant may seek any employment and apply for a Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit, currently issued free of charge.

Minimum annual remuneration: generally EUR 36,605; EUR 32,691 for horticulture workers, meat processor operatives, healthcare assistants and home support workers, with a minimum hourly rate of EUR 16.12; EUR 34,009 where the applicant holds a relevant degree issued by an Irish third-level college in the previous 12 months. A LABOUR MARKET NEEDS TEST is required in most cases: the employer advertises the post on DSP Employment Services/EURES and on one additional online platform. Exemptions include occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, job offers paying at least EUR 68,911, and job offers recommended by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. The Ineligible List of Occupations and the 50:50 EEA rule apply. Fee EUR 1,000 for a permit of 6 to 24 months, EUR 500 for six months or less; renewal EUR 1,500 for up to 36 months. Issued for up to 2 years and renewable for up to 3 more; after 5 years the holder may apply for long-term residency, and a holder of valid permits for 5 consecutive years may apply for a temporary Stamp 4. Spouses, dependants and partners are NOT eligible for a Dependant Employment Permit and must apply for an employment permit in their own right.

Minimum EUR 50,000 in funding. The venture must be a High Potential Start-Up: a new and innovative product or service for international markets, in manufacturing or internationally traded services, capable of creating 10 jobs and EUR 1,000,000 in sales within three to four years, with an experienced management team, headquartered and controlled in Ireland, and under five years old. Retail, catering and personal services are excluded. No job-creation targets are imposed at the outset. Permission granted for two years initially, renewable for a further three, leading to long-term residence after five years. Application fee EUR 350, non-refundable. Spouse or partner and children under 18 are included; children aged 18-24 are considered case by case. IMPORTANT: Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) CLOSED to new applicants at the end of 15 February 2023.

Income of at least EUR 50,000 per year per person; for a couple, joint income of at least EUR 100,000 per year. In addition, access to a lump sum to cover a sudden major expense, which should cover the cost of a house or apartment in Ireland. Private medical insurance is mandatory. The holder may not work or run a business unless specifically permitted, and may not access State benefits or publicly funded services. CRITICAL LIMITATION: Stamp 0 is NOT reckonable residence. It does not count toward naturalisation and does not lead to long-term residency - the reckonable stamps are 1, 1G, 3, 4 and 5. Anyone whose objective is an Irish passport should not use this route. Application fee and processing time are not published.

Level 8 award: a 12-month extension, up to a maximum of seven years' total student permission counting Stamps 2 and 1G combined. Level 9 or above: a 24-month extension, granted as two blocks of 12 months, up to a maximum of eight years' total student permission. The scheme extends a graduating student's permission so they can find employment and apply for a General Employment Permit or Critical Skills Employment Permit. Stamp 1G time on the Third Level Graduate Scheme IS reckonable for naturalisation, unlike Stamp 2 student time - which matters, because the graduate route accrues credit toward citizenship while studying does not. Standard immigration permission fee EUR 300.

CHANGED IN 2026: from 12 June 2026 an Irish citizen sponsor must show gross income of at least EUR 75,000 in total over the three years before the application, excluding State benefits - roughly EUR 25,000 a year - under section 10 of the Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification. Applies to both spouse and de facto partner applications. A de facto partner must show at least two years' cohabitation and a genuine, continuing relationship. Irish citizens have NO automatic right to be joined by non-EEA family; the application is assessed on its merits. Successful applicants receive Stamp 4, usually for one year initially, then renewable. IRP registration fee EUR 300. Naturalisation as the spouse of an Irish citizen needs three years of marriage plus three years' reckonable residence on the island of Ireland, with the final 12 months continuous. Standard naturalisation is five years' reckonable residence in the previous nine - one continuous year immediately before the application plus four within the preceding eight - with up to 70 days' absence permitted in the qualifying year, plus up to 30 more for exceptional circumstances. Fees: EUR 175 application, EUR 950 certification (EUR 200 for a minor or the widow/widower/surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen - NOT for a living spouse; free for refugees and stateless persons). Most applications are processed within 19 months.

If a PARENT was born in Ireland and qualifies as an Irish citizen by birth, you are already an Irish citizen by birth and need no registration. If a GRANDPARENT was born in Ireland but neither parent was, you are entitled to citizenship by registering on the Foreign Births Register. A great-grandchild qualifies ONLY if their parent was already an Irish citizen when the great-grandchild was born - normally because that parent had registered on the Foreign Births Register before the birth. A parent who had become Irish by naturalisation also counts, and so does a registration made on or before 1 July 1986, because only registrations made after that day take effect from the date of registration. CRITICAL TIMING RULE: for every registration made after 1 July 1986, citizenship takes effect from the DATE OF REGISTRATION, not date of birth, which is why registering before a child is born determines whether that child can inherit the entitlement. No entitlement arises through aunts, uncles or cousins. No residence in Ireland is required at any point. Fees EUR 278 for adults and EUR 153 for children; current stated processing time is 12 months.