Guides
Plain-English guides to your path in Ireland
From your first 90 days to citizenship: 87 guides, each with a tool to work out your own situation, and every fact checked against official sources.
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Arriving & registering
Your first 90 days, booking Burgh Quay and what to bring.
- Arriving in Ireland: your first 90 days, step by stepYour landing stamp, booking registration, PPS number, bank account and tax in the right order. Plan your first 90 days in Ireland in one place.Plan my 90 days4 min read
- Moving to Ireland from the US, Canada or AustraliaA starting point for Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders moving to Ireland: no visa needed, but the right permission first. Work, study, working holidays, an Irish spouse or partner, Irish parents and grandparents, retiring, registering, and swapping your driving licence.Plan my move3 min read
- Getting a PPS number in IrelandWhat a PPS number is, who already has one, and how to get yours: applying on MyWelfare, the in-person appointment, the ID and proof of address that count (even if you're staying with friends), numbers for children, applying from abroad, and why it matters for your first payslip.Find my steps4 min read
- Applying for an Irish visa: documents, waiting times and refusalsHow to apply for an Irish visa on AVATS: short stay C visas and long stay D visas, the fees, the documents, where to send them, how long decisions take at the Dublin visa office, what you can do if you're refused, and why you shouldn't buy tickets yet. With a planner that estimates your decision date.Plan my visa6 min read
- Driving in Ireland on a foreign licence: exchange it or start as a learnerCan you drive in Ireland on your foreign licence? EU and EEA licences while valid, visitors for up to 12 months, and what changes once you live here: exchanging a licence from the UK, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and other recognised states, and the learner route, with reduced lessons, for licences from the US, India, Brazil and elsewhere.Check my licence4 min read
- Coming to Ireland to studyStudying in Ireland from outside the EU, EEA, Switzerland and the UK: courses on the ILEP list, Stamp 2 or 2A, the study visa, the €10,000 you need to show, fees to pay first, insurance, part-time work, registering, and what comes after.Find my route3 min read
- What is a landing stamp and why does it matter?Your landing stamp is your permission to be in Ireland. See what it says, how long it lasts, why you need it to register, and what to do if you came via Northern Ireland.Check my stamp3 min read
- Arrived through Northern Ireland?Came into Ireland over the land border from Northern Ireland? There's no passport check, so no landing stamp. You must report to an immigration officer within 30 days, or 7 if you're working, and you can't register without the stamp. Plus the visa rules for travellers coming via the UK.Check my arrival3 min read
- The 90-day registration deadline explainedWhere the 90 days come from, how to count them, what booking in time covers, who's exempt, and what happens if you miss it. See your 90 days on a calendar.See my 90 days3 min read
- How to book a Burgh Quay registration appointmentBook your first registration on ISD's Customer Service Portal once you've arrived. Free, in your own name, and fine if the date is after your 90 days.Try the rehearsal4 min read
- Appointment sellers and scams: how to stay safeBurgh Quay appointments are free and only bookable on ISD's portal. How to spot appointment sellers, fake calls and cloned sites, and what to do if you're caught out.Check a message3 min read
- How to register for your first IRP at Burgh QuayBook within 90 days of arriving, bring the right originals, and get your IRP card by post. Make your own checklist for your Burgh Quay appointment.Make my checklist6 min read
- What to bring to your first registration appointmentThe full list for every permission: what everyone brings, the documents for your stamp, the right medical insurance, the €300 fee and who comes with you.Build my list3 min read
- Private medical insurance for registration: what’s acceptedWhether you need insurance to register depends on your permission, and travel insurance isn't always enough. What ISD accepts at first registration and at renewal.Check my policy3 min read
- Immigration and citizenship fees at a glanceEvery fee in one place: the €300 IRP fee and who's exempt, employment permits, visas, the €175 citizenship application, certification fees, and Irish passports. Plan your household's costs with the fee planner.Plan my fees3 min read
- The €300 IRP fee: who pays and who is exemptThe €300 registration fee is paid each time you register or renew, unless you're exempt. See the full list of exemptions in law, and work out your household's total.Work out my fees3 min read
- What if my 90 days run out before my appointment?If you booked within 90 days of arriving, ISD says you can stay until your appointment. See what covers you while you wait, and what to know about travel and work.Check my wait3 min read
- Do children need to register for an IRP?Children under 16 don't register with ISD and don't get an IRP card. They register as soon as they turn 16, with no fee until 18. What changes for travel, and why children born in Ireland don't register at all.Check my child3 min read
Work & family
Employment permits, changing jobs, and bringing your family.
- Coming to Ireland to work: the permission basicsMost non-EEA workers need an employment permit before they travel. Check which permit your job could get, the salary minimums and the steps to Stamp 4.Check my job8 min read
- Employment permits explainedCritical Skills vs General Employment permits, side by side: salary minimums, the labour market test, family, changing employer, renewals, fees, and how fast each leads to Stamp 4, plus the seven other permit types.Compare mine4 min read
- Changing employer on a permitHow to move to a new employer on a Critical Skills or General Employment permit: the 9-month rule, DETE's change of employer process for the same kind of work, when you need a new permit, and what happens to your stamp and your Stamp 4 clock.Plan my move4 min read
- Lost your job on a permitMade redundant on a Critical Skills or General Employment permit? Tell DETE within 4 weeks, and you have 6 months to find a new job, without a labour market test. What happens to your IRP, what to do if your card expires first, and the options if you resigned or ran out of time.Plan my next steps4 min read
- Stamp 4 after a Critical Skills or General Employment permitAfter 21 months on a Critical Skills permit, or 57 on a General Employment permit, you can renew on Stamp 4. When you qualify, why your card's expiry date decides which renewal, and what to send now that DETE support letters have ended.Plan my upgrade3 min read
- Can I work on Stamp 2?Yes, part time: up to 20 hours a week in term and 40 in June to September and 15 December to 15 January. What counts, when a course placement can go over, and why Stamp 2A students can't work at all.Check my hours2 min read
- Bringing family to Ireland: who can join youWho can join you in Ireland, how long you wait and how much you need to earn, under ISD's family reunification policy of June 2026. Check your family.Check my family8 min read
- Parent of an Irish citizen child: your permission to stayHow the non-EU parent of an Irish citizen child can get permission to live in Ireland: the conditions, the child's Irish passport, DNA tests, the three ways to apply (renewal, registration or Form ICCA), the documents, Stamp 4, and what happens if you're refused.Check my route3 min read
- Can my partner work in Ireland?Whether your spouse or partner can work depends on your permission: Stamp 1G for partners of employment permit holders and researchers, Stamp 4 for partners of Irish citizens, Stamp 3 or 2A (no work) for some others, and no sponsorship for most students.Check my partner3 min read
- Separation, divorce and your permissionIf your permission is based on your spouse or partner and the relationship ends, or they die: tell ISD within 21 working days, when you can apply for your own permission (3 years together, the last 2 in Ireland), the EU rules for family of EU citizens, and citizenship.Check my situation3 min read
- Domestic abuse and your immigration permissionIf your permission to live in Ireland depends on the person abusing you, you don't have to stay to keep it. ISD's guidelines let you apply, free and in confidence, for your own Stamp 4. How to apply, what evidence helps, and where to get support.Get help now4 min read
EU, UK & visitors
For Europeans, British citizens and visitors: no IRP needed.
- Living in Ireland as an EU, EEA, Swiss or UK citizenEU, EEA, Swiss and UK citizens don't register with immigration or get an IRP card. Your right to live in Ireland, the conditions after 3 months, your PPS number, bringing family from outside the EU or UK, permanent residence and Irish citizenship.Check my rights4 min read
- British citizens in IrelandLiving in Ireland as a British citizen under the Common Travel Area: no visa, permission or IRP card, work, healthcare, social welfare, voting, college fees, swapping a UK driving licence, bringing a non-British partner, and becoming Irish through Northern Ireland, a parent, a grandparent or naturalisation.See my checklist4 min read
- Your non-EU family as an EU citizenHow the non-EU spouse, partner, children or parents of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Ireland get a residence card: qualifying or permitted family, Form EUTR 1 or 1A, the free visa, the 3-month deadline, the 6-month wait, Stamp 4 EU FAM, and retention, review and permanent residence.Plan our application4 min read
- Permanent residence for EU citizensEU, EEA and Swiss citizens become permanent residents of Ireland automatically after 5 continuous years. What counts, which absences break it, earlier routes for retirement and incapacity, the optional certificate on Form EUTR 2, the documents, and how you could lose it.Check my dates3 min read
- Irish citizenship for EU and UK citizensHow EU, EEA, Swiss and British citizens become Irish: no residence calculator or IRP cards, 5 years in the last 9 proved with documents, the 150-point proof for each year, the 70-day rule, the 5-year nationality rule, spouses of Irish citizens, fees, and keeping your own citizenship.Plan my application3 min read
- Irish citizenship through a grandparentIrish citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register: who's already Irish, who can register through a grandparent or a parent, great-grandparents, the €278 fee, the 12-month wait, the documents and witness, and applying for a passport afterwards.Check my family3 min read
- Visiting Ireland: visas and the 90 daysVisiting Ireland from the US, Canada, Australia or anywhere outside the EU and UK: who needs a visa, what to show at the border, the 90-day limit, business trips and work, extending a visit, and what to do if you actually want to move here.Check my visit3 min read
- Working holiday in IrelandIreland's Working Holiday Authorisation for young people from Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the US: ages, how long, places, the money to show, where to apply, the work rules, and registering when you arrive.Check my working holiday3 min read
Stamps & permissions
What each stamp means, which one you’ll get, and how to change it.
- Irish immigration stamps explainedEvery Irish immigration stamp, from Stamp 0 to Stamp 6: who gets it, whether you can work or run a business, and whether it counts for citizenship and Stamp 5. Compare any three side by side.Compare stamps4 min read
- Which immigration stamp will I get?Your stamp depends on why you're in Ireland. Find yours and see what it lets you do, from work and business to whether it counts for citizenship.Find my stamp4 min read
- Stamp 1 explainedStamp 1 is permission to work in Ireland: on an employment permit, a hosting agreement, a working holiday, the Atypical Working Scheme or an ISD letter. What each kind lets you do, how long it lasts, and what it leads to.See my Stamp 14 min read
- Stamp 1G explainedStamp 1G lets graduates, and the partners and children of permit holders, work in Ireland without an employment permit. Who gets it, what it allows, how long it lasts and how it leads to Stamp 4.Find my path3 min read
- Stamp 2 explainedStamp 2 is the permission for full-time students on ILEP-listed courses. The 7-year limit, the 2-year limit on English courses, what you need to register and renew, and how it leads to Stamp 1G.Check my time3 min read
- Stamp 3 explainedStamp 3 lets you live in Ireland without working: volunteers, ministers of religion and some family members get it. What it allows, who gets it, why it counts for citizenship, and how family members move on to Stamp 4.Compare stamps3 min read
- Stamp 4 explainedStamp 4 lets you work in any job, work in a profession or run a business, without an employment permit. Every route to it, from employment permits and Irish family to protection and investors, what to bring, and how it leads to Stamp 5.See my route6 min read
- Stamp 5: permission without condition as to timeStamp 5 lets you live and work in Ireland without an employment permit until your passport expires. Who qualifies after 8 years (96 months), which stamps count and which don't, good character, time away, the documents, how to apply, processing times and renewing.Count my months3 min read
- Stamp 1G vs Stamp 4: what’s the difference?Both let you work without an employment permit, but only Stamp 4 lets you run a business. How the two compare, and when you can move from Stamp 1G to Stamp 4 as a partner or a graduate.Find my path3 min read
- Moving from Stamp 2 to Stamp 1G after graduatingGraduated in Ireland with a level 8 or 9 award? Stamp 1G lets you stay 12 or 24 months to find work. Apply online within 6 months of your result, before your Stamp 2 expires. Who qualifies, what to send and how long it lasts.Plan my Stamp 1G3 min read
- Changing your stampHow to switch to a different immigration permission from inside Ireland: which changes ISD allows from each stamp, how you apply, what to have ready, and the new Temporary Protection Transition Scheme.Check my change5 min read
- Temporary protection in Ireland, and the Transition SchemeTemporary protection for people from Ukraine: who qualifies, your rights, your certificate and IRP card, how long it lasts, the accommodation changes, and the Temporary Protection Transition Scheme to Stamp 4, open until 30 March 2027. Check if you qualify.Check if I qualify5 min read
Renewing your IRP
When and how to apply, and working or travelling while you wait.
- When to renew your IRPYou can renew your IRP up to 12 weeks before it expires, and not a day earlier. Work out your dates, see current waiting times and know what to upload.Work out my dates8 min read
- How to renew your IRP onlineRenewing your IRP on ISD's online portal, step by step: what to have ready, the things that get a renewal refused or held up, how to upload, pay and submit, and what happens after your OREG email.Check I'm ready3 min read
- IRP renewal documents by stampWhat to upload to renew your IRP online, for every permission on ISD's list: what everyone uploads, the documents for your stamp, the renewal-only moves like Stamp 4 after a permit, and who doesn't pay the fee.Build my list2 min read
- Can I work if my IRP expired while I wait?If you applied to renew before your IRP card expired, you can keep working for up to 12 weeks after it. Check your dates and what to show your employer.Check my cover5 min read
- Can I travel while my IRP renewal is pending?Yes, you can leave Ireland while your IRP renewal is in progress. Getting back depends on your visa status and your card's expiry. Check your trip and what to carry.Check my trip5 min read
- IRP renewal refused: what now?Your IRP renewal was refused, or ISD says it intends to revoke your permission. Why renewals are refused, when you can simply re-apply, the 15 working days to respond to a revocation letter, and what happens if your card runs out.Check my options2 min read
- Applied after your IRP expired?If you didn't apply to renew before your IRP card expired, ISD treats you as out of permission: you can't stay or work. What that means, the routes back ISD describes for spouses, parents, dependants, permit holders and students, and what to do now.Check where I stand3 min read
Your documents: IRP, passport & ISD
Your IRP card and passport, who does what, and keeping ISD up to date.
- What is an IRP card?Your Irish Residence Permit card shows you're registered and what your stamp lets you do. What's on it, what it does and doesn't do, and what to do if it's late, wrong or lost.Read my card3 min read
- IRP, visa and employment permit: what’s the difference?A visa gets you to the border, a permit lets you work, the border stamp lets you in and the IRP card shows you're registered. See which you need, and in what order.Check what I need4 min read
- ISD, INIS, GNIB and Burgh Quay: who does whatINIS is now ISD, a GNIB card is now an IRP card, and since January 2025 only ISD registers people. Find out who handles what, and where to go.Find who handles it3 min read
- Which immigration portal is for what?ISD has two portals that people mix up, plus separate systems for visas and permits. See which one does what, and check a link is the real one.Find my portal4 min read
- My IRP card hasn’t arrived: what to doYour IRP card should come by post within about 15 business days of registration or renewal. Count the days, see when it's late, and what to send ISD if it is.Track my card4 min read
- Lost or stolen IRP card: how to replace itLost your IRP card, or had it stolen? Report it to the Gardaí, send ISD a query with the PULSE number, and get a replacement posted. What changes if you're travelling or abroad.Plan my replacement3 min read
- A mistake on your IRP card or passport stamp: how to fix itA wrong name, date of birth, stamp or expiry date on your IRP card, a wrong stamp in your passport, or a mistake in a renewal you've sent: the exact Customer Service Portal query for each, what to say, what ISD does, and how to travel in the meantime.Find my fix4 min read
- Changing your address: how to tell ISDMoving home while you hold an IRP card? The law says to tell ISD before you move, or within 48 hours. How to do it on the portal, what proof to send, and what counts if you're away for over a month.Plan my move3 min read
- Got a new passport? Updating your details with ISDYou have to give ISD your new passport details, within 7 days by law. How to do it on the portal, how to renew while you wait for a passport, and how to get back permission that was cut to your old passport's expiry.Plan my update3 min read
- Irish passports: how to apply and how long it takesHow to get an Irish passport: renewals, first passports for adults and children, lost or stolen passports and name changes. Turnaround times, fees, witnesses, the documents you need, urgent appointments and the passport card, with a planner that works out when yours will be ready.Plan my passport6 min read
- Your passport is expiring: what to doYour passport is running out and you live in Ireland. When and how to renew an Irish passport (adult or child), the passport card, urgent appointments, renewing an EU, British or other passport from here, telling ISD if you have an IRP, and how much validity your trip needs.Check my passport4 min read
Travel & absences
Getting back in, ISD’s 90 days and the 70-day rule.
- Absences and travel: the complete guideTravelling on an IRP: getting back into Ireland, ISD's 90-day guidance for IRP holders, the 70-day citizenship rule and the 5-years-in-9 window, how they differ, and a trip check that runs all of them for your dates.Check my trip3 min read
- Travelling to Northern Ireland and the UKLiving in Ireland on an IRP and going to Belfast or Britain: the Common Travel Area is only for British and Irish citizens, who needs a UK visa even at the open border, why you don't need an ETA from Ireland, what to carry, and coming back.Check my trip3 min read
- Travelling to other EU countries with an IRPLiving in Ireland on an IRP and visiting France, Spain or another EU country: why your IRP doesn't replace a Schengen visa, the EU family card exception, fingerprints at the border under the new Entry/Exit System, ETIAS, the 90-day limit, and coming back.Check my trip4 min read
- The 70-day absence rule for citizenship, explainedIn the year before you apply for Irish citizenship, you can spend up to 70 days abroad, plus up to 30 for exceptional reasons. Count your days.Count my days4 min read
- Long absences: maternity, illness, caringMonths abroad for a birth, an illness or caring for family: what happens to your IRP, ISD's 90-day guidance, how the 70-day citizenship rule and its extra 30 days apply, when you could apply after you're back, and the EU 12-month rule for family of EU citizens.Plan my absence3 min read
- Leaving Ireland and coming back: your permission, your card and citizenshipGoing abroad for a while or leaving Ireland for good: ISD's 90-day guidance, Stamp 5's 4 months, EU citizens' 6 months and 2 years, why your IRP card must outlast your trip, getting back in, what time away does to citizenship, and what to tell ISD when you leave.Plan my time away4 min read
Becoming a citizen
Counting your years, the evidence to keep, and applying.
- Becoming an Irish citizen: the complete guideIrish citizenship by naturalisation, start to finish: who can apply, the conditions (residence, absences, good character, intention to stay), applying online, the fees, the most common reasons applications are returned, and the rules for spouses, refugees, EU citizens, Irish associations and children.Check I'm ready5 min read
- Reckonable residence explainedWhat counts as reckonable residence for Irish citizenship: the 5-in-9 rule, the continuous year, which stamps count, Stamp 2, Stamp 3, gaps in permission, protection applicants, Northern Ireland, and the different rules for spouses, refugees, EU citizens, young adults and children.Find my rule4 min read
- How “5 years in 9” reckonable residence worksFor Irish citizenship you need 5 years' reckonable residence in the last 9, the final year unbroken. See how the window works and find your date.Explore my window4 min read
- How to use ISD's residency calculatorStep by step through ISD's naturalisation residency calculator: the start date, entering stamps oldest first, Stamp 1G as Stamp 1, overlaps, what the results mean, and two ways its answer can be wrong. Our helper prepares the exact rows to type in.Prepare my rows3 min read
- Does Stamp 1G count towards Irish citizenship?Yes. Stamp 1G counts as reckonable residence for citizenship, for graduates and Critical Skills partners. Stamp 2 doesn't. Start your citizenship clock.Start my clock4 min read
- Documents for citizenship: the complete guideEvery document for an Irish citizenship application, by how you're applying: your birth certificate, the 150 identity points, 150 points of residence proof a year, marriage and spousal declarations, children's school letters, certification, translations, affidavits, uploads and the fees.Build my list6 min read
- What documents you need for each year of residenceFor citizenship, ISD scores your proof for each year: 150 points, with at least one strong document such as a bank statement or P60. Score your years.Score my years6 min read
- How to get your Employment Detail SummaryYour Revenue Employment Detail Summary is a strong 100-point proof for each year of citizenship residence. How to download it from myAccount, which years have one, what to use for older years, for this year and if you're self-employed, and why to check your address first.Find my documents3 min read
- Good character and Garda vetting explainedThe good character condition for Irish citizenship: what ISD looks at, why you must declare every offence (including spent convictions, offences abroad and driving offences), how Garda e-vetting works step by step, and what to have ready.Check what to declare3 min read
- Citizenship for children born in IrelandIs a child born in Ireland an Irish citizen? Since 2005 it depends on the parents: Irish or British, no time limit on their stay, or 3 years' reckonable residence in the 4 years before the birth. Check your child, see what the Passport Service asks for, and the naturalisation route if not.Check my child3 min read
After you apply
The wait, the ceremony, your first passport and dual citizenship.
- After you apply for Irish citizenshipWhat happens after you submit a citizenship application: the acknowledgement and e-vetting, ISD's 28-day deadline for more documents, how long it takes, checking your status, moving house, keeping your IRP valid while you wait, and what approval or refusal means.Plan my wait3 min read
- Approved: your citizenship ceremony and certificateFrom approval to Irish citizen: the certification fee, your ceremony invitation, what to bring, the declaration of fidelity and loyalty, your certificate of naturalisation (and what to do if you lose it), Iris Oifigiúil, your first passport and keeping citizenship if you move abroad.Get my checklist3 min read
- Your first Irish passport after naturalisationApplying for your first Irish passport after the citizenship ceremony: Passport Online, the original documents a naturalised citizen sends, the garda-witnessed identity form, children's consent forms, fees, how long it takes, and travelling before it arrives.Get my checklist3 min read
- Dual citizenship: can you keep your other nationality?Ireland allows dual citizenship: you don't have to give up your nationality to become Irish. But your other country might, and the Citizenship Act lets the Minister revoke a naturalisation if you take another citizenship afterwards. Check your situation.Check my citizenship2 min read
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Facts last checked 4 October 2026. Each guide shows its own review date and sources.