The short answer
- Your UK status doesn’t carry over. A UK visa, settled status or eVisa gives you no right to live in Ireland.
- The Common Travel Area is only for British and Irish citizens, and it doesn’t cover their family.
- You need your own Irish permission, sorted before you move: a job with a permit, a course, family, or retiring.
- A visa depends on your nationality, not on where you live. UK residents can’t use the visit schemes.
- British, Irish and EU citizens can simply move.
Plan your move
UK move planner
What you need to move from the UK to Ireland, and what to do first.
From ISD, the Irish Embassy in London and Citizens Information. Nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Your UK status doesn’t carry over
| In the UK you have… | In Ireland it gives you… |
|---|---|
| A work, student or family visa, or an eVisa | Nothing: apply for your own Irish permission |
| Indefinite leave to remain | Nothing: ILR is a UK permission only |
| EU Settled or Pre-settled Status | Nothing on its own. As an EU citizen you move under EU free movement instead |
| British citizenship | The right to live and work here under the Common Travel Area |
The Irish Embassy in London puts it plainly: having a UK residence permission has no bearing on whether you need an Irish visa. Ireland isn’t in the Schengen Area either, so a Schengen visa doesn’t help.
Do you need a visa?
It depends only on your nationality. Indian, Nigerian, Pakistani, Filipino and Chinese citizens need an Irish visa, wherever they live; US, Canadian, Brazilian and Japanese citizens don’t. Check ISD’s list for yours.
Some routes need preclearance even if you’re visa-free, such as joining a British family member.
Your route
| Why you’re moving | Before you move | Your stamp |
|---|---|---|
| A job | Your employer gets you an employment permit, then a D visa if you need one | Stamp 1 |
| Study | A full-time course on ISD’s list, fees paid and €10,000 a year to show, then a D visa if you need one | Stamp 2 |
| Partner or family of a British citizen | A D visa or preclearance under ISD’s scheme for UK nationals’ families | Usually Stamp 4D for partners |
| Married to an Irish citizen | Nothing if you’re visa-free and travel together. Otherwise a D Join Family visa | Stamp 4 |
| Family of an EU citizen | A free visa if you need one | Stamp 4 EU FAM |
| Retiring | Stamp 0 approval: an income of €50,000 a year, plus savings | Stamp 0 |
Coming over as a visitor and changing once you’re here usually isn’t possible: ISD expects visitors to leave and apply from outside Ireland, and the UK counts as outside.
Family of a British citizen
A British citizen’s rights under the Common Travel Area don’t extend to a partner or family who aren’t British or Irish. If your British family member moves to Ireland (or moved after 2020), you apply to ISD’s scheme for UK nationals’ family members:
- Who: a spouse, civil partner or de facto partner, a dependent child, or a dependent parent aged 66 or over.
- How: from the UK, before you move. A D visa (“Join Family (UK National)”) if you need a visa, or preclearance if you don’t. You stay outside Ireland while it’s decided, and visitors can’t switch here.
- Money: your British family member must earn above the Working Family Payment limits with children, or at least €20,000 a year for a couple without children, over and above any State benefits.
- Also: police certificates for the last 5 years, and a year of private medical insurance.
- Once here: you register for an initial 12 months. ISD’s policy gives partners Stamp 4D, which lets you work without an employment permit; dependent parents get Stamp 0.
If your British family member lived in Ireland before 2021, you may be able to apply under the Withdrawal Agreement instead.
Married to an Irish citizen
As the spouse of an Irish citizen, you get Stamp 4 with no registration fee:
- Visa-free: travel to Ireland with your Irish spouse, with no visa or preclearance, then register.
- Visa-required: apply for a D Join Family visa. Since 12 June 2026, ISD’s policy asks your Irish spouse to show a gross income of €75,000 over 3 years (about €25,000 a year).
EU citizens living in the UK
If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, your UK status doesn’t matter: you move under EU free movement. There’s nothing to register with immigration. For your first 3 months you can simply live here; after that you must be working, self-sufficient or studying.
Your non-EU family get a free visa if they need one, then apply in Ireland for an EU residence card. Read your non-EU family as an EU citizen for the forms.
Applying from the UK
Only legal UK residents apply through the Irish Embassy in London, not people on a UK visitor visa.
- Apply online on AVATS, choosing the long stay D visa for your route.
- Send your documents: to a VFS centre by appointment in England, Scotland or Wales, or by tracked post to the Embassy in London from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
- Wait for the decision. The Embassy’s target times are 45 days for employment and study visas and 6 months for joining family. Preclearance and EU family visas are decided by ISD in Dublin.
Don’t book a non-refundable move until you have the visa.
Arriving
- By air or sea: officers can check passengers from Britain, and if you’re not British, Irish or from the EU you show your documents to an immigration officer, who gives you a landing stamp.
- By ferry: everyone needs a valid passport or passport card at check-in since 28 September 2026.
- Over the land border from Northern Ireland: there are no checks, so report to an immigration officer within 30 days, or 7 days if you’re working. Read arrived through Northern Ireland for where to go.
Then book your registration and get your IRP card within 90 days, as in your first 90 days.
Citizenship: your years in the UK
For most people, only residence in Ireland counts towards Irish citizenship, so years in the UK, even with settled status, don’t help. The exception is the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen: their residence can be anywhere on the island of Ireland, so time in Northern Ireland counts. Time in Great Britain doesn’t count for anyone.
Your driving licence
Once you live in Ireland, you can no longer drive on your UK licence, but you can exchange it for an Irish one. The catch: if your UK licence was itself swapped from a licence Ireland doesn’t recognise, such as one from India or Nigeria, it can’t be exchanged, and you take the Irish test.
Common mix-ups
Common questions
Does my UK visa or settled status let me live in Ireland?
No. The Common Travel Area gives rights only to British and Irish citizens. A UK work visa, indefinite leave to remain, EU Settled or Pre-settled Status, a BRP or an eVisa gives you no right to live or work in Ireland. You need your own Irish permission.
Do I need an Irish visa if I live in the UK?
It depends on your nationality, not where you live. The Irish Embassy in London says a UK residence permission has no bearing on whether you need an Irish visa. Indian, Nigerian, Pakistani and Filipino citizens need one, for example; US and Brazilian citizens don't.
Can I use the Short-Stay Visa Waiver or the British Irish Visa Scheme to move?
No. Both are for visits of up to 90 days, and the Irish Embassy in London says people who live in the UK can't use either scheme. Living in the UK, you apply for an Irish visa in the usual way.
Where do I apply for an Irish visa from the UK?
Online on AVATS, then send your documents to a VFS centre in England, Scotland or Wales, or by post to the Irish Embassy in London from Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. Only legal UK residents can apply through London, not people on a UK visitor visa.
My partner is British. Can I move to Ireland with them?
Yes, through ISD's scheme for UK nationals' family members, applied for from the UK before you move: a D visa if you need one, or preclearance if you don't. Your partner must earn at least €20,000 a year for a couple, more with children, and you need medical insurance and police certificates. You wait outside Ireland while it's decided.
I'm married to an Irish citizen and we live in the UK. What do I do?
If you don't need a visa, travel to Ireland with your spouse, with no visa or preclearance, then register for Stamp 4 with no fee. If you need a visa, apply for a D Join Family visa: your Irish spouse needs a gross income of €75,000 over the last 3 years.
Does time in the UK count towards Irish citizenship?
Not for most people: you need residence in Ireland itself. The exception is the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, whose residence can be anywhere on the island of Ireland, so time in Northern Ireland counts. Time in Great Britain never does.
Can I swap my UK driving licence?
Yes, once you live in Ireland, a UK or Northern Ireland licence can be exchanged. Not if your UK licence was itself exchanged from a licence Ireland doesn't recognise, such as one from India or Nigeria.
Is there passport control between the UK and Ireland?
Officers can check passengers arriving by air or sea from Britain, and if you're not British, Irish or from the EU you show your documents to an immigration officer. Ferries ask everyone for a passport since 28 September 2026. There are no checks on the land border, so if you come that way you must report to immigration within 30 days.
Sources
All sources checked on 10 Oct 2026.
- Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UKCitizens Information
- Visas for IrelandEmbassy of Ireland, Great Britain
- Latest visa updatesEmbassy of Ireland, Great Britain
- Visa processing timesEmbassy of Ireland, Great Britain
- Visa and non-visa required nationalitiesImmigration Service Delivery
- Joining your UK national family memberImmigration Service Delivery
- Join family visa for the spouse of an Irish nationalImmigration Service Delivery
- Entry for non-EU, non-EEA, non-Swiss and non-UK nationalsImmigration Service Delivery
- You need a passport for the ferry between Ireland and the UKCitizens Information
- Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, sections 15 and 15A (revised)Law Reform Commission
- Exchanging a foreign driving licenceCitizens Information