The short answer
- What: permission to live and work here without an employment permit, valid until your passport expires.
- When: after 96 months of legal residence on stamps that count: 1, 1G, 1H, 3, 4, 4D and 4S.
- Conditions: good character, not an undue burden on the State, conditions kept, and a valid permission when you apply.
- How: ISD’s form on the Customer Service Portal, with a passport photocopy, IRP card and 6 months’ bank statements.
- Wait: at least 6 months. No appeal if refused, but you can apply again.
Count your months
Stamp 5 countdown
Your 96-month date, and what could stand in the way.
To register for the first time
From ISD’s Without Condition As To Time page (July 2026). Nothing you enter is sent or saved. ISD counts only time shown on your passport stamps and IRP cards.
Which stamps count
| Counts towards the 96 months | Doesn’t count |
|---|---|
| Stamp 1 (most employment permits) | Stamp 1 on an Intra-Company Transfer permit |
| Stamp 1G | Stamp 1G as an Intra-Company Transfer holder’s partner or dependant |
| Stamp 1H | Stamp 1A (trainee accountants) |
| Stamp 3 | Stamps 2 and 2A (students) |
| Stamp 4, 4D and 4S | Stamp 0, and Stamp 4 EU FAM |
| Visitor permission at the border, and cancelled permissions |
ISD says this list isn’t complete. It counts only time shown by the stamps in your passport or your expired IRP cards, so gaps between permissions don’t count either.
The conditions
- 96 months of legal residence on stamps that count.
- Good character: you haven’t come to the attention of the Gardaí. ISD says a conviction, here or abroad, makes Stamp 5 unlikely, and not declaring one means refusal. If you’re awaiting trial, your application waits too.
- Not an undue burden on the State: ISD takes means-tested welfare, or payments not based on your PRSI contributions, into account.
- Conditions kept: you’ve followed the conditions of your previous permissions.
- Living here legally now, with a current permission. You can’t apply from abroad.
How to apply
- Download ISD’s form (Without Condition As To Time, February 2026) and fill it in. It’s the same form for first applications and renewals.
- Gather your documents: a full colour photocopy of your passport (ISD no longer wants the original), a copy of your current IRP card, and your last 6 months of bank statements.
- Send it on the Customer Service Portal: PDF, JPEG or PNG files, up to 5MB each. Post is possible but much slower.
- Wait at least 6 months. ISD may ask for more evidence, such as records from Revenue or your employers.
- When approved, register your permission on the online registration portal.
You don’t need a solicitor. If you use one, you must give them written consent to act for you.
Living on Stamp 5
- Work: live and work here without an employment permit. Stamp 5 doesn’t, on its own, entitle you to any particular public service.
- Time away: you’re expected to live here continuously, with reasonable absences for holidays, family or work of no more than 4 months a year.
- Renewing: Stamp 5 lasts until your passport expires. Then apply again on the same form, with your new passport.
- Register it: if you don’t register Stamp 5, ISD won’t renew it.
- Your family: Stamp 5 doesn’t cover anyone else. Each person qualifies in their own right.
Other options
- Long-term residency: after 5 years (60 months) on employment permits, you can apply for permission to work for 5 more years without a permit. It costs €500 if approved, and you must be in employment (not self-employed).
- Irish citizenship: you may qualify after 5 years’ reckonable residence in the last 9, well before 96 months.
- Already Irish, with another citizenship too? Stamp 6 goes in your other passport, with no fee.
Common mix-ups
Common questions
What is Stamp 5?
Permission without condition as to time. It lets you live and work in Ireland without an employment permit, and it's valid until your current passport expires. It doesn't give you a right to any particular public service.
Who can apply for Stamp 5?
People with 8 years (96 months) of legal residence on stamps that count, who are of good character, haven't been an undue burden on the State, have kept to the conditions of their permissions, and are living here legally when they apply.
Which stamps count towards Stamp 5?
Stamps 1, 1G, 1H, 3, 4, 4D and 4S. Time on Stamp 2 or 2A as a student, Stamp 0, Stamp 4 EU FAM, Stamp 1A, an Intra-Company Transfer permit (or as that permit holder's partner or dependant), visitor permission and cancelled permissions doesn't count.
Does student time count?
No. Stamps 2 and 2A don't count towards the 96 months, so leave that time out.
How do I apply?
Fill in ISD's Without Condition As To Time form and send it with your documents on the Customer Service Portal (post is slower). You must be in Ireland, with a valid permission. You don't need a solicitor.
What documents do I need?
A full colour photocopy of your passport (not the original), a copy of your current IRP card, and your last 6 months of bank statements. ISD may ask for more, such as records from Revenue or your employers.
How long does it take?
At least 6 months, in the order applications arrive. Keep your current permission valid the whole time.
How much time can I spend abroad?
Stamp 5 expects you to live here continuously, allowing reasonable absences for holidays, family or work, of no more than 4 months in a year.
Does Stamp 5 cover my family?
No. Each family member has to qualify for Stamp 5 in their own right.
What if I'm refused?
There's no appeal, but you can apply again at any time. You may be able to go back to your previous permission by writing to ISD, if you still qualify for it.
Sources
All sources checked on 4 Oct 2026.
- Without Condition As To Time (Stamp 5)Immigration Service Delivery
- Without Conditions As To Time application form (February 2026)Immigration Service Delivery
- Long term residencyImmigration Service Delivery
- Without Condition (Stamp 6) for dual citizensImmigration Service Delivery