In order to live and work legally in Ireland, you must be an EU citizen or hold the appropriate visa or permit that allows you to do so.
If you are a non-EU citizen, your options are generally as follows:
1. Employment Permit
If your work is an eligible occupation and you have secured employment in Ireland, you or your employer can apply for a Work Permit which allows you to live and work in Ireland for the duration of the permit. Permits are generally granted for two years and can be renewed for a further three years. After that, you may no longer require a permit to live and work in Ireland.
You may also become eligible for a long-term residence permit and/or to apply for Irish citizenship.
2. Residency under EU Treaty Rights
You can apply to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) for a residency permit under the EU Treaty Rights system. If you are a non-EU citizen married to an EU citizen who is living in Ireland and exercising their Treaty Rights (through employment, education, or financial independence), you may be entitled to apply for a five-year residency visa.
3. De Facto Relationship Residency
If you are in a de facto relationship with an Irish citizen and wish to reside in Ireland with your partner (same-sex or opposite-sex), and can prove your relationship, you may be entitled to a residency visa.
This permission to reside in Ireland will last only as long as the de facto relationship continues. If the relationship ends, the permission to remain also ends.
4. Irish Citizenship through Long-Term Residence
If you have been legally residing in Ireland for more than five years, you can apply for Irish citizenship. You must be able to show the appropriate permission stamps in your passport. If your application is granted, you will be invited to attend a naturalisation ceremony.
5. Residency as a Parent of an Irish Citizen (Zambrano Application)
If you have a child who is an Irish citizen, you may be granted permission to remain in Ireland in order to support that child.
Since 2004, a child born in Ireland is not automatically an Irish citizen. Typically, the child must have at least one Irish parent to attain Irish nationality. This type of application is known as a “Zambrano Judgment” application, based on a 2011 European Court of Justice decision which held that Member States cannot refuse a right of residency to a parent of a child who is a citizen of that Member State.
6. Business Permission
A non-EU national who wishes to establish a business in Ireland can obtain residency permission subject to certain criteria. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to invest a minimum of €300,000 of their own funds into the business and must employ at least two people in the proposed venture.
Need Help with an Immigration Application?
Immigration applications can be complex and require strict compliance with the relevant criteria. If you need advice on an application you are making yourself, or if you would like our office to handle the process on your behalf, please get in touch.
Maria O’Donovan & Co. Solicitors — providing clear, practical immigration and residency advice across Ireland.
