General Employment Permit Ireland: Salary Rules and Application

The General Employment Permit is Ireland’s main work-permit route for non-EEA nationals taking jobs that fall outside the Critical Skills list. To qualify, you need a genuine offer from an Irish-registered employer for a role that is not on the Ineligible List of Occupations, a salary of at least €36,605 per year for most jobs, and a completed Labour Market Needs Test showing the vacancy was advertised. The permit is granted under the Employment Permits Act 2024, administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), and it ties you to a specific employer, job title, and work location.¹

Who Qualifies

The General Employment Permit works by exclusion. Every occupation is treated as eligible unless it has been expressly excluded on the Ineligible List, which is organized by four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes. The current list took effect on 2 September 2024 under Statutory Instrument 444 of 2024.² Check the list against the SOC code that fits the job before doing anything else — an incorrect SOC code on the application form can lead to refusal.³

Salary Thresholds

The minimum annual remuneration for most GEP-eligible roles rose from €34,000 to €36,605 on 1 March 2026. That 7.66% increase replaced a steeper jump to €39,000 originally scheduled under a 2023 roadmap, after a government review found the faster pace unsustainable for employers.⁴

A handful of occupations sit at a lower floor of €32,691 per year: horticulture workers, meat processing operatives, health care assistants, and home support workers. Meat deboners and dairy farm assistants must earn at least €36,605.⁵

On the application, you break the salary down into basic pay and any additional components such as bonuses or health insurance. Only what the rules count toward remuneration counts toward the threshold.

The 50:50 Rule

At the time of application, at least half of the employer’s workforce must be EEA nationals. Failing this ratio normally triggers automatic refusal. DETE recognizes three exceptions:³

Start-ups registered with Revenue within the last two years can qualify with a letter of support from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland.
If the foreign national will be the sole employee of the business and the Minister is satisfied that will remain the case, the rule is waived.
At renewal, an employer that has not yet reached 50% EEA staffing may receive a one-year permit if it can show significant progress, backed by a letter from Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. The ratio must be met by the end of that year.

The rule applies uniformly across sectors. There are no industry-specific waivers.

The Labour Market Needs Test

Before applying, the employer has to show that no suitable EEA candidate could be found. The Employment Permits Act 2024 dropped the old newspaper advertising requirement, so the test now runs entirely online.⁶

The vacancy must be posted in two places at the same time for at least 28 consecutive days:

On the Department of Social Protection’s JobsIreland portal at jobsireland.ie, which feeds the vacancy into the EURES network across the EU.
On a second online jobs platform whose primary purpose is publishing job vacancies.

Each posting must include the job description, employer name, minimum annual salary, work location, and hours. The permit application then has to be submitted within 90 days of the first posting date, or 120 days for third-level institutions.⁶ Keep dated copies of both advertisements. DETE will check them against your file.

Documents and How to Apply

Either the employer or the prospective employee can submit the application, but both need to contribute documents.³ At minimum you will need:

A copy of your passport biometric page, with at least six months’ validity remaining. If you are from a visa-required country, you will need at least 12 months remaining when you later apply for the entry visa.
An employment contract signed by both parties.⁷
The employer’s Companies Registration Office (CRO) number, or CHY number if a registered charity.
Copies of both Labour Market Needs Test advertisements with dates confirming the 28-day posting period.

Applications go through the Employment Permits Online System (EPOS). You will need the correct four-digit SOC code, a salary breakdown, and the employer’s physical business address.

Fees and Processing Time

First-time government fees are €500 for a permit of up to six months, or €1,000 for one of up to 24 months, paid through EPOS at submission.⁸

DETE processes applications in the order received and publishes a rolling tracker showing which submission week is currently being reviewed. Turnaround shifts with volume. As a recent benchmark, applications submitted in early February 2026 were being processed by late March 2026 — roughly six to seven weeks.⁹ Check the tracker before booking travel or handing in a notice anywhere else.

If your application is refused, the Employment Permits Act 2024 provides a formal review process using dedicated application forms.¹⁰

After Approval: Registration and Entry

The approved permit is issued electronically to both employer and employee. What happens next depends on where you are.

If you are already in Ireland, book a registration appointment with Immigration Service Delivery at Burgh Quay in Dublin, or your local registration office elsewhere. Bring your passport, employment permit, and proof of your new employment. The Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card fee is €300, card only.¹¹

If you are abroad and from a visa-required country, use the approved permit to apply for a “D” entry visa at your nearest Irish embassy or consular office. You cannot start work until you have entered Ireland and registered your permission.¹²

Changing Employer

The permit ties you to one employer, but it does not lock you in permanently. After nine months in your initial role, you can apply to transfer to a different employer, provided the new job falls under the same four-digit SOC code as your original permit. No fresh Labour Market Needs Test is required.¹³

Conditions:

Your existing permit must still be in force with at least two months of validity remaining.
You are limited to three change-of-employer applications over the life of the permit.
You must start with the new employer within one month of the reissued permit, and you cannot start before it is actually in hand.

Exceptional circumstances in the first nine months, such as redundancy or the employer relocating far from where you live, may allow an earlier change, potentially into a different eligible occupation.¹³

Renewal

A first permit is issued for up to two years. Renewal covers up to three more years. Fees are higher on renewal: €750 for up to six months, €1,500 for up to 36 months.³

Apply well before the current permit expires. If it lapses while a renewal is pending, your immigration status becomes uncertain, and leaving the country during the gap creates real complications. Visa-required nationals who depart before a renewal is processed will need to apply for a new “D” entry visa to return.¹²

If You Lose Your Job

Losing your job does not end your right to remain immediately, but you need to move quickly. Notify DETE’s Employment Permits Section within four weeks of the redundancy using the prescribed Redundancy Notification Form (NOR002). From the date of redundancy, you have up to six months to find new work and secure a new permit.¹⁴

Along with the form, submit a letter from your former employer confirming the redundancy, your P45 if available, and the original permit if you still hold it.¹⁵ Missing the 28-day notification window can lead to refusal of your next permit application, because the circumstances may no longer meet the criteria in force at that later date. If six months pass without new employment, contact Immigration Service Delivery about your ongoing status.¹⁴

Path to Stamp 4 and Long-Term Residency

After 57 months (just under five years) of continuous employment in Ireland on a permit, GEP holders become eligible for Stamp 4 permission. Stamp 4 removes the requirement to hold an employment permit and lets you work for any employer or become self-employed. Immigration Service Delivery verifies your employment history through Revenue’s Employment Detail Summary, so keep your tax records clean.¹⁶

Long-term residency is a separate application available after 60 months of legal residence. You must be employed at the time of application and throughout the process, be of good character, and not have been an undue burden on the State, meaning no social welfare payments outside what your PRSI contributions entitle you to. If approved, a €500 fee is due within 28 days.¹⁷

What the Permit Does Not Cover for Family

Spouses and partners of General Employment Permit holders do not have an automatic right to work in Ireland. The Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit scheme is available to dependants of Critical Skills permit holders and certain other categories, but not to dependants of GEP holders.¹⁸ Your spouse or partner would need to apply for their own employment permit or contact Immigration Service Delivery about what residency permission they may qualify for.

For family reunification sponsorship, GEP holders sit under Category C. That means a wait of at least one year before you can sponsor a spouse or minor children, and five years for other family members such as parents or adult siblings. Minimum sponsor income applies — €30,000 gross annual income for a spouse alone, with higher thresholds when children are added, and only the sponsor’s own income counts. These figures are set by Immigration Service Delivery and can change, so check current guidance before applying.

1
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Government Unveils Roadmap for Gradual Increase in Employment Permit Minimum Remuneration
2
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Employment Permits Minimum Annual Remuneration Outcome of the Roadmap Review 2025
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Horticultural Meat Dairy General Employment Permit Checklist
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Labour Market Needs Test
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit Checklist
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Employment Permits Fees
9
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Current Processing Dates for Employment Permits
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Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Application Forms for Review of Decisions Under the Employment Permits Act 2024
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Immigration Service Delivery. Required Documents
12
Immigration Service Delivery. Renewing Your Registration Permission if You Live in the Republic of Ireland
13
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Changing Employer
14
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Permit Holders Made Redundant
15
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Notification of Dismissal by Reason of Redundancy Form NOR002
16
Immigration Service Delivery. Information on Stamp 4 Upgrades for Employment Permit and Hosting Agreement Holders
17
Immigration Service Delivery. Long Term Residency
18
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit