To move to Ireland for work, you need a job offer from an Irish employer and one of two employment permits: a Critical Skills Employment Permit for in-demand professional roles, or a General Employment Permit for a wider range of occupations.1Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Who Needs an Employment Permit This applies if you’re coming from outside the European Economic Area, Switzerland, or the UK. Depending on your nationality, you may also need an entry visa before you travel, and once you arrive you’ll register your immigration permission, get a PPS number, and set up a bank account before your first payday.
Which Permit Fits Your Job
The permit you apply for is decided by the job itself, not by your preference. The Critical Skills Employment Permit is the faster and more flexible route, and it’s reserved for occupations Ireland has identified as being in short supply. Software developers, engineers, healthcare professionals, data analysts, and financial managers are typical examples, and the full Critical Skills Occupations List sets out what qualifies.2Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Critical Skills Occupations List
From 1 March 2026, the minimum annual salary for Critical Skills occupations is €40,904, up from €38,000.3Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Government Unveils Roadmap for Gradual Increase in Employment Permit Salary Thresholds The job offer must be for at least two years, you generally need a relevant degree or equivalent professional experience, and no labor market needs test is required. Because Ireland already treats these skills as scarce, your employer doesn’t have to prove they couldn’t find a local candidate.4Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Critical Skills Employment Permit
The General Employment Permit covers a broader range of jobs, including roles in hospitality, agriculture, and care work. From 1 March 2026, the standard minimum annual salary is €36,605.5Citizens Information. General Employment Permit Two lower thresholds apply in specific cases:
- €32,691 for meat processing operatives, horticultural workers, healthcare assistants, and home support workers.6Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit
- €34,009 for graduates who earned a relevant degree from an Irish college within the previous 12 months.6Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit
For General Employment Permits, your employer must run a labor market needs test, advertising the role on platforms accessible to Irish and EEA job seekers for at least 28 days before applying.5Citizens Information. General Employment Permit That’s on the employer, not you, but it adds time.
One boundary to check before you invest weeks chasing a role: Ireland maintains an ineligible occupations list. Leisure management, hairdressing, most retail management, fitness instruction, youth work, and several protective service roles are excluded because the government considers them adequately filled by local workers.7Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Ineligible List of Occupations for Employment Permits Some carve-outs exist within otherwise ineligible categories, so read the detail rather than the headline.
Landing the Job Offer
No permit application moves without a formal offer from a company registered and trading in Ireland. Start with the main Irish job boards: IrishJobs.ie, Indeed Ireland, and Jobs.ie. LinkedIn is heavily used by Irish recruiters, especially in tech and professional services.
Adjust your CV to Irish norms. Keep it to two pages, lead with a short professional summary, and list experience in reverse chronological order. Irish employers tend to favor concise, results-oriented language over long job descriptions. Networking through industry groups and professional associations often surfaces roles that never reach public boards.
Either you or your employer can submit the permit application, but many employers handle it themselves because they need to supply company registration details, workforce composition data, and, for a General permit, evidence of the labor market needs test.8Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit Checklist
Documents to Gather
Start pulling these together as soon as you’re in serious conversation with an employer, because a few items take weeks to produce.
- A valid passport that will remain valid for the duration of your permit.
- A signed employment contract showing salary, job title, duties, and duration.9Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Critical Skills Employment Permit Checklist
- Degree certificates, diplomas, or transcripts relevant to the role.
- Police clearance from your home country and any country where you lived for more than six months in the past five years. U.S. applicants request an FBI Identity History Summary Check, which costs $18 and requires fingerprinting, and will likely need an apostille to authenticate it for Irish use.10Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
- Certified translations for any document not originally in English.
Filing the Permit Application
Applications are submitted through the Department of Enterprise’s online Employment Permits System, where you or your employer upload all supporting documents.11Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Employment Permits Online
A first-time Critical Skills Employment Permit for up to 24 months costs €1,000. A General Employment Permit is also €1,000 for up to 24 months, or €500 for six months or less.12Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Fees for Employment Permits If your application is refused, 90% of the fee is refunded.
Processing times move around. As of late March 2026, the Department was working through Critical Skills applications submitted about two weeks earlier, while other permit types, including General Employment Permits, were about seven weeks behind.13Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Current Processing Dates for Employment Permits Check the Department’s page for live figures before you submit.
Do You Also Need an Entry Visa?
An employment permit and an entry visa are separate things. The permit is your legal right to work; the visa is your permission to travel into Ireland.14Immigration Service Delivery. Coming to Work in Ireland Citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, and several other countries can enter Ireland without a visa and register their permit after arrival. Citizens of many other countries must apply for a long-stay “D” visa at the nearest Irish embassy before traveling. The Immigration Service Delivery website carries the full list of visa-required nationalities.
Your First 90 Days in Ireland
Once you land with an approved permit, three administrative tasks matter more than anything else.
Register With Immigration Service Delivery
You have 90 days to register with Immigration Service Delivery and receive an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, which is your proof of legal residency.15Immigration Service Delivery. How to Register Your Immigration Permission for the First Time In Dublin, book an appointment at the Burgh Quay Registration Office; outside Dublin, contact your local immigration office. Registration costs €300.16Immigration Service Delivery. Frequently Asked Questions for Registration If appointment availability pushes you past 90 days, ISD has confirmed it won’t cancel your permission while you’re waiting.
Apply for a PPS Number
A Personal Public Service (PPS) number is your identifier for tax, employment, and every government service in Ireland, and you need one before your employer can put you on payroll.17gov.ie. Get a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number Apply through MyWelfare.ie or at your local social welfare office with your passport and proof of address.
Open a Bank Account
You’ll need an Irish bank account for salary. Banks require at least one photo ID (passport, driving licence, or IRP card) and a separate document proving your address, usually a utility bill or government letter no more than six months old.18Citizens Information. Proof of Identity to Open a Bank Account Newcomers hit an obvious catch: no bill in your name yet. Some banks accept an employer letter or accommodation agreement as temporary proof. Ask your employer which bank they recommend, since many have arrangements to smooth onboarding for international hires.
What Your Paycheck Will Look Like
Three separate deductions come out of every Irish paycheck, and the combined effect catches some newcomers off guard.
Income tax runs at two rates. A single person pays 20% on the first €44,000 of annual income and 40% on everything above. Married dual-earner couples get a wider 20% band of up to €53,000, with an additional increase capped at €35,000 or the lower earner’s income.19Revenue.ie. Tax Rates, Bands and Reliefs
The Universal Social Charge (USC) is a separate income charge. For 2026, the 2% rate band was extended to cover income up to €28,700, with higher rates above.20Citizens Information. USC Changes from 1 January
Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) funds social welfare benefits such as pensions and jobseeker’s payments. Employees earning above €352 per week pay 4.2% of gross earnings until 30 September 2026, then 4.35% from 1 October 2026.21gov.ie. 2026 PRSI Contribution Rates and User Guide
U.S. citizens still have to file U.S. taxes on worldwide income, but the Ireland-U.S. double taxation treaty provides a credit mechanism so the same income isn’t fully taxed twice. Speak to a tax advisor who handles cross-border cases before your first Irish payday.
Finding a Place to Live
Ireland’s rental market, especially in Dublin, is tight, and prices will test your budget. As of late 2025, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment nationwide was roughly €2,086. Dublin averaged around €2,438, with Cork at €2,013, Galway at €2,113, and Limerick at €2,127. Waterford was somewhat more affordable at about €1,525.
Tenant protections are relatively strong. Landlords must give at least 90 days’ notice before raising rent, and national rent control rules require them to explain how your rent was calculated. After six continuous months in a property, you gain security of tenure, meaning your landlord can only end the tenancy under specific circumstances set out in law.22Residential Tenancies Board. Tenant Rights and Responsibilities Important changes to rental law took effect on 1 March 2026, so check the Residential Tenancies Board website for current rules.
Begin your search before you arrive. Daft.ie is the dominant rental platform. Most landlords require a deposit of one month’s rent plus the first month’s rent upfront. House and apartment sharing is common and significantly reduces costs, especially in Dublin.
Bringing Your Family
How quickly your spouse, civil partner, or dependent children can join you depends on which permit you hold.
Critical Skills Employment Permit holders can apply for family reunification immediately, with no waiting period. Once approved, your spouse or partner typically receives Stamp 1G immigration permission, which lets them work in Ireland without needing their own employment permit. This is one of the biggest practical advantages of the Critical Skills route.
General Employment Permit holders face a 12-month wait before sponsoring family, and must show they can financially support their family without relying on public funds. Dependent children qualify if they’re under 18, or under 23 and in full-time education.23Immigration Service Delivery. Family Dependents Family members from visa-required countries will need an Irish “D” Join Family visa before traveling.
From Permit to Long-Term Residency
Neither permit locks you into temporary status forever, but the timeline differs sharply.
On the Critical Skills route, after two years on the permit with a Stamp 1, you can apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 permission. Stamp 4 lets you live and work in Ireland without any employment permit at all, including the freedom to change employers or become self-employed.4Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Critical Skills Employment Permit After five years of total residency, you can apply for formal long-term residency.
On the General Employment Permit route, your initial permit lasts up to two years and can be renewed for up to three more. After five continuous years of lawful employment, you can apply for Stamp 4 and are no longer tied to a specific employer.6Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. General Employment Permit
Long-term residency, once granted, carries a €500 fee plus the standard €300 registration fee. You must be employed at the time of application and throughout the process, and you need to show good character with no adverse immigration history.24Immigration Service Delivery. Long Term Residency After five years of long-term residency (or other qualifying residency), you become eligible to apply for Irish citizenship through naturalization.