Registration of non-EEA nationals

Introduction

If you are not a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom or Switzerland, you need permission to enter Ireland. If you want to stay for more than 3 months you must have permission to remain and register your presence in Ireland with Immigration Service Delivery (ISD). This is how you get an Irish Residence Permit (IRP).

If you live in Dublin, you must make an appointment to go to the registration office in Burgh Quay. Outside of Dublin, you go to your local immigration registration office.

Who has to register with immigration?

You must register if you plan to stay in Ireland for over 3 months and you:

  • Are 16 or over
  • Are a citizen of a country outside the EEA (this is the EU and Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein), Switzerland and the UK
  • Have received permission to remain in Ireland

If you are living in Ireland already and are about to turn 16, you must register with ISD.

People who have recently arrived from Ukraine

The Department of Justice has started to issue Irish Resident Permit (IRP) cards to beneficiaries of the EU Temporary Protection Directive.

You can read about coming to Ireland from Ukraine.

Permission to remain

You may have already applied to ISD for permission to remain in the State and received a letter granting your permission. This could be because you have:

  • Refugee or subsidiary protection status following an application for international protection
  • Leave to remain following an application for international protection
  • Permission to remain in Ireland as the family member of an EEA national
  • Permission to remain in Ireland as the family member of an Irish citizen
  • Permission to remain as the parent of an Irish citizen child
  • Any other permission to remain that was made by application while you were in Ireland

You should bring the letter you got from ISD with you when you go to register.

‘D’ or long stay visa holders

If you have recently come to Ireland on a ‘D’ (long stay) visa, or you are a citizen of a country that does not require an entry visa (non-visa required), you can register with ISD without making a written application in advance. This could be because you are:

  • Joining a family member who is has international protection in Ireland (family reunification)
  • Joining or moving to Ireland with your Irish spouse or family member
  • Joining or moving to Ireland with your dependant Irish family member
  • An international student
  • On a working holiday visa
  • Moving to Ireland with an employment permit

How to apply for an Irish Residence Permit

As soon as possible following your arrival in Ireland, you should go to your local immigration registration office to register. If you live in Dublin this is the Burgh Quay Registration Office and you must phone 1800 800630 to book an appointment. This Freephone number is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

What must I bring?

You should bring your passport (unless you have refugee or subsidiary protection status). You should also bring:

  • Proof of address
  • Proof of your employment if you are working

You should also bring information about your situation in Ireland. For example, if you are married to an Irish citizen, you should bring your marriage certificate and proof that you are living with your spouse. If you are an international student, you should bring proof that you have paid your college fees and have private health insurance.

How much does it cost?

You must pay a fee of €300 for your Irish Residence Permit (IRP). Your IRP is free if you:

  • Have refugee status
  • Have subsidiary protection status
  • Have leave to remain under Section 49 of the International Protection Act 2015
  • Are under 18
  • Are resident based on your marriage to an Irish citizen
  • Are a family member of an EU citizen

How to renew your Irish Residence Permit

Before your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) expires you should go to your local immigration registration office to renew it if you are outside Dublin. You will need to bring your passport, your current card and evidence to support your residence permission, such as an employment permit.

Online renewals in Dublin

If you live in Dublin you can renew your IRP online. This means you will not have to go to the registration office in Burgh Quay to register in person. You must have less than 12 weeks left on your current permission before you can use the online renewal system.

There are delays renewing IRPs in Dublin, and the processing time is currently 6 weeks. If your employer is concerned that your IRP is no longer valid, you can tell them that you continue to have permission to be in Ireland for 8 weeks, if you have applied to renew your registration permission. You can show your employer this notice on the ISD website.

To renew your IRP online, you should:

You have to scan and upload the following documents when you are applying:

  • Biometric page of your current passport (the photo page)
  • Front and back of your current IRP

You should also upload documents that show that you are satisfying your immigration conditions. This depends on your situation, and may include:

  • Evidence that you are supporting your Irish citizen child
  • Proof that you have paid your college fees, have met the attendance requirements and are enrolled in a college course
  • Proof that you are living with your spouse or partner (if applying based on your relationship with them)
  • Your employment permit

You can read a full list of documents on the ISD website.

What happens after I register?

Following registration with immigration officials, you will be issued with an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) by post.

You must carry your card with you at all times and show it to an immigration officer or the Garda Síochána if requested.

If you change your address, or change your name, you should email immigrationsupport@justice.ie.

New passports

To renew your IRP because you have a new passport, you can use the ISD online system if you live in Dublin.

Travelling abroad

Non-EEA nationals who wish to travel abroad must have a valid IRP card to re-enter Ireland. A soft copy of your IRP card is not acceptable for travel.

If you want to travel abroad, you should contact the country that you are travelling to and find out about their requirements, such as the required immigration permission and documentation.

Christmas arrangements

Non-EEA nationals in Ireland may use their current recently expired IRP card and a Travel Confirmation Notice to travel abroad between 6 December 2023 and 31 January 2024. You can only do this if your application to renew your immigration permission was submitted before the expiry date on your IRP Card.

You can find detailed information about Christmas travel and IRP cards.

Immigration stamps

As well as your Irish Residence Permit (IRP), you will also receive a stamp in your passport, which specifies the duration and the conditions of your permission to remain in Ireland. If you are renewing online in Dublin, you will not receive a stamp in your passport.

The following table lists the different types of stamp issued to non-EEA nationals:

Stamp number Issued to
0

People with permission to remain in Ireland for a specific, temporary and limited purpose, for example:

Visiting academics

Retired people of independent means

Elderly dependent relatives of people living in Ireland

1

People who have received an employment permit, a working holiday authorisation or permission to open a business

1H Doctors with General Employment Permits
1A Trainee accountants
1G Graduates who are permitted to remain under the Third Level Graduate Scheme

Spouses and partners of Critical Skills Employment Permit Holders

Spouses and partners of doctors who have Stamp 1H or Stamp 4

2

Students who are attending a recognised full-time course of at least one year. They are permitted to work for 20 hours a week during term time and full time during holidays.

2A

Students who are attending a course not on the list of eligible courses for a student visa (including private secondary schools). They are not permitted to work.

3

People who are not permitted to work. This includes:

Ministers of religion and members of religious orders

Volunteers

Spouses, civil partners and dependants of certain employment permit holders.

4

People who can work without an employment permit. This includes:

Spouses of Irish citizens

Partners of Irish citizens

People granted international protection (refugee status or subsidiary protection)

People granted leave to remain following an appeal of a 'notification of intention to deport' under Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999, or following a refusal of an application for international protection

Parents of an Irish citizen child

People who have been granted long term residency

People who have completed 2 years on a Critical Skills Employment Permit.

People who have completed 5 years on a General Employment Permit

4D Family members of UK citizens who were granted residence after 1 January 2021
4S People who received permission to remain as ‘timed out students’. This scheme closed in January 2019
4 (EU FAM)

Family members of EU nationals who have exercised their right to move to and live in Ireland. They do not need an employment permit or business permission to work.

5 People who have permission to remain without any time conditions.

 

6 People who are dual citizens and ask for an endorsement in their non-Irish passport

Contacts

If you are living outside Dublin, contact your regional registration office or your local Garda District Headquarters.

If you are living in Dublin city or county, contact:

Burgh Quay Registration Office

Immigration Service Delivery

Department of Justice
13/14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
D02 XK70
Ireland

Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 8am to 9pm, Friday 8am to 6pm

Garda National Immigration Bureau

13/14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
Ireland
D02 XK70

Page edited: 12 December 2023