Types of work visas and permits in Ireland

When forming your global expansion strategy, it’s crucial to stay on top of employment laws and immigration laws, including work visa requirements, to stay in compliance. Your employees must follow all the local labor laws and immigration laws in the country where they’re working. This is true whether your employees in Ireland are Irish citizens, citizens of other countries traveling to Ireland, or employees who are relocating or transferred to Ireland.

The ability to work without a work permit is based on citizenship. Citizens of Ireland do not need a visa or work permit to work. Citizens of other countries may need a visa or a work permit, however. Employees who are citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), or Switzerland do not need an Ireland work permit to work in Ireland.

If an employee is from a country that is not visa-exempt in Ireland, they need to get a visa and employment permit to enter the country and work.

There are several different types of employment permits in Ireland:

• General Employment Permit
• Critical Skills Employment Permit
• Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permits
• Reactivation Employment Permit
• Seasonal Employment Permit
• Spouse Permit

Employment permits are processed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment (DETE). Employees can apply for permits after they already have a job offer in the country.

The following sections detail some of the employment permits relevant to remote workers in Ireland.

General Employment Permit

The General Employment Permit is one of the most common types of employment permit along with the Critical Skills Employment Permit.

Employees who are not eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit may be eligible for a General Employment Permit. The Irish government considers all occupations to be eligible for the General Employment Permit unless explicitly included on the list of ineligible occupations.  

This permit is issued for two years and can be renewed for another three years. After five years, the employee can apply for long-term residency.

To be eligible, the employee must:

• Earn at least 30,000 EUR annually in most cases.
• Provide information on their qualifications and the skills required for the job.

Employers must perform a Labor Market Needs Test for General Employment Permits for their employees. Either the employee or the employer can apply for the General Employment Permit.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

The Critical Skills Employment Permit is an employment permit for job roles that the government deems to require especially skilled individuals whose jobs are in short supply in the country.

While there are no specific occupations required to be able to get a General Employment Permit, there are only certain job roles that an employee can have to be able to get a Critical Skills Employment Permit. To be able to get a Critical Skills Employment Permit, applicants must see their job occupation explicitly listed on the list of eligible occupations.

The list of skilled occupations includes:

• Engineering professionals,
• IT project managers
• Software developers,
• Programmers,
• Web designers,
• Teaching professionals,
• Business administrators,
• And many other skilled occupations in various categories.

Applicants for certain categories of jobs are not eligible to get an employment permit. There is a list of ineligible occupations which would disqualify applicants from getting an employment permit.

To be eligible for the Critical Skills Employment Permit, applicants must have:

• A salary of at least 32,000 EUR per year if on the list of skilled occupations.
• A salary of 64,000 euros a year if the applicant has an occupation that is not on the list of skilled occupations but is also not on the list of ineligible occupations.
• The relevant skills, qualifications, and experience for their job.
• A job offer of two years or more.

Intra-company Transfer Permit

The Intra-Company Transfer Permit is a work permit for employees of multinational companies who are being transferred to the Irish branch of their company.

This permit is for:

• Senior managers earning at least 40,000 EUR per year who have worked for the company for at least six months.
• Specialists and key personnel earning at least 40,000 EUR per year who have worked for the company for at least six months.
• Trainees earning at least 30,000 EUR per year who have worked for the company for at least one month.

Reactivation Permit

A Reactivation Employment Permit is a work permit for individuals who were already living and working in Ireland and who became undocumented through no fault of their own or who were mistreated by their employer. There are no restrictions for occupations for this permit. However, the job must offer at least minimum wage.

To get a Reactivation Permit, the applicant must have:

• An Irish residence permit
• Previously had an employment permit
• A job offer
• A temporary Stamp 1 immigration permission

Spouse Permit

A Spouse Permit can be issued immediately to the spouses of employees who have a Critical Skills Employment Permit. The spouse of an employee may have an occupation that is ineligible for a Critical Skills Employment Permit. Spouses of employees of other types of employment permits are allowed to join their spouses after one year of employment.

Ireland work visa requirements

To include workers in Ireland as part of your global workforce, your company needs to be sure all employees living in Ireland can legally work in the country. When you’re hiring employees in Ireland, your employees must fulfill all of the Ireland visa requirements to be compliant.

Citizens not from the EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom are required to get permission to enter Ireland in the form of a visa. They also must have a reason for long-term traveling to Ireland, such as employment, studying, or joining a family member.

A work visa is a Type D visa allowing visitors to enter the country to work. To be eligible to get a work visa, travelers must have:

• A valid passport or travel documents with them.
• Proof of sufficient money to cover their trip.
• Details of work experience and qualifications
• Proof of accommodation in Ireland.
• Medical insurance.
• Proof that they are going to return to their home country.

For visits longer than three months, visitors must request permission to remain in the country. Anyone wishing to remain longer than three months must request permission and register with their local Ireland immigration office. When approval to be able to remain in the country is granted, an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) is issued.

How to apply for an Ireland work visa

Applications for work visas can be submitted online.

Application processing time

Applications are processed in date order. The current processing time is about eight weeks. Refunds are also processed in eight weeks. A declined application can be appealed within 28 days.

Compliance with Ireland immigration laws by making sure your employees have all their visas and work permits, such as Ireland work permits, can take time. However, your company can continue to hire and onboard new remote team members while you are waiting for the visa and permit application procedures.

One way to help speed the hiring process is to partner with a global employer of record like Skuad to help your company with your international expansion. Hire in countries around the world easily and quickly with Skuad.

Planning to hire or work in Ireland? Here’s how Skuad can help

Skuad can help your company hire a remote team in Ireland. Normally, before hiring internationally, you need to establish a legal entity in the countries where you are hiring. When you work with an employer of record, your business does not have to invest the considerable time and money necessary to set up a local legal entity.

An EOR like Skuad already has a legal entity in the country from which to hire your Irish employees and citizens from other countries living in Ireland with the appropriate work permits.

Beyond Ireland, Skuad can help you hire in more than 160 countries and pay your employees in more than 100 local currencies because it has legal entities in all of those countries.

An employer of record in Ireland can help your company with these tasks:

• Onboarding new hires in Ireland.
• Drafting legally compliant contracts and hiring Irish employees on your behalf.
• Processing payroll and payroll taxes.
• Manage benefits, timesheets, and permits.
• Compliance with Ireland immigration laws and employment laws.
• Ensure your employees have work permits by submitting the work permit application form Ireland requires for your employees to be able to work legally.

Skuad can be your employer of record and help you hire internationally so you can concentrate on your company’s core business strategies. Contact us today for a demo.

FAQs

How can I get a work permit in Ireland?

You or your employer can apply online for an employment permit.

Depending on your citizenship, you may need a work permit and a visa to live in Ireland and seek employment there. Citizens from certain countries that are not part of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland will need a work visa and a work permit to be able to live in Ireland and work in the country.

There are several different types of work permits that you may want to apply for, depending on your employment situation. Each type of work permit has certain requirements that must be met.

Types of work permits available include:

• General Employment Permit
• Critical Skills Employment Permit
• Intra-company Transfer Permit
• Reactivation Permit
• Spouse Permit

How long does it take to get a work permit in Ireland?

The processing time to get a work permit issued is typically about eight weeks.

Can I get a work permit for Ireland without a job offer?

To be able to get a work permit, such as a General Employment Permit, Ireland immigration requires non-citizens to have a job already lined up in the country. Furthermore, the job must satisfy a few criteria:

• The job must pay at least 30,000 EUR per year with some exceptions such as students or certain occupations such as home carers.
• The job must be an eligible occupation and not on the list of ineligible occupations.
• The employer must carry out a Labor Market Needs Test unless the permit is a Critical Skills Employment Permit.
• Over half of the employer’s workforce must be EU citizens (the 50/50 Rule).
• To be able to get a Critical Skills Employment Permit, your job must be on a list of eligible skilled occupations.

Can I work in Ireland as a U.S. citizen?

You can work in Ireland as a U.S. citizen. As a U.S. citizen, you would need to apply for an appropriate visa and get approved for a work permit. You or your employer can apply for an employment permit.

Is it hard to get Ireland work permit?

It should not be hard to get an Ireland work permit as long as you:

• Have an eligible job waiting for you with a salary of over 30,000 euros annually for most occupations
• Possess the skills and qualifications to do the job
• Submit your paperwork and all supporting documentation properly

Make sure you have an updated passport or travel documents to transit smoothly through the Ireland immigration process. You should be approved or denied within eight weeks. If you are denied, you have 28 days to appeal the decision.