Visa free entry and visitor permission: US citizens are not visa required for Ireland, per the Department of Foreign Affairs consulate guidance, and may remain for up to 90 days for tourism or business. Ireland is not in the Schengen area, so Irish days do not use the Schengen 90 in 180 allowance. Visitor permission allows no work of any kind: the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) short stay page states that a visit permission does not allow paid or unpaid work or use of publicly funded services. There is no Irish digital nomad or remote work permission, and working remotely for a non-Irish employer is not a recognised basis for a long stay permission. Any stay over 90 days requires a permission under one of the other routes on this page. ISD sets no income or investment threshold for visitor entry; permission is decided by the immigration officer at the port of entry.
Country page
Living in Ireland long term
Ireland offers US passport holders visa free visits of up to 90 days, a retirement permission (Stamp 0) built on an official test of EUR 50,000 of individual income per year plus a lump sum, and employment permit routes whose salary thresholds rose on 1 March 2026. There is no digital nomad visa and no golden visa: the Immigrant Investor Programme closed in February 2023, leaving the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme as the only investor style route. Long term settlement runs through Stamp 4 and Long Term Residency after five years on employment permits, citizenship by naturalisation after five years of reckonable residence, and citizenship by descent through Foreign Births Registration for those with an Irish born grandparent.
Numbers on this page apply to holders of a US passport. Page last verified: 2026-10-15
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official source or the consulate for Ireland before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this table.
Every route, with the math
Scroll sideways for the full table. The route name stays in view.
| Route | Income required | Investment required | Total cost | Processing time | Days allowed | Renewal rules | Tax residency trigger | Years to permanent residency | Years to citizenship | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa free entry and visitor permission Tourist allowance | Not applicable | Not applicable | No visa fee for US citizens, who are visa exempt. No registration fee applies to stays of 90 days or less. | Decided at the port of entry. There is no advance application for US citizens. | Up to 90 days for tourism or business, set by the immigration officer at the port of entry | Visitor permission is not renewable and cannot be converted into a long stay permission from inside Ireland. Stays over 90 days require a separate ISD permission. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). A 90 day visit does not trigger tax residence on its own. | Visitor time does not count toward Long Term Residency. ISD lists temporary visitor permission granted at the port of entry among the permissions that do not qualify. | Visitor time does not count as reckonable residence for naturalisation. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Stamp 0 retirement permission (person of independent means) Retirement | Individual income of EUR 50,000 per year, in the form of pension income or readily accessible funds, plus access to a lump sum of money to cover any sudden major expenses. ISD describes the lump sum as equal to, for example, the price of a residential dwelling in Ireland. Finances must be set out in a spreadsheet converted into euros and certified by an Irish accountancy firm. Investment sums are not normally measured. | Not applicable | EUR 300 Irish Residence Permit registration fee on arrival and at each renewal. ISD publishes no separate application fee for the Stamp 0 permission itself. US citizens pay no entry visa fee. | Average processing time of four months, per ISD. | Temporary permission on Stamp 0 conditions. On arrival the holder receives a landing stamp of up to 90 days and must register the Stamp 0 permission within that period. | Renewable while the financial and other conditions continue to be met, using the ISD TPER renewal form submitted through the ISD Customer Service Portal. Each registration or renewal of the Irish Residence Permit costs EUR 300. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). A full time Stamp 0 retiree will normally meet the 183 day test. | Not available on this route. Stamp 0 does not qualify for Long Term Residency. | Time on Stamp 0 does not count as reckonable residence for naturalisation, so this route on its own does not lead to citizenship. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Critical Skills Employment Permit Work | A job offer from an Irish employer in an occupation on the Critical Skills Occupations List, or another eligible occupation, at or above the Minimum Annual Remuneration. From 1 March 2026 the threshold is EUR 40,904 per year with a relevant degree, or EUR 68,911 per year without a relevant degree but with the required experience, per the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment roadmap. Lower starting thresholds apply to recent graduates. | Not applicable | EUR 1,000 permit fee for up to 24 months, per the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment fee schedule, plus the EUR 300 ISD registration fee. 90 percent of the permit fee is refunded if the application is refused. | No fixed timeframe is published. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment processes applications strictly in date order and publishes live current processing dates on enterprise.gov.ie. Applications must be submitted at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date. | Permit issued for up to 2 years. The holder registers a Stamp 1 permission, normally for 12 months at a time. | The permit itself is not renewable. After 21 months of employment the holder moves to a Stamp 4 permission, renewable every two years while the conditions are met. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | Stamp 4 permission, the functional equivalent of permanent residence for work purposes, after 21 months of employment. Long Term Residency is available after 60 months of legal residence on employment permits. | 5 years of reckonable residence. Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 permissions count toward the five years. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| General Employment Permit Work | A job offer from a bona fide Irish employer at or above the Minimum Annual Remuneration. From 1 March 2026 the general threshold is EUR 36,605 per year. A lower threshold of EUR 32,691 applies to horticulture workers, meat processor operatives, healthcare assistants and home support workers, and EUR 34,009 applies to recent graduates of Irish third level colleges, per the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. | Not applicable | EUR 500 for a permit of six months or less, or EUR 1,000 for a permit of more than six months up to 24 months, per the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Plus the EUR 300 ISD registration fee. 90 percent of the permit fee is refunded if the application is refused. | No fixed timeframe is published. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment processes applications strictly in date order and publishes live current processing dates on enterprise.gov.ie. Applications must be submitted at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date. | Permit granted for up to 24 months in the first instance, then renewable for up to a further 3 years. The holder registers a Stamp 1 permission, normally for 12 months at a time. | Renewable for up to three further years after the first grant of up to 24 months. Renewal fees are EUR 750 for six months or less and EUR 1,500 for more than six months up to 36 months. Holders with five consecutive years on employment permits may no longer need a permit and should apply to the Department of Justice for a Stamp 4. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | 5 years. Long Term Residency after 60 months of legal residence on employment permits, with a Stamp 4 upgrade available after 57 months of employment. | 5 years of reckonable residence. Stamp 1 permission counts toward the five years. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Student permission (Stamp 2) and Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G) Study | Access to at least EUR 10,000 for each year of study, in addition to course fees, evidenced at registration. For courses of six to eight months the requirement is EUR 833 per month (EUR 4,998 for six months, EUR 6,665 for eight months). These are the ISD student funding requirements in force from 30 June 2025, as published by Citizens Information and in official Irish study checklists. | Not applicable | EUR 300 ISD registration fee for each registration and renewal. US citizens pay no entry visa fee. Course fees are set by the institution and are not immigration fees. | No advance visa application or decision for US citizens, who are not visa required. The permission is registered with ISD after arrival in Ireland, and ISD publishes no timeframe for registration. | Permission for the length of the course, registered year by year. Students may stay in Ireland for a maximum of seven years on student permission overall. | Renewed annually while the student shows progression on an eligible course, up to the seven year maximum on student permission. Graduates move to Stamp 1G under the Third Level Graduate Programme and must then obtain an employment permit to stay on. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). Full time students will normally meet the 183 day test. | Not available on student permission. Stamp 2 and graduate Stamp 1G do not count toward the 60 months required for Long Term Residency. | Student time on Stamp 2 does not count toward the five reckonable years. A student must move to a reckonable permission, such as an employment permit, and build five years from there. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Long Term Residency (Stamp 4) and Stamp 5, Without Condition As To Time Other | Not applicable | Not applicable | EUR 500 Long Term Residency fee, payable within 28 days after the application is approved, plus the EUR 300 registration fee. ISD publishes no application fee for Stamp 5. | No timeframe is published for either scheme. ISD states that the division handling Long Term Residency applications is experiencing very high volumes and that there is currently a delay in processing. | Long Term Residency is granted for 5 years. Stamp 5 (Without Condition As To Time) is valid until the expiry of the holder's passport and carries no time condition. | Long Term Residency is granted for five years at a time and is registered as a Stamp 4 permission. Stamp 5 has no time condition and is renewed with the passport. Both require the holder to keep residing in Ireland and to stay in compliance with the conditions of the permission. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | This route is the permanent residence route itself: Long Term Residency at 5 years on employment permits, and Stamp 5 at 8 years of legal residence. | Holders will normally already hold much of the five years of reckonable residence needed for naturalisation, since Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 time is reckonable. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP) Investor | Not applicable | Funding of EUR 50,000 available for a high potential start-up business proposal in the innovation economy. Where a proposal has more than one principal, the first principal must show EUR 50,000 and each additional principal EUR 30,000, per the STEP guidelines. | EUR 350 non-refundable application fee, plus the EUR 300 ISD registration fee. | Proposals are considered on a quarterly basis by an evaluation committee. ISD publishes no decision timeframe. | Residence permission for 2 years initially for the applicant and immediate family, per the STEP guidelines published by ISD. | Renewable for a further 3 years where the business has been established as proposed and the conditions continue to be met, per the STEP guidelines. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | Official sources conflict, and the point is unresolved. The ISD STEP guidelines state that participants are eligible for long term residence after five years, but the ISD Long Term Residency page lists Start-up Entrepreneur Programme Stamp 4 among the permissions that do not qualify for that scheme. | 5 years of reckonable residence. Stamp 4 permission is reckonable for naturalisation. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Immigrant Investor Programme (closed) Investor | No income test. Applicants had to show a personal net worth of at least EUR 2,000,000 held in their own name, and loans were not accepted as a source of funds (ISD programme guidelines). | One of four options under the closed programme (ISD guidelines): at least EUR 1,000,000 in an Irish enterprise or in an approved investment fund, in each case for at least 3 years; at least EUR 2,000,000 in Irish REITs listed on the Irish Stock Exchange; or a philanthropic endowment of at least EUR 500,000, reduced to EUR 400,000 per investor where five or more investors combined on one project. | EUR 1,500 non-refundable application fee under the closed programme (ISD guidelines), plus the EUR 300 Irish Residence Permit registration fee on registering the permission. | While the programme operated, applications took on average three to four months, and longer where the Evaluation Committee sought more information (ISD guidelines). No applications are processed now; the programme closed on 15 February 2023. | Stamp 4 residence permission for an initial 2 years under the programme before it closed (ISD Immigrant Investor Programme guidelines). | Not applicable. The programme is closed to new applications. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | The programme gave no separate permanent residence grant, and ISD lists Immigrant Investor Programme Stamp 4 among the permissions that do not qualify for the Long Term Residency scheme. The permission itself was renewable, for a further 3 years and then for 5 years at a time, while the conditions were met (ISD guidelines). | No preferential access. Holders could apply for naturalisation under the normal rules after 5 years of physical residence in Ireland (the 12 months before applying plus four of the preceding eight years). The guidelines warn that investors who used the programme right not to reside in Ireland would not meet the naturalisation residence requirement. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Citizenship by descent, Foreign Births Registration Citizenship by descent | Not applicable | Not applicable | EUR 278 in total for an adult applicant: EUR 270 for registration and the certificate, plus a EUR 8 postage and handling fee. For applicants under 18 the total is EUR 153. Fees are paid online when the application is made, per the Department of Foreign Affairs. | Approximately 9 months. The Department of Foreign Affairs states that applications are processed in strict date order and that processing is currently taking approximately 9 months. | Irish citizenship itself, with the right to live and work in Ireland without any time limit | Not applicable. Citizenship is permanent once registered. | Citizenship on its own does not create Irish tax residence. Revenue treats a person as resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year. | Not applicable. This route grants citizenship, which goes beyond permanent residency. | 0 years. This route grants citizenship directly, with no residence in Ireland required. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Citizenship by naturalisation Other | Not applicable | Not applicable | EUR 175 application fee, plus a certification fee payable after approval and before the certificate of naturalisation issues: EUR 950 for an adult, EUR 200 for a minor or for a widow, widower or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen, and EUR 0 for a recognised refugee or stateless person, per ISD. | Most applications for citizenship by naturalisation are processed within 12 months, per ISD. | Citizenship itself, with the right to live and work in Ireland without any time limit | Not applicable. Citizenship is permanent once granted. | Resident for tax purposes if present in Ireland for 183 days or more in a tax year, or for 280 days or more across the current and preceding tax years combined, with at least 30 days in each year (Revenue). | Not applicable. Citizenship goes beyond permanent residency, and applicants normally qualify for Long Term Residency or Stamp 5 on the way. | This route is the citizenship route itself. Eligibility requires 5 years of reckonable residence, or 3 years for spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
Route notes
Stamp 0 retirement permission (person of independent means): This is the only Irish retirement route. The application must be made and approved before travelling to Ireland, using the ISD TPER application form, and US citizens then travel without a visa and register on arrival. Conditions include full financial self-sufficiency, private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals, no entitlement to State benefits or publicly funded services, and no work or business activity. Stamp 0 is a temporary permission, and ISD lists Stamp 0 among the stamps that do not qualify for Long Term Residency. See the research file for the sourcing of the reckonable residence position for citizenship.
Critical Skills Employment Permit: No Labour Market Needs Test applies, and the job offer must be for at least two years. Spouses and de facto partners of permit holders receive Stamp 1G and may work without an employment permit. The permit is not renewed in the ordinary way: after 21 months of employment in Ireland the holder applies to ISD for a Stamp 4 permission to live and work without an employment permit, and that Stamp 4 is renewable every two years. Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 time is reckonable residence for naturalisation. Fees are set out on the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment fees page; the EUR 300 ISD registration fee applies on top.
General Employment Permit: Most occupations are eligible unless they appear on the Ineligible List of Occupations. A Labour Market Needs Test is required in most cases, and the employer must normally meet the rule that at least 50 percent of employees are EEA nationals. The permit holder is expected to stay with the first employer for nine months. After 57 months of employment the holder may apply to ISD for a Stamp 4 upgrade, and after five years may apply to the Department of Justice for Long Term Residency. Stamp 1 time is reckonable residence for naturalisation.
Student permission (Stamp 2) and Third Level Graduate Programme (Stamp 1G): Students must be enrolled full time on a course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes and hold private medical insurance. Stamp 2 allows casual work of up to 20 hours per week in term time and 40 hours per week in holiday periods. Under the Third Level Graduate Programme, graduates of Irish institutions receive Stamp 1G to look for work: 12 months for a Level 8 award, and up to 24 months for a Level 9 or higher award, subject to the overall student permission limits. ISD states that Stamp 2 is not reckonable as residence for naturalisation, and its Long Term Residency page lists both Stamp 2 and graduate Stamp 1G among the permissions that do not qualify for that scheme, so students must switch to an employment permit or another reckonable permission to build time toward settlement.
Long Term Residency (Stamp 4) and Stamp 5, Without Condition As To Time: Long Term Residency is the main permanent residence status. It requires 60 months of legal residence based on employment permits issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, good character, compliance with earlier permissions, and being in employment when applying; ISD does not accept applications from self-employed applicants under this scheme. Only Stamp 1 and qualifying Stamp 4 time counts, and ISD publishes a long list of permissions that do not count, including Stamp 0, student stamps, the Immigrant Investor Programme and the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme. Stamp 5, called Without Condition As To Time, requires 8 years (96 months) of legal residence and is then valid until the passport expires. ISD warns that both schemes are experiencing high application volumes and processing delays. ISD sets no income figure for either scheme; the Long Term Residency tests are the 60 months of qualifying employment permit residence, being in employment at the time of application, good character and not having been an undue burden on the State.
Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP): STEP is an entrepreneur route, not a passive investment route: the applicant must have an innovative business proposal, be of good character, establish the business in Ireland and work in it full time, and may not take other employment or become a burden on the State. Retail, catering, personal services and similar domestic businesses are not suitable. Proposals are considered quarterly by an independent evaluation committee. The permission is a Stamp 4. Note a conflict in the official material, logged in the research file: the STEP guidelines say participants are eligible for long term residence after five years, while the ISD Long Term Residency page lists Start-Up Entrepreneur Programme Stamp 4 among the stamps that do not qualify for that scheme. ISD sets no personal income threshold for STEP; the financial requirement is the EUR 50,000 funding recorded in the investment field.
Immigrant Investor Programme (closed): Ireland has no golden visa. The Immigrant Investor Programme, which had offered residence in return for investments starting at EUR 1 million, closed to new applicants on 15 February 2023, as recorded by Citizens Information, the State information service. The closure does not affect projects or people already approved under the programme. There is no replacement passive investment route; the remaining entrepreneur route is the Start-up Entrepreneur Programme.
Citizenship by descent, Foreign Births Registration: A person born outside Ireland is automatically an Irish citizen if a parent was an Irish citizen born on the island of Ireland, and in that case no registration is needed before applying for a passport. Registration on the Foreign Births Register is the route where a grandparent was born in Ireland, or where a parent was an Irish citizen at the time of the birth but was not born in Ireland. Citizenship takes effect from the date of registration, and a parent must be registered before their own children are born for those children to qualify in turn. Ireland permits dual citizenship. Once registered, the person may apply for an Irish passport, which is a separate application and fee.
Citizenship by naturalisation: Applicants must show five years of reckonable residence in the nine years before applying, including one year of continuous residence immediately before the application, during which up to 70 days of absence is allowed. Spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens qualify after three years. Reckonable residence means time on permissions such as Stamp 1, Stamp 1G, Stamp 3, Stamp 4 and Stamp 5. Time as a visitor, on Stamp 0, or on a student Stamp 2 does not count. Applicants must be of good character, intend to continue living in Ireland, and attend a citizenship ceremony. Naturalisation is granted at the discretion of the Minister for Justice. ISD sets no income threshold and no investment requirement for naturalisation. Ireland permits dual citizenship, so a US citizen is not required by Ireland to give up US citizenship.