Moving to Ireland in 2026: Visas, Costs and First Steps
How you move to Ireland depends first on your passport. UK citizens can live and work in Ireland without restriction. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have a right to enter and can stay beyond three months if they work, study or support themselves. Everyone else, including Americans, needs a permission that matches the reason for moving: an employment permit, a study permission, family reunification or a retirement permission. This guide covers each group, then the steps after arrival, the rules for bringing a dog or cat, and what rent and prices look like, using Irish official sources read on 14 October 2026.
Quick answer
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can enter Ireland and stay for up to 3 months without restriction, and do not register with immigration. Non-EEA citizens who stay more than 90 days must hold a permission and register for an Irish Residence Permit, which costs €300. To work you need an employment permit: the General Employment Permit needs pay of generally €36,605. To retire you need an income of €50,000 a year. The national average rent in new tenancies was €1,839 a month in early 2026, and consumer prices were 4.1% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier.
Which rules apply to you
| Your citizenship | Right to live in Ireland | Registration |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Entitled to live in Ireland without any conditions or restrictions, and can work without restriction | None |
| EU, EEA or Switzerland | Up to 3 months without restriction, or 6 months if looking for a job. Longer if you work, are self-employed, study, or have enough money and sickness insurance | You do not need to register with the immigration authorities |
| Any other country | You need permission to enter and permission to remain, such as an employment permit, a study permission or a family permission | Register with Immigration Service Delivery if you stay over 3 months and are 16 or over |
Moving to Ireland as an EU citizen
- Entry: you do not need a visa or preclearance, but you need a valid passport or identity card. Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area.
- After 3 months: you must be working or self-employed, have enough money and sickness insurance to support yourself and your family, be enrolled as a student or vocational trainee, or be a family member of someone in one of those groups.
- Job seekers: you can stay for up to 6 months if you have moved to Ireland and are looking for work.
- No earnings floor: you do not have to earn over a particular amount, or work a particular number of hours, to count as an EU worker. The work must be genuine and effective.
- Permanent residence: if you have lived in Ireland as an EU worker or self-employed person for 5 years, you have a permanent right of residence.
- Family from outside the UK, EEA or Switzerland: they must apply for residence, register and get an Irish Residence Permit, and may need a visa before travelling.
Moving to Ireland as an American or other non-EEA citizen
Citizens of countries outside the EEA, the UK and Switzerland need permission to enter Ireland, and permission to remain if they stay more than 3 months. Whether you also need an entry visa depends on your nationality, which Immigration Service Delivery sets out on its website.
| Reason for moving | What you need | Key figure |
|---|---|---|
| A job in a shortage occupation | Critical Skills Employment Permit | Pay of at least €40,904 in a listed occupation, and a 2-year job offer |
| Another job | General Employment Permit | Pay of generally €36,605 |
| Study | A place on an approved programme, and a study visa if visa required | Immediate access to at least €10,000 |
| Retirement | Stamp 0 permission for people of independent means | An individual income of €50,000 per year |
| Starting a business | Start-up Entrepreneur Programme | You work in the business full time and cannot be employed in any other capacity |
- Work comes with a job offer. An employment permit depends on a job offer from an employer trading in Ireland. An application must be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date.
- Retirement has two money tests. As well as the €50,000 income, you must have access to a lump sum to cover sudden major expenses, and your finances must be certified by an Irish accountancy firm. Retirees are not entitled to State benefits on this permission.
- Working holidays exist for some nationalities. Younger people from certain countries can apply to come to Ireland on a working holiday authorisation.
Details are in our Ireland work visa guide and Ireland student visa guide.
First steps after you arrive
- Register your permission. Non-EEA citizens staying more than 90 days must register with Immigration Service Delivery. The landing stamp instructs you to register within 90 days, and the standard registration fee is €300, paid by card.
- Apply for a PPS number. You can apply online on MyWelfare if you have a basic MyGovID account, and you must attend an in-person appointment to complete the application. The number arrives by post.
- Find a home. The Residential Tenancies Board tracks rents for new and existing tenancies, and its figures are below.
- Understand your payslip. Income is taxed at 20% up to the standard rate cut-off point and at 40% above it.
- Keep your permission current. You must apply to renew your permission and registration before they expire.
Moving to Ireland with a dog or cat
The importation of pets into Ireland is strictly controlled so that diseases such as rabies are not introduced. The rules depend on the country the pet is travelling from, not where it was born.
| Step | From another EU country | From outside the EU, including Britain and the USA |
|---|---|---|
| Microchip | Required before the rabies vaccination | Required before the rabies vaccination |
| Rabies vaccination | Pet must be at least 12 weeks old. Wait at least 21 days after the primary vaccination | The same |
| Document | EU pet passport | EU pet passport, or an EU Health Certificate signed and stamped by an official government veterinarian, valid for 10 days |
| Blood test | Not listed | A rabies serological test if the country is not a listed country. Wait at least 30 days after vaccination for the test, then a further 3 months before travel |
| Tapeworm treatment for dogs | Between 1 and 5 days before arrival, unless travelling from Northern Ireland, Finland, Malta or Norway | Between 1 and 5 days before arrival |
| Advance notice | Not listed | At least 24 hours before arrival, through the Advance Notice Portal |
| Compliance check | Not listed | Required on arrival |
Pets from outside the EU may only enter at Dublin Airport, Dublin Port, Shannon Airport, Cork Airport, Ringaskiddy Port or Rosslare Europort. Different rules apply if you travel with more than 5 pets or ship a pet unaccompanied. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine holds the detailed rules.
What it costs to live in Ireland
Rent
The Residential Tenancies Board's Rent Index for the first quarter of 2026 gives standardised average monthly rents:
| Area | New tenancies | Existing tenancies |
|---|---|---|
| National | €1,839 | €1,513 |
| Dublin | €2,335 | €1,960 |
| Outside of Dublin | €1,486 | €1,165 |
In the cities, new-tenancy rents were €2,301 in Dublin City, €2,004 in Galway City, €1,921 in Limerick City, €1,903 in Cork City and €1,423 in Waterford City. The national figure for new tenancies was 9.1 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Prices, pay and tax
- Inflation: the Consumer Price Index rose by 4.1% between September 2025 and September 2026. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels rose 9.5%, and transport 7.5%.
- Fuel: the national average price in September 2026 was €2.06 for a litre of diesel and €1.96 for a litre of petrol.
- Minimum wage: €14.15 per hour since 1 January 2026.
- Income tax: for 2026, a single person pays 20% on the first €44,000 and 40% on the balance. A married couple with one income pays 20% on the first €53,000.
The long-term path
- Stamp 4: after 2 years on a Critical Skills Employment Permit, or 5 years on employment permits, you may be given Stamp 4, which lets you work without a permit. See our Stamp 4 guide.
- Citizenship: one route to naturalisation is 5 years of reckonable residence. A spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen needs 3 years of reckonable residence on the island of Ireland.
- Student time does not count: Stamp 2 is not reckonable as residence for citizenship.
Frequently asked questions
Can a US citizen move to Ireland?
Yes, with a permission that fits the purpose. Non-EEA citizens need an employment permit to work, a study permission to study, or a Stamp 0 permission to retire, which requires an individual income of €50,000 per year. Anyone staying more than 90 days must register.
Can EU citizens move to Ireland freely?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can enter without a visa and stay for up to 3 months without restriction. To stay longer they must be working, self-employed, studying or have enough money and sickness insurance. They do not register with the immigration authorities.
Do I need a job to move to Ireland?
Non-EEA citizens coming to work need a job offer first, because an employment permit depends on one. Other routes are study, retirement on independent means and family.
Can I bring my dog to Ireland?
Yes, if it is microchipped, vaccinated against rabies with the waiting period complete, carries an EU pet passport or EU Health Certificate, and has had tapeworm treatment between 1 and 5 days before arrival. Pets from outside the EU also need advance notice and a compliance check.
How much is rent in Ireland?
The national standardised average rent in new tenancies was €1,839 a month in the first quarter of 2026, and €2,335 in Dublin, according to the Residential Tenancies Board.
How much money do I need to retire to Ireland?
People of independent means should have an individual income of €50,000 per year, plus access to a lump sum to cover sudden major expenses, certified by an Irish accountancy firm.
What is the minimum wage in Ireland?
€14.15 per hour since 1 January 2026. Budget 2027 announced an increase to €14.94 per hour from 1 January 2027, which requires legislation.
Official sources
- Citizens Information — Before you come to Ireland
- Citizens Information — Residence rights of EU citizens and their families in Ireland
- Citizens Information — Registration of non-EEA nationals
- Citizens Information — Bringing pets to Ireland
- Citizens Information — Personal Public Service (PPS) number
- Citizens Information — Minimum wage
- Immigration Service Delivery — I want to retire to Ireland
- Immigration Service Delivery — Coming to work for more than 90 days
- Immigration Service Delivery — Frequently asked questions for registration
- Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment — Types of employment permits
- Residential Tenancies Board — Rent Index Q1 2026 (PDF)
- Central Statistics Office — Consumer Price Index September 2026
- Revenue — Tax rates, bands and reliefs
All rules and figures verified against the official sources above on 14 October 2026. Rent figures are for the first quarter of 2026. Information, not legal or financial advice.