How do you register immigration permission and get an IRP in Ireland in 2026?

Citizens Information states you must register for an IRP if you plan to stay over three months, are 16 or over, have permission to remain, and are outside the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK. Employment-permit holders usually register on Stamp 1. Full-time students on eligible courses often receive Stamp 2 with limited work rights. Stamp 0 covers specific temporary purposes such as certain visiting academics, people of independent means, or elderly dependent relatives. Stamp wording, not the plastic alone, sets work conditions.

UK citizens under the Common Travel Area (CTA, the Ireland–UK free-movement arrangement) can live and work without an employment permit and are not pushed through the same non-EEA IRP employment-permit path. EEA and Swiss citizens use free-movement residence rules rather than a Critical Skills or General Employment Permit. Non-EEA family members of UK citizens who arrive under the post-2020 family route do register and may receive Stamp 4D. Do not tell a UK passport holder they need a Critical Skills Employment Permit to take an ordinary job in Dublin or Cork.

Tourists and short visitors do not receive an IRP automatically. Landing permission for a holiday is not a residence registration.

Create an ISD customer-portal account. You can register the account before travel, but you book the first-time appointment after you have entered the State. Your passport landing stamp normally instructs you to register within 90 days. Book as soon as you arrive. All first-time registrations for the Republic take place at the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin (13-14 Burgh Quay), not at a local Garda station.

Appointments for adults must be booked in the name of the person who will attend. Paid third-party “appointment sellers” are not authorised by ISD. Bring your valid passport with the landing stamp, proof of address, and the permission evidence for your route: employment permit and contract, college enrolment and fees, Stamp 0 grant letter, or family permission letter. The standard registration fee is €300, with published exemptions for groups such as refugees, under-18s, and certain family categories.

At the appointment, ISD reviews documents, takes a photograph and fingerprints, and endorses the passport stamp for your permission. The IRP card is posted afterward. Carry the card and show it to immigration or Gardaí when asked. Tell ISD when your address or name changes. Renewals for many categories run online once you are close to expiry; follow the live ISD renewal guidance for documents and interim work or travel rules.