Moving to Ireland from US

Simply put, yes. Thousands of Americans have already made Ireland their home, with many more being drawn each year to the country’s beautiful natural scenery, friendly local population and close proximity to other attractive European travel destinations.

However, your ability to move to Ireland is very much dependent on your eligibility for one of its visa or permit routes. In order to move to Ireland, you will generally have to first apply for the right visa or permit to allow you to travel and settle there. This may be via work or through family connections.

If you already have Irish ancestry or heritage, you may be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship, which will afford you all the residency rights and benefits of other Irish citizens.

On this page, we explore some of the options available to American citizens looking to make the move to Ireland.

It goes without saying that there are many historical links between the United States and Ireland.  In fact, many Americans still have relatives and distant family members living in Ireland.

Americans can visit Ireland for up to 90 days without needing to apply for a visa or preclearance. However, if you wish to live in Ireland long-term, you must apply for the right visa or permit.

There are different emigration routes that you can take if you want to relocate to Ireland. The most common routes which you could take are as follows:

• Get an employment permit and work in Ireland
• Join an immediate family member who is already living in Ireland
• Apply for Irish citizenship based on your country of birth/ancestry

The USA is a visa-exempt country for Ireland, which means that US citizens do not need to apply for a visa before travelling to Ireland.

However, if you are not a US citizen and your nationality is not visa-exempt, you will need to apply for a visa. If you wish to stay in Ireland long term, you will need to apply for a Long Stay ‘D’ Visa. Otherwise, you can apply for a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa if your stay will be shorter than 90 days.

Generally speaking, all non-EU/EEA citizens coming to Ireland will also need to apply for a permit in order to stay in Ireland long term. These include employment permits, which grant the holder the ability to work in Ireland, subject to restrictions.

This can be done by registering for immigration permission once you are in Ireland.

Note that even if you are visa-exempt for Ireland, you may still need to apply for preclearance, depending on your reason for coming to Ireland. Preclearance will be needed if coming to Ireland for any of the following:

• To volunteer
• As a minister of religion
• As the de facto partner of a Critical Skills Employment Permit or Hosting Agreement holder
• As the de facto partner of an Irish citizen
• As the family member of a UK citizen

If you wish to emigrate to Ireland for work, you will usually need to apply for an employment permit from the Irish Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation (DJEI) after you have received immigration preclearance.

There are nine different employment permits:

• Critical Skills Employment Permit. This is the main employment permit and is targeted at highly skilled people, such as ICT professionals, professional engineers, and technologists who can fulfill roles within the Critical Skills Occupations List
• General Employment Permit. An employment permit that enables you to work in Ireland in a broad range of occupations
• Intra-Company Transfer Permit. Designed to facilitate the transfer of senior management, key personnel, or trainees to Ireland who works in a multi-national company
• Exchange Agreement Employment Permit. Designed to facilitate the employment of non-EEA nationals pursuant to prescribed agreements between Ireland and other parties
• Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit. If you are the dependent/spouse/civil partner/de facto partner of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, you can apply for this permit which will enable you to apply for any job in Ireland
• Contract for Services Employment Permit. Designed for situations where a contractor has won a contract to provide services to an Irish company
• Reactivation Employment Permit. For those who entered Ireland on a valid employment permit but who fell out of the system through no fault of their own
• Internship Employment Permit. Designed to facilitate employment in Ireland for those studying in a discipline relevant to occupations under the Critical Skills Employment Permit for the purposes of gaining work experience
• Sports & Cultural Employment Permit. This is for sportspersons and those involved in cultural professions who have the relevant qualifications and skills to develop and operate sporting and cultural activities in Ireland

In the vast majority of cases, you will need to have a job offer/employment contract from an Irish company in order to be eligible for an employment permit in Ireland. You cannot receive immigration permission to work in Ireland without an employment permit.

Once you have received a job offer and know which employment permit you are applying for, you can complete the online employment permit application form.

However, bear in mind that you might not need to apply for an employment permit to work in Ireland if you are the spouse/civil partner/de facto partner of an Irish citizen, or if you are completing scientific research for an approved research organization.

If you do need to complete an employment permit application, you will need to provide a number of documents as part of the application process. The specific documents which you will need to submit will depend on the employment permit which you are applying for.

The following documents/information are necessary for all employment permit applications:

• Signature pages
• Passport-sized color photographs
• Copy of passport
• Copies of utility bills
• Copies of certified qualifications

If you move to Ireland on the basis of employment, you will receive an immigration ‘Stamp 1’ in your passport. This affords you the right to work in Ireland and operate a business in the country.

The Ireland employment permit application process can be a complex one. Should you need any help or assistance, our immigration legal experts are at hand. We will work with you to complete the application form and advise you on the documents you will need to submit with your application.

Call us now on (+353) 061 518 025 for more information about how we can help you secure your Ireland employment permit.

One of the main routes through which Americans emigrate to Ireland is through familial ties. If you are the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, you could be eligible to emigrate to Ireland on the basis of your relationship.

You could also be eligible for Irish residency if you are married to an EEA/Swiss national who is resident in Ireland.

In order to move to Ireland on the basis of your marriage/civil partnership with an Irish citizen, you will need to apply in writing to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), unless you have already entered Ireland legally within the last 90 days.

In addition, you must send the hand-written, completed application form along with supporting documentation to INIS.

You will need to provide the following documentation:

• Original marriage/civil partnership certificate
• Original passport and birth certificate
• Original passport and birth certificate of the applicant’s Irish spouse/civil partner
• Evidence that shows that the applicant’s sponsor has the financial means to support themselves and their partner

You should also include a photocopy of all the documents which are submitted as INIS will use the copies for processing purposes.

If your application is accepted, you will get ‘Stamp 4’ immigration permission in your passport. This means that you will be able to work and study in Ireland without any restrictions.

When the applicant arrives in Ireland, they must apply for immigration permission at their local registration office as soon as possible (more on this below).

De facto relationships are classed as those which are akin to a marriage/civil partnership. To emigrate to Ireland on the basis of your de facto relationship with an Irish citizen you will need to apply for de facto partnership immigration permission.

To be eligible, you need to prove that you have cohabited with your Irish citizen partner for at least two years and that you have a mutual commitment to a shared life together to the exclusion of all others.

If the applicant’s sponsor is an Irish resident, they must have Stamp 1, 4, or 5 residency permission in their passport.

If your partner is an EU national and not an Irish resident, you can apply for a residence card under EU Treaty Rights if you can prove that you have lived together for at least two years in a stable relationship.

The process of becoming an Irish resident through a de facto relationship is as follows:

1. As with all emigration applications, you will need to apply for immigration preclearance before traveling to Ireland
2. Travel to Ireland and prepare for border control with your passport and immigration preclearance letter
3. Apply for residency permission at a registration office when you arrive in Ireland. This should be done as soon as possible
4. You will be given a registration certificate, known as the Irish Residence Permit

It is worth bearing in mind that if you lived in Ireland under this immigration permission, you would need to renew your permission to remain every 12 months.

Moving to Ireland as a Family Member of an Employment Permit Holder

If you are the spouse/civil partner or dependent of an Irish resident who is living in the country under an employment permit, you can usually join your family member in Ireland.

In this situation, you would get a ‘Stamp 3’ in your passport, which doesn’t afford you the right to work in Ireland. However, if your partner is a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder, you will get stamp number 1G, which will enable you to work.

US citizens are able to come and study in Irish higher education institutions.

As US citizens are visa-exempt for Ireland, you will not have to apply for a study visa before travelling to Ireland for study purposes. However, you will have to register for immigration permission once arriving in Ireland, after which you will be granted with an Irish Residence Permit (if studying for longer than 90 days).

You should ensure that you meet all of the eligibility criteria for being granted permission to stay in Ireland for study purposes. These include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Being accepted onto a course from a recognised school or college in Ireland. The course must be listed on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP).
• Ability to pay all course fees.
• Evidence that you have enough money to support yourself while in Ireland (typically €10,000 a year).
• Evidence of private medical insurance.
• Confirmation that you will return back to the US once your course is finished.

Once you have been granted permission to stay as a student, you will also be able to work in Ireland. You will be able to work a maximum of 20 hours part-time per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during college vacation periods.

There are a number of other emigration routes that U.S. citizens could go down if they wish to relocate to Ireland.

The Start-up Entrepreneur Programme allows international entrepreneurs with an innovative business proposal and funding or financial backing of at least €50,000 to set up a business in Ireland. However, this scheme does not apply to retail, catering, and personal services business ideas.

As mentioned above, if you are married/in a civil partnership with an Irish resident who is an EEA/Swiss national, you could still be eligible to move to Ireland on the basis of your relationship with them under EU Treaty Rights. You will need to apply to INIS for permission to remain under EU Treaty Rights.

Once you have registered with your local registration office, you will receive a residence card with the wording ‘4 EU FAM’. You will not need an employment permit to work in Ireland if you are living under this immigration permission in the country.

Under the Zambrano ruling, non-EU parents of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EU member state can emigrate to that EU member state. This means that American parents of dependent Irish citizen children can live in Ireland. Those who meet this criterion won’t usually need an employment permit to work in Ireland.

As alluded to above, even if you are given preclearance and your immigration applications are accepted, you still need to report to border control when you arrive in Ireland. Ultimately, you need to prove to the immigration official that you have a valid reason for entering the country.

You should bring copies of your important documents to present to border control when you arrive. The immigration official will decide based on the information you have provided whether or not you can enter Ireland.

Immigration Registration in Ireland

If you emigrate to Ireland on the basis of employment or being the spouse/civil partner/dependent/de facto partner of an Irish citizen/resident, you will need to register with your local immigration office as soon as possible after you arrive in Ireland. Failure to do so could result in you being deported from Ireland.

If you are going to live in Dublin, you will need to register at the Burgh immigration office. Otherwise, you will need to register at your nearest immigration registration office. Currently, it costs €300 per person for the initial IRP application and for every renewal of the IRP.

If immigration officials are satisfied with the information you provide, you will be given an Irish Residence Permit (IRP). This is a registration certificate that you should carry with you at all times.

The IRP indicates your immigration permission has been registered as well as the type of immigration permission you have.

You will need to renew your IRP before it expires in order to keep your legal status in Ireland. After five years of reckonable residence (legal residence that counts toward naturalization) in the country, you will usually be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship.

If you have Irish ancestry or you were born in Ireland, you could be eligible for Irish citizenship even if you do not live in Ireland.

With Irish citizenship, you will, of course, not be subject to any immigration conditions and will be free to emigrate to Ireland.

Irish Citizenship by Birth

• If you were born on the island of Ireland on or before 1^st January 2005, you are automatically eligible for Irish citizenship
• If you were born in Ireland on or after 1^st January 2005 and one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you are eligible for Irish citizenship by birth
• If you were born on or after 1^st January 2005 and one of your parents is British or has permission to reside in Ireland or Northern Ireland, you are eligible for Irish citizenship by birth

There is also another route to Irish citizenship known as Irish citizenship by descent. You could be eligible for Irish citizenship even if you haven’t ever stepped foot in Ireland.

If one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth and you were born outside of Ireland, you will be eligible for Irish citizenship. Also, if your parent was deceased at the time of your birth but would have been an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you are eligible for citizenship.

If one of your grandparents was born in Ireland you are eligible for Irish citizenship, even if they have renounced their Irish citizenship.

There is also a route to Irish citizenship through adoption. If a child was adopted by an Irish citizen or a couple where either spouse was an Irish citizen, they will be eligible for Irish citizenship.

If you would like more information on citizenship by birth or descent, including the full requirements and application process, our immigration attorneys are here to help. Call us now on +1 844 290 6312 for immediate assistance.

How much it would cost to move to Ireland from the US depends on your own personal circumstances.

Typically, moving your belongings and possessions to Ireland can incur fees starting from $1,500 and rising to $10,000 or more if you have a significant number of personal belongings. The fee will also typically rise if you have a large number of heavy or bulky items, such as furniture, that you will be bringing with you to Ireland.

You will also have to factor in the cost of any permits you will acquire when in Ireland. Some permits may be free, but others may cost around €500 to €1,500.

Initial travel from the US to Ireland must be factored in as well. Direct flights to Ireland from the US may typically cost around $1000 per person one way.

Finally, you may have to factor in the cost of a deposit for your new accommodation in Ireland. If renting, this may typically be around one month’s worth of rent. If you have acquired a mortgage in Ireland, the deposit may be around 10% of the overall cost of the property.

Average rent in Ireland in 2024 was around €1,612, while the average sale price for properties was around €345,000.

Ireland has a host of potential benefits for US expats looking to settle in a new country.

One of these is settling in to a friendly and open society – Ireland is generally regarded as welcoming to foreigners, with many people reporting the Irish population to be easy to get along with and socialise with.

Ireland also offers government-funded healthcare which is available to foreigners if they apply for long-term residency status after spending at least 5 years in the country. This could represent a dramatic financial saving in the long-term compared to the cost of healthcare in the US.

Ireland also has a relatively low crime rate compared to the US, with a crime index score of 46.8 compared to the US’s 49.2. Using this metric, Ireland is also statistically a safer nation than the UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Belgium and Italy.

Finally, Ireland is a member of the EU and is located close to many other European travel destinations, such as the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. Residency in Ireland will mean having relatively easy access to these other countries, and, if you decide to become an Irish citizen by naturalization, membership of the EU as well.

As previously mentioned, Ireland is generally considered to be a safe place to travel to and live in.

Ireland has an overall crime index of 46.8, which places it 70th highest in the overall list of 146 countries in the world (i.e. there are 69 countries in the world that are less safe than Ireland).

Ireland also has a safety index of 53.2, which similarly places it 70th highest in the overall list of countries.

Generally speaking, you should exercise normal safety precautions when in Ireland. Crime is more likely to occur in dense and urban population centres, especially petty crimes such as pickpocketing. You should ensure that you are generally aware of your surroundings when in Ireland and follow all safety warnings, signs and guidance when out and about. This also includes if you are travelling through rural or less-populated areas, where there may be guidance you have to follow in order to traverse the landscape safely.