Employment Permits in Ireland: What Employers Need to Check

If you want to hire someone from outside the European Economic Area, Irish law generally requires an employment permit (or other immigration permission) before they start work. This guide covers what employers need to check on employment permits in Ireland: who needs a permit, what the Employment Permits Act 2024 says about employers, the employer conditions the Department of Enterprise sets out, and what to do once a permit is granted. Permit rules change often, so treat this as a checklist of questions and confirm the current position on the official pages. It is general information, not legal advice or immigration advice.

Step one: does the person need a permit?

The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) says non-EEA nationals generally need a valid employment permit or immigration permission from the Minister for Justice to work in the State, and defines the EEA as the EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Its page lists people who do not need one, including non-EEA nationals with certain permissions to remain (for example the spouse, civil partner or dependant of an Irish or EEA national, or a parent of an Irish citizen), registered students within set hours, and Swiss nationals. The page also says permit holders with five consecutive years of lawful work may apply to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 permission. The page shows no last-updated date, with only a 2021 reference, so check it directly before you rely on the list.

Our suggestion is to ask for evidence of right to work early in recruitment and keep a copy, then work out which route applies before you make a job offer you cannot honour. Once the hire is confirmed, the onboarding steps in our guide to written statements, probation and mandatory training apply to the new starter as they would for any other employee.

What the 2024 Act says about employers

The Employment Permits Act 2024 was signed into law on 25 June 2024, and DETE’s notices page says it took effect on 2 September 2024. Section 7 of the Act, as enacted, contains these points:

• a foreign national may not work in the State without a valid employment permit;
• a person may not employ a foreign national in the State without a valid permit;
• where a contract services arrangement is likely to be carried out by workers employed by others, the relevant person must take reasonable steps to ensure any foreign nationals among them hold valid permits; and
• contravening these provisions is an offence, and for the employer provisions it is a defence to show that all reasonable steps were taken to comply.

The section as we read it does not state a penalty, and we are not giving one. The WRC’s employment permits page (no date shown) makes the same point in plain terms: employers must not employ a non-EEA national without an appropriate permit, except in specific cases, and it is an offence under the Employment Permits Acts for employers and employees.

Section 63 of the Act sets out record-keeping duties for employers of foreign nationals with employment permits. As summarised from the enacted text, employers must keep records of the employment, its duration and the permit details, for five years (or longer if the employment continues beyond five years from the permit grant), and make the prescribed records available to an authorised officer for inspection. Failing to comply is an offence. Again, the section as read did not state penalties.

Employer conditions for a General Employment Permit

The Department’s page on the General Employment Permit (no last-updated date shown) says the employer must be registered with Revenue and, where applicable, the Companies Registration Office, must be currently trading in the State, and the worker must be employed, salaried and paid directly by the employer. Citizens Information (page last updated 2 March 2026) says similar and adds that the job must be offered before the permit application.

Two further tests commonly arise:

• The 50:50 rule. The Department says a permit will not issue unless, at the time of application, at least 50% of the employees in the firm are EEA nationals, with exceptions including certain start-ups and a sole-employee case. Citizens Information says the same in slightly different words (more than half), so check the exact wording on the Department’s page.
• The Labour Market Needs Test. For most General Employment Permit roles the employer must advertise the vacancy first. DETE’s notices page says the 2024 Act introduced rules requiring advertisement on DSP JobsIreland and EURES and on an additional online platform for at least 28 days. The Department lists exceptions, such as Critical Skills occupations.

The Department’s 2024 information note on key changes also says the Act allows vacancy notices to appear on online platforms rather than only in print media.

Salary thresholds, fees and quotas: check the current page

We are deliberately not quoting salary thresholds or fees here. The Department’s own permit pages show figures, but the General Employment Permit page we read carries no date, and its notices page records frequent changes: a roadmap for gradually increasing permit salary thresholds was published on 2 December 2025, and its entry for 1 January 2026 refers to a rise in the National Minimum Wage affecting new applications. Occupations lists were reviewed on 29 May 2026, and several quota-based occupations have been filled so that pending applications were rejected (the latest entry on the page we read was dated 26 August 2026). Employment Permits Online, launched on 28 April 2025, is the application route. Before you advertise a role, check the live thresholds, the occupation’s eligibility and whether quota space remains.

After the permit is granted

The WRC page says permit holders can only work for the employer and in the occupation named on the permit. If the holder stops working for the named employer during the permit’s validity, it says the original permit and certified copy must be returned immediately.

The 2024 information note and Citizens Information describe changes that help permit holders: General and Critical Skills permit holders can change employer after nine months (up to three such changes), the new employer and employee must sign a new contract, and the worker must start within one month of the reissued permit. Promotion or internal transfer within the same company no longer requires a new application where the skills and eligibility remain. If a permit holder is made redundant, Citizens Information says the Department must be notified within 28 days and the worker has six months to find another job. Citizens Information also says employers cannot deduct recruitment expenses from pay or hold a worker’s personal documents. The pages we read do not state whether an employer may recoup the permit fee from the employee, so take advice rather than assuming.

The pages we read do not set out permit holders’ general employment rights, so we make no claims on that. Our unfair dismissal guide covers dismissal in general, and any decision to end a permit holder’s employment is best handled with advice.

A practical approach for Dublin employers

These are our suggestions, not legal requirements:

• Plan the timeline. The Department’s General Employment Permit page says applications must be received at least 12 weeks before the proposed start date, while its 2024 FAQ recommends 8 to 12 weeks, so check the current page and build the time into offers and start dates.
• Keep a permit file. Store the permit, certified copy, contract and records in one place, mindful of the record-keeping duty.
• Diary the dates. Track expiry, renewal windows and the nine-month change-of-employer point.
• Check contractors. If you use agencies or subcontractors, ask how they confirm their workers’ permits.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an employment permit for an EU citizen?

DETE says non-EEA nationals generally need a permit. It defines the EEA as the EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, and the page does not set out separate rules for EEA nationals.

Is it an offence to employ someone without a permit?

Section 7 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 makes contravening the employer prohibition an offence, with a defence of having taken all reasonable steps. The section as read does not state the penalty.

How long must employers keep permit-related records?

Section 63, as enacted, requires records for five years, or longer if the employment continues beyond five years from the permit grant.

Can a permit holder change employer?

The Department’s 2024 information note and Citizens Information say General and Critical Skills permit holders can change employer after nine months, up to three times, with a new contract and start within one month of the reissued permit.

Who applies for the permit and pays the fee?

Citizens Information says the applicant can be the employer, the employee, a connected person or contractor, or an authorised agent, and that the applicant pays the fee. Check current fees on the Department’s page.

Confirming the permit route, the employer conditions and your record-keeping before you make an offer will save delays later.