World Watch/Ireland/Digital Nomad & Residency

Digital Nomad & Residency · Ireland

Ireland digital nomad visa & residency (2026)

Via other routeImmigration Act 2004 / Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) administrative immigration permissions; EU freedom-of-movement law for EEA/Swiss nationalsCountry index 89 · A

Ireland shaded by its digital nomad & residency status

Ireland has no dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa for non-EEA nationals as of 2026. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens may live and work remotely without a visa, while other relocators of independent means typically use the Stamp 0 permission (requiring ~€50,000 annual income and self-sufficiency), under which remote work is permitted only if expressly stated in the ISD permission letter. Ireland's residency-by-investment 'golden visa' (Immigrant Investor Programme) was closed in February 2023.

Key points

No dedicated nomad visa

Ireland has not introduced a digital-nomad or remote-work visa allowing non-EEA nationals to reside in Ireland while working remotely for a foreign employer; immigration is structured around employment permits, study, family, or independent-means routes.

EU/EEA freedom of movement

EU, EEA and Swiss nationals do not need a visa or permission to enter, live, or work (including remotely) in Ireland; this is the simplest path for relocating remote workers from those states.

Stamp 0 — persons of independent means

Stamp 0 is a temporary, fully self-sufficient residence permission requiring a verifiable annual income of at least €50,000 (€100,000 combined for a couple) plus a lump sum for emergencies; holders may not work or run a business unless explicitly authorised in their ISD permission letter and cannot use publicly funded services.

Short-stay 'C' visa excludes work

The short-stay C visa permits up to 90 days but does not allow taking up employment or using public services; working remotely on tourist permission risks refusal of future visas.

Employment-permit routes for sponsored work

Non-EEA nationals coming to work for an Irish employer use the long-stay employment visa tied to permits such as the Critical Skills Employment Permit; these target local employment rather than location-independent remote work for foreign companies.

Golden visa (IIP) closed

Ireland's residency-by-investment Immigrant Investor Programme closed to new applications on 15 February 2023 amid EU/OECD concerns over money laundering and due-diligence weaknesses; no replacement investment-residency scheme exists.

Timeline - major decisions & events

Mar 1, 2026decisionofficial
New minimum salary thresholds take effect for all employment permits

Minimum Annual Remuneration rises for every permit category (General Employment Permit €34,000→€36,605; Critical Skills €38,000→€40,904), the first step in a phased roadmap raising the bar for skilled-worker residency through 2030.

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Dec 2, 2025guidanceofficial
Government unveils roadmap for gradual rise in employment permit salary thresholds

DETE published a phased plan to lift permit salary floors (which had stagnated since 2014) gradually to 2030, softening earlier steeper increases and reshaping who qualifies to relocate and reside in Ireland for work.

gov.ie
Aug 7, 2025guidanceofficial
Stamp 0 confirmed as de-facto route for self-sufficient remote workers and retirees

Ireland has no dedicated digital nomad visa; non-EEA remote workers and persons of independent means rely on Stamp 0, which permits residence (income ~€50,000/yr plus reserves and private health insurance) while working for an overseas employer but bars working in Ireland.

Immigration Service Delivery
Sep 2, 2024lawofficial
Employment Permits Act 2024 comes into force

Commencement of the modernised permit regime (enacted 25 June 2024): nine permit types, a new Seasonal Employment Permit, ability to change employer after nine months, and scrapping of newspaper advertising in favour of online job posting.

Irish Statute Book
Mar 7, 2024guidanceofficial
WRC Code of Practice on Right to Request Flexible and Remote Working

S.I. No. 92/2024 brought into operation the Workplace Relations Commission code activating the statutory right of employees to request remote work, setting the process employers must follow for in-country remote arrangements.

Irish Statute Book
Apr 4, 2023lawofficial
Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 signed into law

Act No. 8 of 2023 introduced a statutory right for employees to request remote working, the first legislative framework in Ireland addressing remote work arrangements (though it grants a right to request, not a right to work remotely).

Irish Statute Book
Feb 15, 2023decisionofficial
Closure of the Immigrant Investor Programme (golden visa)

The Minister for Justice closed Ireland's residency-by-investment programme to new applicants, citing concerns raised by the EU Commission, Council of Europe and OECD over money laundering and security, removing a major residency route for non-EEA nationals.

gov.ie
Oct 1, 2014lawofficial
Critical Skills Employment Permit replaces the Green Card permit

Ireland introduced the CSEP to attract highly skilled workers (ICT, engineering, etc.) with no labour market needs test and a fast track to permanent residence, becoming the principal skilled-migration pathway still in use today.

Citizens Information
Jan 1, 2012lawofficial
Immigrant Investor Programme and Start-up Entrepreneur Programme launched

Ireland created two residency routes for non-EEA nationals: the IIP (investment-based) and STEP (innovative business with €50,000 funding), establishing the investor/entrepreneur residency framework — STEP remains open after the IIP's 2023 closure.

Citizens Information
Jun 23, 2006lawofficial
Employment Permits Act 2006 enacted

Established the modern statutory employment-permit system (including the Green Card scheme) that governs how non-EEA nationals obtain the right to work and reside in Ireland, the foundation later reformed by the 2014 amendments and 2024 Act.

Irish Statute Book

Ireland - other topics

Last verified 5/23/2026 · Orientation, not legal advice - verify against the primary sources linked above. Explore the full world map →