Family visa in Ireland

• If you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, an Irish citizen you may get permission to live in Ireland and work without an employment permit. You have no automatic right to live in Ireland after the marriage: Immigration Service Delivery decides case by case and wants evidence of a committed relationship and of genuinely living together.
• You must be at least 18, in a marriage or civil partnership freely entered, lawfully conducted and recognised under Irish law, living in one household and intending to live together continuously in Ireland. You must also be of good character and show you will not become an undue burden on the State. The page does not apply to EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.
• The policy sets no minimum length of marriage, but it asks for evidence that you have met in person before and since the marriage. If a marriage that brought a spouse to Ireland ends, the sponsor cannot be joined by a new spouse for five years from the first spousal permission.
• De facto partners, minor children and dependent parents apply separately. A de facto partner needs a relationship akin to marriage with at least two years of living together and must be pre-cleared before arriving, and pays the €300 registration fee that a spouse does not.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The sponsor's test is gross earnings over and above State benefits, taken over the three years before the application. The financial thresholds page and the policy set about €75,000 cumulative (about €25,000 a year), while the in-country scheme page says between about €40,000 and about €75,000 depending on the page. To be safe, have more than €76,000 over three years.
• Only one sponsor's income counts, so you cannot add your own to reach the level. The Irish citizen must not have been mainly reliant on State supports for two continuous years or more just before applying, and the policy says declared and verifiable savings can be weighed where income falls short.
• The visa file shows six months of bank statements for both of you. A sponsor living in Ireland adds a Revenue Employment Detail Summary for the three years before the application and three recent payslips, or three years of Notices of Assessment if self-employed.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• If you apply in the State, you bring your original marriage or civil partnership certificate, both original passports, evidence of your joint address and evidence of financial means. Registration and renewal add the passport page of your Irish spouse and private medical insurance valid for the stay.
• A spouse who needs a visa sends an application form, two photographs, a passport valid for at least 12 months, a letter of application, the sponsor's Irish passport and the marriage certificate. If you have not lived together since the wedding, you add a full relationship history.
• State-issued civil documents from outside the EEA must be attested or apostilled by the issuing state's foreign ministry and translated into English or Irish if needed. The lists we read ask for no police certificate.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The route depends on your situation. With a registered permission you renew online or go to your local immigration office; after entering on a join-family visa you book a registration appointment; with no permission, a short-stay visa or a refused registration, you send the Spouse of Irish National Form through the Customer Service Portal.
• A non-visa-required national needs no visa or preclearance to travel with their Irish spouse. You tell the immigration officer on arrival that you have come for family reunification, and you must register within 90 days. The family reunification FAQ says applications are not accepted for relatives already in the State as visitors, so confirm your route with Immigration Service Delivery.
• The scheme page gives no processing time and says very high volumes are delaying it. The join-family visa target for Irish citizen sponsors is six months, not legally binding. A refusal on the in-State route can be reviewed if you ask within two months.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• The registration fee is €300 per person, but it is waived for the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen. A de facto partner of an Irish national still pays €300.
• The scheme page states no application fee for the Spouse of Irish National Form, so it is unknown from the page; the join-family visa page points to a separate fee table.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Stamp 4 is permission to stay for a specified period, subject to conditions. You can take employment without an employment permit and run a business, and you must renew before it expires. The pages we read do not state how long the first spouse permission lasts; the approval letter gives the registration and renewal details.
• Permission can be revoked if you were not eligible, gave false information, broke its conditions or failed to register. Your residence depends on the sponsor's continued status, and after a break-up you can seek an independent permission with three years in a subsisting relationship, the last two lived in Ireland.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Stamp 4 counts as reckonable residence for naturalisation. A spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen can apply after three years of marriage and three years of reckonable residence on the island of Ireland, with 12 continuous months just before applying. The application fee is €175, plus up to €950 when the certificate is approved.
• Long Term Residency is built on 60 months of employment permits, and its page lists Stamp 4 as the spouse of an Irish national among stamps that do not count towards it.

Sources: Immigration Service Delivery, Citizens Information (public information service). Checked 17 October 2026.

• You are tax resident in Ireland if you spend 183 days or more there in a tax year, or 280 days or more across two years together. The stamp and scheme pages name no special tax regime for this permission.
• For 2026 a single PAYE employee pays 20% on income up to €44,000 and 40% on the balance, and USC is charged on total income in bands of 0.5%, 2%, 3% and 8%.
• Someone who is resident but not domiciled in Ireland pays tax on foreign income only to the extent it is remitted into Ireland. The pages read do not say whether that applies to the spouse of an Irish citizen.

Sources: Revenue Commissioners (Irish tax authority), Immigration Service Delivery. Checked 17 October 2026.

• Retirement visa in Ireland
• Work permit in Ireland

• Visas in Ireland
• Ireland

1. List of Visa Required and Non-Visa Required Nationalities, May 2025, Department of Foreign Affairs, Embassy of Ireland in Belgium (assistance copy of the Irish visa list; not the ISD page). Checked 16 October 2026. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States of America are in the non-visa column. Says Ireland is not in the Schengen Area.
2. Visas for Ireland (US citizens), Consulate General of Ireland, San Francisco (ireland.ie, Department of Foreign Affairs). Checked 16 October 2026. US citizens are not visa required and may remain up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes.
3. Join family visa (Irish national sponsor), Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 11 September 2026.
4. Apostille requirements, Internet Archive copy, US Department of State (Internet Archive copy of 24 June 2024). Checked 16 October 2026. Page last updated 20 May 2024.
5. US citizens and residents abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 16 October 2026. US citizens abroad generally file in the same way as those living in the United States.
6. Foreign earned income exclusion, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 16 October 2026. Maximum exclusion for tax year 2026: 132,900 US dollars per person.
7. Convention between the United States and Ireland for the avoidance of double taxation (signed at Dublin, 28 July 1997), Internal Revenue Service (treaty text). Checked 16 October 2026. Article 1(4) saving clause; Article 4(3) tie-breaker; Article 18(1)(b) social security payments taxable only in the state of residence; Article 24 US credit for Irish tax.
8. Totalization Agreement with Ireland (Internet Archive copy of 20 April 2026), US Social Security Administration. Checked 16 October 2026. Self-employed workers who live in the US are covered by the US; those who live in Ireland by Ireland.
9. Authentication of documents: frequently asked questions, Global Affairs Canada. Checked 15 October 2026. Date modified 26 August 2026. The Apostille Convention entered into force in Canada on 11 January 2024; Global Affairs Canada authenticates name-based criminal record checks at no fee, and Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Québec and Saskatchewan issue apostilles for their own documents.
10. Canada-Ireland Income Tax Convention, signed 8 October 2003 (Department of Finance convenience copy), Department of Finance Canada. Checked 16 October 2026. Page dated 10 October 2019, opened 16 October 2026; the page says the copy is for convenience of reference only and has no official sanction. Article 4(2): if both states treat you as resident, permanent home, then centre of vital interests, then habitual abode, then nationality. Article 14: independent professional income taxable only in the state of residence unless a fixed base is regularly available in the other state. Article 15: employment income taxed where the work is done, unless present 183 days or less in any twelve-month period, the employer is not resident there and no permanent establishment or fixed base there bears the pay. Article 18: pensions taxable in the state of residence and also in the state where they arise, with periodic pension payments capped at the lesser of 15% of the amount over 12,000 Canadian dollars and a rate-based limit. Article 23: each state gives credit for the other's tax. Article 28(2): where relief is given and the other state taxes on a remittance basis, relief applies only to the part remitted. Article 29(2): the 1966 agreement ceases to have effect as the 2003 convention takes effect. No clause lets either state tax its own citizens living in the other.
11. Agreement on Social Security between Canada and Ireland, signed at Ottawa 29 November 1990 (SI/92-53, in force 1 January 1992), Department of Justice Canada (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca). Checked 16 October 2026. Regulations current to 21 September 2026, opened 16 October 2026. Article VI: an employed person who works in the territory of one Party is subject only to that Party's legislation for that work; a self-employed person who ordinarily resides in one Party and works on their own account in the other, or in both, is subject only to the legislation of the Party of residence; an employed person sent by the same employer from one Party to the other stays under the first Party's legislation for 24 months, which the competent authorities can extend. The 1972 Canada Pension Plan agreement with Ireland is superseded.
12. Notarial services and fees (fee schedule from 1 January 2026), Internet Archive copy, Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. Internet Archive capture of 7 October 2026: an apostille costs A$105 per document.
13. Notarial services in Australia: how to request document legalisation, Internet Archive copy, Australian Government, DFAT (Smartraveller), Internet Archive copy. Checked 15 October 2026. DFAT legalises documents by mail or in person; a document that is not an original Australian public document first goes to an Australian Notary Public.
14. Synthesised text of the MLI and the Agreement between Ireland and Australia (income and capital gains), Revenue Commissioners (revenue.ie), prepared with the Australian Taxation Office. Checked 16 October 2026. The official PDF text, opened 16 October 2026. Article 4: a person is resident of a state for the treaty by that state's tax law, and a dual resident is resident only where they have a permanent home, then habitual abode, then closer personal and economic relations (no citizenship step); Article 15 independent services taxable only in the state of residence unless there is a fixed base in the other; Article 16 employment income taxable in the state of residence unless the work is done in the other, with a 183-day exemption that also needs a non-resident employer and no deduction there; Article 19 pensions and annuities paid to a resident of a state taxable only in that state; Article 11 dividends capped at 15%, Article 12 interest at 10%, Article 13 royalties at 10%; Article 25 credit for the other state's tax. Authentic treaty and MLI texts take precedence.
15. Social Security Agreement between Australia and Ireland: text, Internet Archive copy of 26 November 2024, Department of Social Services (Australian Government). Checked 16 October 2026. The agreement text (reviewing the agreement of 8 April 1991). Article 2: covers the Australian age pension, disability support pension for the severely disabled and pensions for widowed persons, the Irish contributory pensions, and, for Ireland, the liability for employment and self-employment contributions; the superannuation guarantee laws only for Part II. Part II (Articles 5 to 9): an employee who works in one country is covered only by that country's legislation; an employee sent by an employer covered in one country to work temporarily in the other stays under the sending country's legislation for up to 4 years (extendable by the competent authorities); Part II speaks of employers and employees and sets no separate rule for the self-employed. Articles 10 to 14: totalisation of Australian residence and Irish insurance periods. Article 17: benefits payable in both territories.
16. Use your NZ documents overseas (apostille and authentication), New Zealand Government (govt.nz), Department of Internal Affairs Authentication Unit. Checked 16 October 2026. Opened 16 October 2026. Ireland is on the list of apostille countries; NZ$37 for one certificate (15 working days) or NZ$120 on the urgent service (5 working days).
17. Ireland: double tax agreement (1986), Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 16 October 2026. Opened 16 October 2026. Status in force; signed 19 September 1986; in force 26 September 1988; effective in New Zealand from the income year beginning 1 April 1989; links the Double Taxation Relief (Ireland) Order 1988.
18. Social Security Agreement with Ireland, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development). Checked 16 October 2026. Opened 16 October 2026 (updated 23 June 2026). New Zealand payments covered: NZ Super, Veteran's Pension, Supported Living Payment, Sole Parent Support for widows and widowers, Orphan's Benefit; Irish payments covered: State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Transition), Invalidity Pension, Widow's or Widower's (Contributory) Pension, Orphan's Contributory Allowance, Bereavement Grant, Guardian's Payment (Contributory); periods of residence in either country can be added together.
19. Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National Scheme, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 17 February 2026. Banner says very high volumes are delaying processing.
20. Financial Thresholds for Non-EEA Family Reunification, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 12 June 2026; Category A sponsors are Irish nationals.
21. Immigration permission/stamps, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 5 June 2026.
22. Policy Document on Non-EEA Family Reunification (12 June 2026), Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. 34-page PDF dated 12 June 2026; sections 7, 10, 16 and Appendices C and D read.
23. Joining an Irish national, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 12 June 2026.
24. Frequently asked questions for joining family, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 29 June 2026; target times are guidance and not legally binding.
25. Required Documents (registration, renewal and fee table), Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 1 October 2026; fee table is described as non-exhaustive and subject to change.
26. How to register your immigration permission for the first time, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 1 October 2025.
27. Becoming an Irish citizen through naturalisation, Citizens Information (public information service). Checked 17 October 2026. No page date shown; opened 17 October 2026.
28. Long Term Residency, Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Checked 17 October 2026. Page last updated 6 February 2025; lists stamps that do not count, including Spouse of Irish National Stamp 4.
29. How to know if you are resident for tax purposes, Revenue Commissioners (Irish tax authority). Checked 16 October 2026. Published 24 November 2025. 183 days in a tax year, or 280 days over two years together; 30 days or fewer is not resident.
30. Tax rates, bands and reliefs, Revenue Commissioners (Irish tax authority). Checked 16 October 2026. Tax year 2026: 20% up to 44,000 euros for a single person, balance at 40%. The page notes Budget 2027 changes announced on 6 October 2026.
31. Universal Social Charge (USC): overview, Revenue Commissioners (Irish tax authority). Checked 16 October 2026. Published 12 December 2025. USC is due on the full income if total income exceeds 13,000 euros.
32. What is domicile and the domicile levy?, Revenue Commissioners (Irish tax authority). Checked 16 October 2026. Published 24 November 2025. Remittance basis for people resident, not ordinarily resident and not domiciled.