Arriving in Ireland is only half the journey. Whatever brought you here, a job, a course, a graduate offer or a family reunion, your first practical task is the same: register your immigration permission and receive your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. What differs is the stamp you are registered under, because the stamp decides what you may and may not do. This guide walks every arrival audience through it, as of mid-2026. Rules, fees and thresholds change, so always confirm against the official pages linked below before you act.
Two things happen: entry, then registration
It helps to separate the two moments. When you land, an immigration officer grants you an initial landing permission. Then, if you plan to stay beyond three months, you must formally register that permission and be issued an IRP card. Registration is done in person: if you live in Dublin, at the Burgh Quay Registration Office (by appointment through the ISD portal); if you live outside Dublin, at your local immigration registration office, usually run by the Garda. Register within the early weeks of arriving rather than leaving it until your landing stamp is nearly up.
The IRP card is what you will use for everyday life, from opening a bank account to proving your status to an employer or landlord. The card shows your stamp, and the stamp is the whole story.
Stamp 1 — employment permit holders
If you arrived on a General or Critical Skills Employment Permit, you register for Stamp 1. Bring your passport, your employment permit and a current contract of employment to your appointment. Stamp 1 ties your right to work to that permit: you work for the employer and in the role named on it, and a change of employer generally means a new or amended permit.
The milestone to keep in view is Stamp 4. Holders of a Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) can typically apply to move to Stamp 4 after roughly 21 months, using a support letter from DETE. General Employment Permit holders take a longer road, usually five years of permit-based residence. Either way, diary the date early; Stamp 4 removes the permit tie entirely.
Stamp 2 — students on an approved course
If you came to study a full-time course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP), you register for Stamp 2. You will need your passport, proof of enrolment, evidence of fees paid and private medical insurance. Stamp 2 lets you work up to 20 hours per week during term and up to 40 hours per week during official holiday periods. That casual-work right is a real help with living costs, but study, not work, must remain the purpose of your stay. The programme is time-limited: you can hold Stamp 2 for a maximum of seven years of study in total.
Stamp 1G — graduates, and permit-holders' spouses or partners
Stamp 1G covers two very different groups, so check which one is yours.
Graduates on the Third Level Graduate Programme. After finishing an eligible Irish qualification, you can stay to look for and take up work. A Level 8 award gives you 12 months; a master's or other Level 9 (or higher) award gives you 24 months. During this time you may work full-time without an employment permit, but you may not be self-employed or set up a business. Treat it as a bridge: use the window to land a permit-eligible role before the clock runs out.
Spouses and partners of Critical Skills permit holders. If you joined a CSEP holder as their spouse or de facto partner, you may also hold Stamp 1G, and in this version you can work without an employment permit (again, not self-employed). This permission is renewed annually and can lead to Stamp 4 after five years of reckonable residence.
Stamp 3 — joining family and dependants
If you came to join a family member, for example as the spouse or dependant of a General Employment Permit holder, you are usually granted Stamp 3. The key point to understand up front: Stamp 3 does not carry the right to work. It permits residence with your family, not employment or business.
That does not mean you are stuck. To work, you move to a working permission, most commonly by having an employer apply for your own employment permit, which then lets you register for Stamp 1. Some family members later qualify for Stamp 4 through their sponsor's longer-term status. If work matters to you, plan that step from the start rather than discovering the restriction after you arrive.
Stamp 4 — live and work freely
Stamp 4 is the one most people are working towards. It lets you live and work in Ireland without an employment permit, change jobs freely, and, in most cases, be self-employed. People reach it by different routes: a CSEP holder after about 21 months, a General Permit holder or a Stamp 1G spouse after five years, family members of Irish or settled residents, and others. If you already hold Stamp 4, registration is straightforward, but still confirm the documents your category requires.
Two more, briefly
For completeness, two stamps that carry no right to work:
- Stamp 0 — a limited permission for people who are financially self-sufficient or here for a specific short-term purpose. No work, no access to public funds.
- Stamp 2A — for students on a course not on the ILEP list. It allows study but no work at all, unlike Stamp 2.
What you will typically need
Documents vary by stamp, so check the current list before your appointment. In general, expect to provide:
- Your passport and evidence of your permission (employment permit, enrolment letter, graduation documents or family evidence, as relevant).
- Supporting evidence for your stamp, such as a contract of employment, proof of fees and medical insurance, or your sponsor's status.
- The registration fee, currently €300 in most cases, though certain categories are exempt.
- Proof of address and anything else specified for your category.
Practical tips from us
- Book early. Appointment slots move quickly, especially at Burgh Quay, so arrange registration as soon as you can.
- Bring originals and copies. Missing a single document usually means rebooking and losing weeks.
- Know your stamp before you go. It defines what you can do; do not assume a work right you may not have.
- Diary your expiry date. Renew before your permission lapses. Falling out of status is far harder to fix than staying ahead of it.
- Check the official page first. Fees, locations and appointment systems are updated periodically, so verify close to your appointment.
Our take
Registration is the moment your move to Ireland becomes real, and it looks different depending on why you came. A worker, a student, a graduate and a joining spouse each walk in with a different stamp and different rights, and the people who find the process painless are the ones who understood their stamp, prepared their documents and booked ahead. Whichever route brought you here, we are glad to talk you through exactly what your category needs, so your first weeks are spent settling in rather than queuing.