Stamp 3 Permission

No. Stamp 3 gives you permission to reside for a specified period only. It carries no right to take up employment, and no right to run a business, trade or profession. If you need to work, you need a different permission, such as Stamp 1 on an employment permit or Stamp 1G under the spousal and partner scheme.

You may hold either, but the key change is that Stamp 3 no longer means no work for this group. Under a Department of Justice measure from 15 May 2024, eligible spouses and partners of employment permit holders had their Stamp 3 varied to the same conditions as Stamp 1G, provided they were granted family reunification under the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy. So you can work without a separate employment permit, and you receive a Stamp 1G endorsement on your next IRP renewal. Our team checks which stamp and conditions apply to you and gets your paperwork right.

Most likely yes, as of 2026. Under a Department of Justice measure from 15 May 2024, eligible spouses and partners of employment permit holders had their Stamp 3 varied to the same conditions as Stamp 1G, so you can work without a separate employment permit, provided you were granted family reunification under the Non-EEA Family Reunification Policy and hold a Stamp 3 on an in-date IRP card. Until your card is renewed, the official notice letter plus your Stamp 3 IRP is your proof of the right to work for an employer. At your next renewal you receive a Stamp 1G endorsement, and that changeover was due to be complete by 15 May 2025. Our team confirms you meet the conditions and gets your paperwork right.

You often do not have to leave the country. Because Stamp 3 is a dependent permission, it starts from an underlying grant, so the family reunification or dependant application usually needs to be approved first. Once it is, you may in defined cases apply to Immigration Service Delivery to change your status and register your new Stamp 3 permission, rather than entering fresh from abroad. This route can suit graduates whose Stamp 1G is ending and who are joining a family member, and students moving to a dependant permission. Timing matters, so our team lines up the change before your current permission runs out to keep your residence continuous.

Yes. Stamp 3 time can count as reckonable residence when you apply for citizenship by naturalisation. Keep in mind that it does not by itself qualify you for Stamp 4. Whether you can move to Stamp 4 depends on the specific criteria of a particular scheme.

If you obtain an employment permit, or you qualify under the spousal and partner scheme, you move onto Stamp 1 or Stamp 1G and gain the right to work. We help you plan the route and time the switch so there is no gap in your permission.

In most cases yes, both when you first register and on each renewal. There are exemptions, including for people under 18, spouses of Irish citizens, and family members of EU citizens. We confirm whether an exemption applies to you before you pay.

Stamp 0 is a separate and more limited permission. It is used for visiting academics who are paid from abroad for under nine months, older dependent relatives, and persons of independent means such as retirees. That last category generally needs an income of around €50,000 a year plus access to a lump sum, private medical insurance, and an application made before arriving in Ireland. Stamp 0 is a temporary permission and is not intended as a route to long-term residency or citizenship, so it sits below Stamp 3 in terms of what it allows.

You should renew before it expires. Letting it lapse can leave you outside lawful residence and create a gap that affects a future naturalisation application. Start the renewal in good time rather than on the final day.

Non-working dependants, including children who have joined a family member in Ireland, can hold Stamp 3. Children under 18 are exempt from the registration fee. We make sure each family member's documents are prepared correctly for registration.