Stamp 1 is the permission stamped into your passport and printed on your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card when you register as an employment permit holder. It also covers Working Holiday Authorisation holders, people on the Atypical Working Scheme and anyone given specific permission to run a business. The stamp itself is not something you apply for separately. It follows your underlying permission, so the real work is keeping your permit and your registration in step with each other.
Stamp 1 lets you work, but only within the terms of that underlying permission. You cannot take a second job outside your permit, freelance on the side or start a business without explicit permission. In return, every month on Stamp 1 is reckonable residence. It counts towards your Stamp 4 upgrade at 21 or 57 months, towards long term residency at 5 years, and towards Irish citizenship.
Made for people like you
Employment permit holders
Critical Skills, General, Intra-Company Transfer and other DETE permit holders all register on Stamp 1. It is the standard residence permission that sits alongside your permit.
Working Holiday Authorisation holders
WHA holders register on Stamp 1 for 12 months, or 24 months for Canadian-issued authorisations. This version is not renewable, so you plan around a fixed end date.
Atypical Working Scheme workers
If your AWS letter covers a stay of more than 90 days, you register on Stamp 1 for the period set out in the Minister's letter, common for locums and short specialist contracts.
People with an ISD business permission
Stamp 1 also covers people whose ISD permission letter expressly allows them to operate a business or be self-employed here. This is a separate route from the employment-permit one: without that specific ISD letter, no business or self-employment is allowed on Stamp 1.
Do you qualify?
You do not apply for Stamp 1 on its own. You qualify for it by holding an underlying permission, then register that permission with Immigration Service Delivery within 90 days of arriving.
You will need
- A valid employment permit issued by DETE, or an ISD permission letter that expressly allows you to work (and, if it says so, to set up a business or be self-employed)
- Or a Working Holiday Authorisation or an Atypical Working Scheme letter covering a stay of more than 90 days
- An in-date passport and, for visa-required nationals, the matching entry visa and landing stamp
- To register with ISD within 90 days of arrival if you are 16 or over and staying longer than 90 days
- The €300 registration fee, paid by credit or debit card at your appointment
This stamp is not for you if
- You are an EU, EEA, Swiss or UK national. You do not register with ISD at all
- You want to work for any employer without a permit. That is Stamp 4, which Stamp 1 leads to
- You plan to be self-employed or freelance. Stamp 1 does not allow that without specific permission
- You are coming to study full time. Students register on Stamp 2 under different rules
Stamp 1 today, Stamp 4 tomorrow
Stamp 1
You are here- Right to work
- For your permit employer only
- Business or self-employment
- Not without explicit permission
- Renewal cycle
- Usually every 12 months, €300
- Reckonable for citizenship
- Yes, every month counts
- How you get it
- Employment permit, WHA or AWS letter
Stamp 4
- Right to work
- Any employer, no permit needed
- Business or self-employment
- Yes, you can run a business
- Renewal cycle
- Every 1 or 2 years after an upgrade
- Reckonable for citizenship
- Yes
- How you get it
- 21 or 57 months on Stamp 1, among other routes
How the journey works
- 01
Secure the underlying permission
Before travelYour employment permit is approved by DETE, or you hold a Working Holiday Authorisation or an Atypical Working Scheme letter. Visa-required nationals then apply for the entry visa before flying.
- 02
Already in Ireland? Switch onto Stamp 1 without leaving
If you are switchingIf you are moving from Stamp 1G, a dependant stamp or another permission, you or your employer first apply to DETE for a General or Critical Skills Employment Permit for the new job. You can keep working on your current permission while it stays valid, but you cannot start permit-required work until the permit is granted. Once it issues, you register the change with ISD, in Dublin at Burgh Quay and elsewhere at your local registration office, bringing the new permit, your current IRP card and proof of address. There is no entry visa or landing stamp step, because you are already in the State, and any reckonable time you have already built up, including on Stamp 1G, keeps counting towards Stamp 4 and citizenship.
- 03
Arrive and get your landing stamp
At the border you receive a landing stamp in your passport. You need this before you can book registration, so keep the passport page safe. Booking happens after arrival, never before.
- 04
Book Burgh Quay within 90 days
Week 1-2All first-time registrations nationwide happen at the Registration Office at 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. You book free of charge through the ISD Customer Service Portal; slots are released on a rolling 90-day basis and third-party booking sites are scams. A booked appointment is enough to keep you legal past day 90.
- 05
Attend your registration appointment
Your documents are reviewed, your photo and fingerprints are taken, the Stamp 1 is placed in your passport and you pay the €300 fee by card. No cash is accepted. Allow up to an hour.
- 06
Receive your IRP card by post
~15 working daysThe card is posted to your home address. Keeping ISD informed of address changes is a legal requirement under the Immigration Act 2004, done through the Customer Service Portal.
- 07
Live within the conditions
Work only in the job your permit covers, take no side business, and try not to spend more than 90 days outside Ireland in a rolling year. If you are made redundant, notify DETE within 4 weeks so your options stay open.
- 08
Renew online, then climb the ladder
From 12 wks outRenewals are online only, from 12 weeks before your card expires, and you must hold an in-date employment permit before you apply. At 21 months on a Critical Skills permit, or 57 months on a General or ICT permit, the same portal handles your upgrade to Stamp 4.
What to gather
Start collecting these early. Weak or missing documents are the most common avoidable cause of delays and refusals.
Passport biometric page
In date. A landing stamp only applies if you entered Ireland from abroad for this permission; if you are already here switching to Stamp 1 you will not have a fresh one
Employment permit
Original, and in date on the day you register or renew
Employer letter
Proof of your new employment, for first registration
Current IRP card
For renewals
Recent payslip
Dated within the last 3 months, for renewals
Proof of address
ISD's universal requirement at registration
Entry visa and landing stamp
Optional. Only for visa-required nationals who arrived from abroad for this permission. Not needed if you are already in Ireland or switching from Stamp 1G or another permission
Private medical insurance
Where applicable. Cash-back policies are not accepted
Working Holiday Authorisation
If you registered under the WHA route
Atypical Working Scheme letter
The Minister's letter setting your permitted duration
Every case is different. We confirm your exact list at consultation.
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First IRP registration | €300 | Per adult. Credit or debit card only, no cash. |
| Each online renewal | €300 | Paid by card during the online submission. Returned if the renewal is refused. |
| General Employment Permit, paid to DETE | €500 or €1,000 | As of 2026, €500 for a permit of 6 months or less and €1,000 for up to 24 months. This is the permit fee, separate from the €300 IRP registration. There is no separate graduate version. |
| Critical Skills Employment Permit, paid to DETE | €1,000 | As of 2026, €1,000 for a permit of up to 24 months. Paid to DETE and separate from the €300 IRP registration. There is no separate graduate version. |
| Under-18s and exempt categories | Waived | Children under 18 pay nothing, as do certain categories such as spouses of Irish citizens. |
| Our consultation | Fixed fee | Agreed up front at booking, no surprises. |
The employment permit itself carries a separate DETE application fee. Registration fees are set by Immigration Service Delivery and can change, so we confirm the current figures with you before anything is paid.
How long it takes
Guide figures from current official processing information. Individual cases vary.
DETE employment permit decision
Published weekly
Your underlying permit is decided by DETE, not ISD, and you need it before you can register. As of 2026, DETE publishes its current processing dates each week and they move often, so our team checks the live figure before you file rather than promising a fixed estimate.
First appointment at Burgh Quay
Varies
Slots are released on a rolling 90-day basis through the portal, so book as soon as you land.
IRP card delivery
~15 working days
Posted after your appointment, or after a renewal is approved.
Stamp 1 renewal decision
~6 weeks
As of July 2026, ISD is deciding Stamp 1 renewals filed about six weeks earlier. Times are published weekly.
Grace period after card expiry
Up to 12 weeks
You can stay and work on your existing conditions, but only if you applied with a complete renewal before the card expired.
Why applications get refused
Most refusals are preventable. These are the patterns we see and design out of every application.
Renewing without an in-date employment permit
A valid employment permit must exist before you apply to renew a permit-linked Stamp 1. Applications filed without one are refused.
Avoid it: Renew the permit with DETE first, then file the IRP renewal. We sequence the two so neither lapses.
Applying to renew from outside Ireland
The online renewal includes a declaration that you are physically in the State. Applications made from abroad are refused.
Avoid it: File before you travel, or wait until you are back in Ireland with time to spare before expiry.
Applying too early
Renewals filed more than 12 weeks before the IRP expiry date are refused. There is no advantage to filing early anyway, because the new permission runs from your current expiry date.
Avoid it: Diary the 12-week mark. ISD sends no reminder letters, so the calendar is on you.
Letting the permission expire before applying
If your card expires before you file, you are out of permission and may not remain or work. The 12-week grace period only protects people who applied on time.
Avoid it: Treat the expiry date as a hard deadline. If a permit gap caused the lapse, ask us about the Reactivation Employment Permit route.
Missing an additional-information request
If ISD asks for more documents, you have 14 days to upload them through My Forms. Miss it and the application is closed, forcing a fresh application.
Avoid it: Watch the email address on your application daily while a renewal is pending, including spam folders.
Claiming a fee exemption in error
Selecting the fee-waived option when a €300 fee was actually due leads to refusal, not a payment request.
Avoid it: Check the official fee table before submitting. Most Stamp 1 holders pay the standard €300.
Common questions
Can I work for any employer on Stamp 1?+
No. Your right to work comes from the employment permit, which names one employer and one role. After 9 months on your first permit you can use the change of employer process under the Employment Permits Act 2024 to move jobs without a brand-new application, but you cannot simply switch on your own.
Can I freelance, drive for a delivery app or run a side business?+
Not on a standard Stamp 1. The stamp only allows work under your permit, and business, trade or profession requires a permit or an explicit ISD letter allowing it. Stamp 4, which you reach after 21 or 57 months, removes these restrictions.
What happens if I am made redundant?+
Notify DETE within 4 weeks of the redundancy. You then have up to 6 months from the date you were made redundant to find another job, and your Stamp 1 keeps you lawfully resident while you search. If things lapse entirely, the Reactivation Employment Permit exists to bring people back into the system.
How long does Stamp 1 last and what does it cost?+
For employment permit holders, registration is usually issued for 12 months at a time and costs €300 per renewal. Working Holiday registrations run 12 months, or 24 months for Canadian authorisations, and cannot be renewed. Atypical Working Scheme permissions run for the period in the Minister's letter.
When can I move up to Stamp 4?+
After 21 months from commencement of employment on a Critical Skills permit, a Hosting Agreement or a Multi-Site GEP as an NCHD, or after 57 months on a General Employment Permit or Intra-Company Transfer permit. The upgrade happens through the online renewal portal, and ISD checks your start date against your Revenue Employment Detail Summary. The 21-month and 57-month categories are not interchangeable.
Does time on Stamp 1 count towards citizenship?+
Yes. Stamp 1 is reckonable residence for naturalisation, which generally requires 5 years of reckonable residence within the last 9. It also counts towards Stamp 5, the without-condition-as-to-time permission, at 8 years, although time on the Intra-Company Transfer version of Stamp 1 does not count for Stamp 5.
Can I travel while my renewal is being processed?+
Your in-date IRP card is all an adult needs to re-enter Ireland, so travel is fine while the card is still valid. If you leave after it expires mid-renewal, a visa-required national needs a fresh D entry visa to return, and non-visa-required nationals should carry proof of the submitted renewal. Also keep total absences under 90 days in a rolling year.
My permit and my IRP card have different expiry dates. Which one matters?+
Both. The permit gives you the right to work and the IRP proves your right to reside, and each must be renewed on its own timeline. The safe pattern is permit first, then IRP within the 12-week window, with a payslip from the last 3 months ready for the registration side. We map both dates for clients so nothing slips.
Grounded in official sources
Ready to talk through your next step?
Book a consultation with our team and leave with a clear, personal plan grounded in the official rules.
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