Ireland Retirement Visa
If you desire to retire to Ireland, you may be able to if you meet certain conditions. Total Law’s team of dedicated Irish immigration team can assist with your Irish Retirement Visa application.
To find out how we can help you apply, advice on your visa, or an assessment of your eligibility, contact us today at (+353) 061 518 025.
What is the Irish Retirement visa?
Foreign nationals from non-visa-required countries can visit Ireland and stay for up to 90 days without needing a visa, while those from visa-required countries can obtain a Short-Stay C visa. However, if you are thinking of long-term retirement in Ireland, you will need a Long Stay ‘D’ Retirement visa that allows you to stay in the country for the long term. The Irish Retirement visa allows foreign nationals who are financially dependent to retire to Ireland for more than 90 days.
The D Reside visa is only necessary for those who are from visa-required countries. Those from other countries can apply for a Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form for permission to retire to Ireland.
Whether you need the Retirement visa or only the Conditional Letter of Offer and Agreement Form, we can help you. Call us on (+353) 061 518 025 today.
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Eligibility requirements for the Irish Retirement visa
Before you apply for a retirement visa, you must ensure that you meet all the eligibility requirements.
The Irish government requires that you have sufficient resources to be able to support yourself financially and be of independent means if you want to use this visa for the purpose of retiring in Ireland. That means you must have an individual yearly income of €50,000 and access to a lump sum of money to cover any unexpected major expenses. The lump sum of money should equal the price of residential property in Ireland.
When applying for a Retirement Visa, you are to provide financial documentation in spreadsheet form with money/figures converted to euros. The spreadsheet, which should show your income (pension income or readily accessible funds) and expenses each month, should be certified by an Irish accountancy firm expert in the format of Irish and overseas banking/accountancy documentation.
Conditions for the Retirement visa
Before you apply for the Irish Retirement visa, you must be aware of the conditions attached to it as they will apply to you if you are granted the visa, and you enter Ireland on the visa.
The conditions include:
- You cannot access and aren’t entitled to State benefits/public services
- You must have private medical insurance to cover private health care and hospital stay
- You cannot have dependents or other family members on your retirement visa
- You must abide by the laws of the Republic of Ireland
These conditions apply to you regardless of if you are an EEA or non-EEA national who wants to retire to Ireland for more than three months. The same applies to Swiss nationals.
How to apply for the Retirement visa
The process to apply for the Irish Retirement visa differs by nationality. If you are from a visa-required country, the steps you should take differ from someone from a non-visa-required country.
Whether you are from a visa-required or non-visa-required country, you must first apply for permission with a letter and required documentation so you can obtain a Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division. Your letter and documents are to be mailed to the following address:
Unit 2 Domestic Residence and Permissions Division,
Immigration Service Delivery
Department of Justice
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2 D02 XK70
Ireland
Non-visa-required people can then travel to Ireland with only the Conditional Letter of Offer. On the other hand, visa-required nationals must move to the second step which is applying for a D-Reside visa.
To apply for a visa, you are to contact your local Irish visa office or Irish embassy to apply. You can also apply online on AVATs – the online Irish immigration application facility. When applying for this visa, you are to include your Conditional Letter of Offer and supporting documents.
What to expect after obtaining a D-Reside visa
With the D-Reside visa and Conditional Offer Letter, you can travel to Ireland and request permission to enter the State at a point of entry. An immigration officer at the airport or other port of entry will peruse your visa and documents and may ask you some questions to decide if to allow you to enter the State on your retirement visa.
Ensure you request permission to enter Ireland with your D-Reside visa and not any other Irish visa. If you enter on any other visa, you will not be able to complete the next step which will then allow you to reside as a retiree in Ireland.
Note that the D-Reside visa is only a type of pre-clearance and doesn’t guarantee that you can reside as a retiree in Ireland. To retire, you must take one more step.
When you arrive in Ireland, you are to send the signed Agreement Form that came with your Conditional Letter of Offer along with your passport to the same address you mailed the application to obtain them in the first place. Unit 2 will stamp your passport and send it back to you.
When you receive your stamped passport, you must go to the registration office in Dublin or at your local Garda station to register your immigration permission.
We can assist you with all the processes to enable you to retire to Ireland legally. For immediate support, more information, or advice, please call us today on (+353) 061 518 025.
Required documents for the retirement immigration permission
Some of the documents that will help your retirement visa application are:
- A copy of all pages of your passport (including any visa you used to enter the State)
- A copy of your birth certificate
- A copy of your marriage certificate
- A letter detailing the reason for requesting permission to retire to Ireland
- Details of all family members resident in Ireland and their legal status in the State
- Irish Associations evidence, such as details of any family member who is an Irish citizen
- Evidence of all finances available to you, such as bank statements
- Proof of your finances verified by an Irish-based accountant listing
- Proof that you have obtained private health insurance with full cover for private health services
- Police clearance certificate
- Health declaration
- Any other document or information that can support your application
What countries are non-visa-required?
Most EEA and Swiss nationals are not visa-required for the purpose of entering Ireland. If you are from one of these countries, you don’t require an Irish visa to enter the State.
| Andorra | Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Australia |
| Austria | Bahamas | Barbados | Belgium |
| Belize | Bolivia | Brazil | Brunei Darussalam |
| Bulgaria | Canada | Chile | Costa Rica |
| Croatia | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominica |
| El Salvador | Estonia | Eswatini | Fiji |
| Finland | France | Germany | Great Britain (UK) – Dependent Citizen |
| Great Britain (UK) – National (overseas) | Great Britain (UK) – Overseas citizen | Great Britain (UK) – Subject | Greece |
| Grenada | Guatemala | Guyana | Honduras |
| Hong Kong (SAR) | Hungary | Iceland | Ireland |
| Israel | Italy | Japan | Kiribati |
| Korea (South) | Latvia | Lesotho | Liechtenstein |
| Lithuania | Luxembourg | Macau (SAR) | Malaysia |
| Maldives | Malta | Mexico | Monaco |
| Nauru | Netherlands | New Zealand | Nicaragua |
| Norway | Panama | Paraguay | Poland |
| Portugal | Republic of Cyprus | Romania | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
| Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Samoa | San Marino |
| Seychelles | Singapore | Slovakia | Slovenia |
| Solomon Islands | South Africa | Spain | St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha |
| Sweden | Taiwan Province of China | Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Tuvalu | United Arab Emirates | United States of America | Uruguay |
| Vanuatu | Vatican City (Holy See) |
How can Total Law help?
If you wish to retire to Ireland, your visa or immigration means should not be a concern, but the process of acquiring the right permit to live in Ireland on retirement can be difficult. However, with the help of our Irish immigration experts, you can rest assured that we will handle your Retirement visa application process and do everything possible to ensure you have the best possible chances of retiring to Ireland.
When you contact us for our immigration services, you get an expert team to handle every step of your application process, including providing tailored advice on your visa, documents, and other things around your retirement to Ireland. Also, we will complete and submit a high-quality Retirement Visa application on your behalf. Our expert team can offer the same expertise as an immigration lawyer.
To get started on acquiring an Ireland Retirement Visa, call us today at (+353) 061 518 025 or reach out to us through live chat.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
On average, processing the application for the Ireland retirement visa takes four months.
However, delays may occur if there are many applications before yours because applications are processed in the order they are received. Incomplete applications and missing documents can also delay application processing.
If you wish to retire in Ireland while still working, you require permission to work. However, getting this permission largely depends on your residency and nationality. If you are eligible to work, you will have the same employment rights for full-time employment as every other person with employment authorisation in the state, regardless of your age.
Your duration of stay depends on what was approved. The retirement visa Ireland is a Long Stay visa, so you should get more than three months (likely a year) approved to reside in Ireland. However, you are required to renew your retirement visa every year for the first five years of living in Ireland. After five years, you can apply for a five-year visa, and after ten, you can apply for permanent residency to remain in Ireland permanently.