Ireland De Facto Partner Visa: Apply from the UK

According to Irish immigration law, unmarried partner visa holders visa permits holders to work in Ireland without requiring an employment permit or employment visa. Holders can establish and operate a business in Ireland and have access to social welfare benefits and public funds.

All time and years spent in Ireland living under this visa can be used as reckonable evidence towards naturalization and citizenship in Ireland.

The cost of an application is €60 for a single-entry visa and €100 for a multi-entry visa.

Along with the summary sheet, you will need to provide evidence as follows:

• Your current passport
• Two-colour passport-size photographs
• A signed letter of application that outlines your reasons for travelling to Ireland. You will also need to include full details of your de facto partner in your application including suitable accommodation to live in
• Evidence that demonstrates the relationship between you and your partner. This might include a civil partnership certificate or evidence of common ownership of property
• A full account of your relationship history. This includes information of when and where you met as evidenced by, for example, correspondence by telephone or email, visas, entry/exit stamps on the passport of your partner, photographs
• The financial requirement discusses how the sponsor is willing to bear complete financial responsibility for the de facto partner
• The specific required documentation will be somewhat dependent on your particular circumstances, and you may need to provide additional information.
• A police clearance certificate

The financial information which you will need to include in your application includes:

• Statements of your bank accounts that cover a six-month period immediately prior to your application to show you have enough money to support yourself
• Statements of your de facto partner’s bank accounts which cover the six-month period prior to your application
• If your partner is a resident in Ireland, you will need to provide their P60s for the 3 years immediately prior to the date of your application and their 3 most recent consecutive payslips. (rules  vary for people in self-employment)
• Cash savings are not sufficient for savings

Even if you receive preclearance (and a visa, if applicable), you are not automatically permitted entry clearance into Ireland per immigration rules. When you land in Ireland you need to report to immigration officials, and they will decide whether or not to grant you valid permission to enter Ireland, based on the information you provide.

You will need to inform the immigration officer that you intend to apply for residency in Ireland based on the grounds of your relationship with your Irish resident partner.

The following documents will need to be provided to immigration officials:

• A valid passport
• Your immigration preclearance letter
• Your visa (if required)
• If you need to apply for a visa to travel to Ireland, you ought to bring photocopies of important documents which were included in your application forms, such as evidence of your relationship and financial information.
• Information about your de facto partner

All de facto partners that are permitted into Ireland are given Residency permission, or permission to remain. This is a status held by legally entitled people who can live and work in Ireland for more than 90 days.

If you wish to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days, you must apply for residency permission through an immigration authority, upon entry into Ireland. The registration involves formally requesting permission to live and work in Ireland.

For this registration, you will need to provide the following information at the immigration office:

• Your original passport
• Your partner’s original passport
• Your preclearance certificate
• Evidence of your joint Irish address with your de facto partner
• You will also need to pay a registration fee of €300 when you apply for residency permission.
• You must plan to live with your partner for the foreseeable future in Ireland
• Be able to evidence through a bank statement that both civil partners can financially support themselves financially, without any help from public funds.
• Show that you are of good character and will live in compliance with Irish law.

If the application is successful, your passport will be stamped with stamp 4, which is basically indefinite leave to remain or settled status.  The stamp will indicate how long you are permitted to stay in Ireland, which is usually one year. Holders are responsible to get their paperwork renewed prior to expiration to avoid any issues.  If your application for residency permission is accepted, you will be given an Irish Residence Permit.

The Total Law team offers professional legal advice that can help couples and partners successfully obtain the correct visas. The Total Law team can support you with the entire application, provide advice on the best possible route, and even work with you on how to complete your application as best as possible.

Our team does our best to support you and keep the process stress-free. We are open to support you seven days a week, either by phone call or online chat. Contact us today to get started.