Quick Answer
Three routes into Irish work, depending on your passport:
EU or EEA citizen: no visa, no permit. You can start work straight away.
UK citizen: the Common Travel Area gives you the same rights. No visa, no permit.
Non-EEA citizen: you need an employment permit, and it must be tied to a specific job with a specific Irish employer. There is no self-sponsored route.
Everyone who works here needs a PPS number. Two things about it catch people out. You cannot apply before you arrive, and every applicant must attend an in-person appointment. Walk-ins are not accepted.
Start work without a registered PPS number and you will be put on emergency tax, which means a significantly higher deduction until it is sorted.
Most guides on moving to Ireland are written for software engineers in Dublin. If you are coming to work on a site, in a warehouse or in a kitchen, a lot of that advice does not apply to you.
This covers the practical starting steps, in the order they actually need doing.
Which route applies to you
EU and EEA citizens have the right to live and work in Ireland without a visa or permit. You can arrive, look for work, and start a job. You still need a PPS number before you get paid properly.
UK citizens are covered by the Common Travel Area, which gives Irish and UK citizens reciprocal rights to live, work and access public services in each other's countries. No visa, no permit.
Non-EEA citizens need an employment permit issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Every Irish employment permit is tied to one job with one employer. There is no points-based or self-sponsored route, which means the job offer comes first, always.
Employment permits for non-EEA citizens
There are several permit types, but two cover most cases. DETE publishes the full list.
The Critical Skills Employment Permit is for roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List, which covers ICT, engineering, healthcare, science and finance among others. From 1 March 2026 the minimum annual salary is €40,904 for listed occupations, dropping to €36,848 where you received your qualification within the twelve months before applying. Roles not on the list can still qualify at €68,911 or above.
It is the better permit if you are eligible. No Labour Market Needs Test is required, family reunification is immediate, and there is a faster route to long term residency. DETE sets out the criteria and publishes the Critical Skills Occupations List separately.
The General Employment Permit works the opposite way round. Every occupation is assumed eligible unless it appears on the Ineligible List. The salary floor for most roles is €36,605, and your employer will usually have to carry out a Labour Market Needs Test first, advertising the role locally before applying.
The practical points that matter:
The permit application fee is €1,000 for a two year permit
Processing typically takes four to eight weeks, and longer if the file is incomplete
If you also need a D visa, allow another four to eight weeks on top
Your salary must meet the threshold from day one, not after probation
Qualifications from outside Ireland may need recognition through QQI, and that takes time. Start it early
The list changes, so check the current version
This is worth knowing if you work in construction or hospitality. In May 2026 the Government announced a set of changes to the occupation lists, including roles added to the Critical Skills list and existing General Employment Permit quotas renewed. Construction and care roles have both seen movement.
The Government also approved preparations to amend the Employment Permits Act 2024 regarding the 50:50 rule, which limits how many permit holders an individual employer can have relative to EEA staff.
Because the lists move, check DETE's latest updates page rather than relying on a guide written six months ago. If you need help with the process, our immigration services for individuals page explains what we can assist with.
Getting a PPS number
Your Personal Public Service number is what makes you a functioning worker here. Without it you cannot be taxed correctly, and in practice you cannot open most bank accounts or access public services.
It is seven digits followed by one or two letters.
The two things people get wrong
You cannot apply before you arrive. Citizens Information is explicit: if you intend to relocate to Ireland, you must wait until you are here. Planning to have it sorted before you land is not an option.
Everyone must attend an in-person appointment. Under current Department of Social Protection policy, all residents applying for a PPS number must attend in person, including children. Walk-ins are not accepted, and the appointment is booked as part of the online application rather than by phone.
How the process works
Create a basic MyGovID account. You need an email address and a phone number.
Start the application on MyWelfare, where you select your reason for applying and enter your details.
Book your appointment through the application itself.
Attend with your original documents, not just the scans you uploaded.
Your number arrives by post to your Irish address.
MyWelfare handles the application and lists what to bring once your appointment is confirmed.
What to bring
Photo identity. Passport or national ID card for EU and EEA citizens. Passport plus your immigration permission if you are non-EEA.
Proof of your Irish address. A signed lease, a recent utility bill, or a bank statement.
Evidence of why you need it. Usually a signed employment contract or a letter from your employer.
Proof of address is the one that stops people. You have just arrived, so you have no utility bill and possibly no bank account. Keep a copy of your tenancy agreement from the day you sign it. A letter from your employer confirming your address is often accepted where a lease is not available.
No official processing time is published for the number itself, so do not book anything that depends on it.
One useful detail
You only get a PPS number if you have a reason that requires one. Starting a job counts. Looking for work does not. So do not delay your job search waiting for a number you cannot yet apply for.
Register with Revenue, or pay emergency tax
This step gets skipped and it costs people money.
Once you have your PPS number and a job, register the employment with Revenue through myAccount. Give your employer your PPS number as soon as you have it.
If you start work without this in place, you go onto emergency tax, which applies a much higher deduction than your actual liability. It is refundable once your details are registered, but you will be short in the meantime, and for anyone who has just paid to relocate that matters.
Do it in the first week, not after the first payslip.
Qualifications, licences and tickets
This is where people working in trades and site-based roles lose the most time, and where generic relocation advice is silent.
Construction cards do not transfer from the UK. If you hold a UK CSCS card, it is not accepted on a site in the Republic of Ireland. Neither are CPCS or CSR plant cards. You need a Safe Pass to get through the gate, and a SOLAS CSCS card for safety-critical tasks like plant operation or scaffolding.
There is one exception running the other way: the CSR one-day health and safety course from Northern Ireland is recognised as equivalent to Safe Pass under a mutual recognition agreement. That covers the safety awareness element only, not the skills cards.
Safe Pass requires a PPS number, which puts it behind the PPS process in the queue. Worth planning for if you are heading into construction work.
Academic and professional qualifications earned outside Ireland may need recognition. QQI handles this and it is not immediate.
Our guide to Safe Pass, CSCS and manual handling covers which certificates each type of work actually requires.
The order to do it in
Sequence matters here because several steps depend on each other.
Before you travel:
Secure the job offer, and the permit if you need one
Start any qualification recognition
Gather documents: passport, qualification certificates, references, existing tickets
First week:
Sort accommodation and keep a copy of the tenancy agreement
Create MyGovID, apply on MyWelfare, book the PPS appointment
Open a bank account if you can
Once you have the number:
Give it to your employer immediately
Register the employment with Revenue
Book Safe Pass or manual handling if the work requires it
What you are entitled to once you start
Your rights do not depend on where you are from. A few worth knowing on day one.
You must receive written core terms of employment within five days of starting. Annual leave accrues from your first day at a minimum of four working weeks a year, and Ireland has ten public holidays on top of that, not included within it. The national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour for those aged 20 and over as of January 2026.
If you come through a recruitment agency, the agency is your employer for pay and PRSI, and equal treatment applies from your first day with no qualifying period. Our page on working as temporary staff explains how an assignment works.
One thing worth being certain about: no agency in Ireland can charge you a fee for finding you work. It is prohibited under the Employment Agency Act 1971. If anyone asks you to pay to be placed or registered, that is not legitimate recruitment.
Key Takeaways
EU, EEA and UK citizens need no visa or permit. Non-EEA citizens need an employment permit tied to a specific job and employer.
There is no self-sponsored route into Ireland. The job offer always comes first.
Critical Skills Employment Permit: €40,904 from March 2026 for listed occupations, €36,848 for recent graduates, €68,911 for other eligible roles.
Permit fee is €1,000, processing typically four to eight weeks, plus four to eight more if you need a D visa.
You cannot apply for a PPS number before arriving in Ireland.
Every applicant must attend an in-person appointment. Walk-ins are not accepted.
Proof of Irish address is the hardest document. Keep your tenancy agreement from day one.
You do not need a PPS number to look for work, only to start a job.
Register with Revenue immediately or you go onto emergency tax.
UK CSCS, CPCS and CSR plant cards are not accepted on Irish construction sites.
Safe Pass requires a PPS number, so it sits behind that step in the queue.
No Irish agency can charge you a fee for finding you work.
The paperwork side of moving to Ireland is more sequential than complicated. The job comes first, the permit follows if you need one, and the PPS number can only happen once you are physically here.
The two mistakes that cost the most are assuming you can sort the PPS number in advance, and starting work before Revenue has your details. The first wastes weeks, the second costs money.
If you are coming into construction, add one more: your UK cards will not get you onto an Irish site. Budget the time and the fee for a Safe Pass before you need it rather than on the morning of your first shift.
Everything else, the bank account, the address, the tickets, follows on once those are in place.
FAQs
Do I need a work permit to work in Ireland?
Not if you are an EU, EEA or UK citizen. Non-EEA citizens need an employment permit from DETE, tied to a specific job with a specific Irish employer. The two main types are the Critical Skills Employment Permit and the General Employment Permit, and there is no self-sponsored route.
Can I apply for a PPS number before I move to Ireland?
No. Citizens Information states that if you intend to relocate to Ireland you must wait until you are in the country to apply. There is a separate route for people living abroad who need a number for a specific interaction with an Irish body, such as an inheritance, but that does not cover relocating for work.
Do I have to attend an appointment in person for a PPS number?
Yes. Under current Department of Social Protection policy, all residents must attend an in-person appointment as part of the application, including children. The appointment is booked through the online application on MyWelfare and walk-ins are not accepted.
What happens if I start work without a PPS number?
You will be placed on emergency tax, which deducts significantly more than your actual liability. It is refunded once your PPS number is registered and Revenue has your employment details, but you will be short in the meantime.
Is my UK CSCS card valid in Ireland?
No. UK construction skills cards are not accepted on sites in the Republic of Ireland, and neither are CPCS or CSR plant cards. You need a Safe Pass for site access and a SOLAS CSCS card for safety-critical tasks. The CSR one-day health and safety course is recognised as equivalent to Safe Pass, but that covers the safety course only.
Can a recruitment agency charge me for finding work in Ireland?
No. Charging a jobseeker a fee for finding or taking up work is prohibited under the Employment Agency Act 1971, and every licensed agency must confirm it will not charge candidates. Agencies are paid by the employer.
Total Solutions is a licensed recruitment agency based in Lucan, Co. Dublin, placing temporary and permanent staff across construction, warehousing, hospitality and office support.
See our immigration services for individuals for support with the process, or browse current openings by location. More candidate guidance in the Insight Hub.
