Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National Scheme - Immigration Service Delivery

Currently Domestic Residence and Permissions Division is receiving very high volumes of applications for permission based on marriage/civil partnership with an Irish National. As a consequence there is currently a delay in processing post/applications. When applications are received and uploaded on our systems applicants will receive an acknowledgement. We are doing all we can to acknowledge applications as soon as possible.

In This Section

Spouse or civil partner of an Irish national scheme
Am I eligible?
How do I apply?
What happens next?
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Spouse or civil partner of an Irish national scheme

If you are married to – or in a civil partnership with – an Irish citizen you may get permission to live in Ireland with your spouse or partner.

If you are given permission, it means you may be permitted to live and work here without the need for an employment permit.

You do not have an automatic right to live in Ireland after your marriage or civil partnership. We will only grant permission when you show us evidence of a valid and committed relationship. You must also show that you are genuinely living together.

Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) makes decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Please note: Any untrue or misleading information given by you during the application process may result in your permission being refused or revoked by ISD.

Am I eligible?

There are two ways you can be eligible to apply for permission to reside in the State based on marriage to – or civil partnership with – an Irish citizen:

Where you have permission to be in Ireland

If any of the situations mentioned below apply to you, you and your Irish spouse or civil partner may go to your local immigration office for permission to remain in the State as the spouse of an Irish citizen.

1. If you do not require a visa and are currently resident in the State, holding any stamp 1, 2, 3, or 4 permission
2. If you require a visa and you have entered Ireland on a ‘D’- Join Family visa.
3. If you are not a visa-required national and you have entered the State and been given a “Seek permission”, “Join Spouse” or similar stamp by an immigration officer.

The following documents must be brought with you to the Immigration Office:

Your original marriage or civil partnership certificate
Your original passport
Your Irish spouse’s or civil partner’s original passport
Evidence of your joint address
Evidence of financial means.

Where you do not have permission to be in Ireland

You may be eligible to apply to ISD’s Spouse of Irish National Unit if you:

Have no current permission to be in Ireland, or
Have entered the State on a ‘C’ – Short Stay visa, or
You are currently in the State as an asylum seeker, or
Have been refused registration at your local immigration office.

You may be eligible to remain as the spouse or civil partner if you can satisfy all of the following:

You must be at least 18 years of age at the time you apply
You are married to, or in a civil partnership with, an Irish citizen
Your marriage or civil partnership was freely entered into by both parties, conducted in a lawful manner and recognised under Irish law
You are both residing in the same household as the Irish citizen as a family unit
You both intend to continuously reside together in Ireland
Your Irish spouse or civil partner earned €40,000 in the last 3 years over and above any State welfare benefits
You are of good character and have not come to the adverse attention of An Garda Síochána (Irish Police)
You can satisfy the Minister that you will not become an undue burden on the State if granted permission.

Please note: EU, EEA or Swiss citizens – This information does not apply to EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway) or Swiss citizens. If you are from these countries, you do not need to apply for permission to remain in the State.

How do I apply?

1. Complete the Spouse/Civil Partner of an Irish National application form.

This must be digitally signed by both you and the Irish national. Typed signatures are accepted.

2. The application form, as well as the required through the dedicated Customer Service area. You can register for an account or log in to your existing account.

3. A caseworker will be in touch with you if further documentation are required.

Incomplete application forms may not be processed and will be returned to you.

What happens next?

If your application is approved

1. ISD will send you a letter approving your application and granting you a permission.

2. You and your Irish spouse or civil partner must make an appointment with your local immigration office too register this permission.

If you live in Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Cork or Limerick and you previously held a GNIB/IRP card, you should renew your permission by submitting an online application at https://inisonline.jahs.ie/. You must upload a copy of your permission letter as part of your application.

If you live in Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Cork or Limerick and this is your first time registering a permission to remain in the State, click here for more information on registering.

If you live outside Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Cork or Limerick you must register your permission at your local Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) office. This could be your local Garda station. Find your local Garda Immigration Office here.

Please note: Your permission can be revoked if we later discover that you are not eligible or you have provided false information. This includes, among others:

a. Information showing you have broken the conditions of your permission
b. Information about your character or conduct, including convictions
c. Information to show that you failed to register your permission.

If you separate from a spouse or civil partner during a permission, you must:

Notify your local immigration office within seven days
Write to ISD within two months at the above address. They will decide if you qualify for a permission in your own right
Include a copy of your passport containing your stamp permission and Certificate of Registration.

If your spouse or civil partner dies during a permission, you must:

Notify your local immigration office within three months to request a change of immigration status
Send a Death Certificate to ISD at the above address
Include a copy of your passport containing your stamp permission and Certificate of Registration.

If your application is refused

We will write to you letting you know of our refusal of your permission and the reasons for the refusal.

You may appeal the Minister’s decision.

If you decide to appeal the Minister’s decision, this must been done within two months of the date of refusal. In doing so, you should pay careful attention to the reasons your application was refused. You should address those reasons in your appeal.

Applications for appeal should be addressed to:

Spouse of Irish National Appeal Section
Unit C – Domestic Residence and Permissions Division
Immigration Service Delivery
Department of Justice
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2, DO2

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Irish law relating to spouse or civil partner

Persons who entered into civil partnership before 16 May 2016 in another jurisdiction will be recognised as civil partners in Ireland. This recognition is as provided for under Section 5 of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010.

Persons who entered into civil partnerships after 16 May 2016 outside the jurisdiction will no longer be recognised in Ireland. This is provided for under the Marriages Act 2015.

Same-sex marriages, which were entered into prior to the introduction of the Marriage Bill 2015, are now recognised in Ireland with effect from 16 November 2015. You can find more information on our Department of Justice website.

This page was last updated on December 17, 2024