In This Section

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

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 renew your permission to remain in the State as the spouse of an Irish citizen via ISDs online portal. See further information here: How to renew your current permission

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?

The way you apply will depend on the permission you have been given to enter and remain in the State.

Choose the one that describes your situation.

You must:

  • Make an appointment with the Registration Office by using our dedicated Customer Service Portal. You can register for an account or log in to your existing account
  • Attend the Registration office with your sponsor and the Required Documents to register your permission. Failure to register your permission promptly may result in future applications being refused.

If you are the Spouse of an Irish National and have a current permission, which has been registered in the State, you may renew this permission online. You must submit the Required documents as part of the renewal process.

1. If you entered the State on a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa, or
2. You do not hold a valid immigration permission, or
3. Your permission has expired and you were refused further renewal, or
4. You are an asylum seeker, or
5. You have been refused registration as the Spouse of an Irish National.

You must:

  • Complete the Spouse of Irish National Form. Here is a helpful guide to completing the form.
  • This an editable PDF form, which can be filled in using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. Remember to save the form after filling it in completely.
  • You can submit your application, with all the required documentation, through the dedicated Customer Service Portal. Detailed instructions here including how to submit supporting documentation. We only accept PDF, JPEG and PNG file types up to 5MB for each document submitted. You can register for an account or log in to your existing account here.
  • Further documentation may be requested from you if required. Requests will be issued address through the Customer Service Portal.
  • Please attach your fully completed application form in PDF format.
  • Please note: we can only accept PDF, JPEG and PNG file types up to 5MB for each portal comment

If you use a solicitor, legal representative or non-government agency to help you with this application you must provide a letter of
authority for them to act on your behalf.

What happens next?

If your application is approved

  • You will receive a letter from Immigration Service Delivery granting you a permission to remain in Ireland
  • Details in respect of your registration and renewal of registration will be provided with your permission letter

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 your application is refused

If you currently hold immigration permission to be in the State, you can apply for a review of our decision. You must do this within two months of the date of decision.

  • The review will take into account the information you gave in the initial application. It can also include with any further information you wish us to consider.
  • The review will also be carried out by another officer who was not involved in the initial decision-making process.

If you do not hold permission to be in the State, a refusal decision may be issued to you along with a notification of intention to deport issued under Section 3 of the 1999 Immigration Act. Further considerations of your immigration status will be referred to the Repatriation Division.

Links

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.