The stamp that is put on your passport by an immigration officer will determine:
- What you can and cannot do in Ireland
- How long you can stay
The amount of time you accumulate on a stamp is important when you apply for citizenship by naturalisation as it will indicate ‘reckonable service’ for the purpose of the necessary calculation.
Stamp 0
This is the lowest level stamp and you must be fully self sufficient from a financial perspective. You must have private medical insurance and cannot receive any public services-for example hospital treatment.
You cannot work or engage in business.
This Stamp is used if you are a visiting academic at an Irish university or college, live in Ireland as the elderly dependent of a non EU/EEA citizen, retire to Ireland as a person of independent means, work in Ireland for an overseas company for a limited time.
Stamp 1
This stamp indicates permission to work or operate a business in Ireland, subject to conditions.
The conditions? You or your employer must have first obtained an employment permit for you or a letter of permission from INIS.
Stamp 1 is typically used when you have permission to work in Ireland based on an employment permit, work in Ireland on a working holiday authorisation, or operate a business in Ireland.
Stamp 1A
Stamp 1A is used for paid accountancy training situations, subject to certain permissions, and for a specified period of time. Therefore you will be a trainee accountant.
Stamp 1G
This stamp indicates you have finished your studies in Ireland and wish to seek employment under the third level graduate programme. It allows you to work for 40 hours per week.
Stamp 2
This stamp allows you to study on a full time course on the official list of interim list of eligible programmes (ILEP). It is subject to certain conditions and for a limited period of time.
The conditions of this stamp are
- You cannot receive any benefits or use publicly funded services
- You can work in casual employment for 20 hours per week during school term, 40 hours per week outside school term.
Stamp 2 is typically used when you have permission to study the English language or a higher national diploma or a degree or a PhD.
Stamp 2A
Stamp 2A is used for those who have permission to study in Ireland on a non ILEP programme.
You must not engage in a profession, trade or business; nor can you avail of any public funded services or receive benefits and you must have private medical insurance.
Typically this stamp is used to allow you study in Ireland for a semester or to study at a private secondary school in Ireland.
Stamp 3
Stamp 3 allows you to stay in Ireland for a specified period of time.
The conditions are that you cannot work or engage in a business, trade, or profession.
Examples of this type of stamp would be for volunteers, ministers of religion, joining your non EU/EEA spouse who is in Ireland on a work permit.
Stamp 4
Stamp 4 is permission to stay in Ireland for a specified period of time.
You may take up employment, establish and operate a business, access state funds and services, work in a profession.
You may be given a Stamp 4 permission if you are joining your family member who is a refugee, to join your Irish spouse, civil partner or de-facto partner, to join your EU/EEA family member based on EU Treaty rights, to remain with a child who is a family citizen, under the Investor and Entrepreneur Programme, for long term residence.
You may also be given Stamp 4 permission if you have a valid critical skills employment permit for 2 years, with a valid employment permit for 5 years, and as a researcher for 2 years.
Stamp 5
This stamp is a permission to stay in Ireland without any limit as to time.
Stamp 6
Stamp 6 means you are a dual citizen with Irish citizenship and you will be given a stamp 6 in your non-Irish passport if you have applied to remain in Ireland without permission.