Employment / Work Permits

EU Nationals

With some exceptions which are set out below, nationals of EU countries do not require work permits.

Bulgarian and Romanian nationals continue to require a permit to take up employment in Ireland and the job continues to be subject to the current requirement for a labour market test. However, those who are already in the State on a valid employment permit for an uninterrupted period of 12 months or longer prior to the 31st December 2006 do not need an employment permit.

Full information on work or employment permits is available on www.entemp.ie

Non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals

A non-EEA national, except in the cases listed below, requires an employment permit to take up employment in Ireland (the EEA comprises the Member States of the European Union together with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein).

Citizens of non-EEA countries who do not require Employment Permits include:

a	a non-EEA national who has obtained explicit permission from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to remain resident and employed in the State.

a	a non-EEA national who has been granted refugee status.

a	a non-EEA national who holds appropriate business permission to operate a business in the State.

a	a non-EEA national who is a registered student working less than 20 hours a week.

a	Swiss nationals.

Tables showing the breakdown of employment permits by nationality are available at http://www.entemp.ie/labour/workpermits/statistics.htm.


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