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Residence Permission Based on Family Members: Upgrade or change of circumstances

This section is for people currently residing in Ireland with a valid residence permission. It will give information about how to change your permission in case of marriage, becoming a parent of an Irish child, separating / divorcing or domestic violence.

If you want more information on how to apply for a visa to bring family members to Ireland check out our other section regarding this.

  • I got married
    • I am married to an Irish national

      If you have a valid GNIB / IRP card and you marry an Irish national, you can change your current permission to stamp 4 based on your Irish spouse. Your Irish spouse must meet the financial requirement of €40,000 gross annual income over the past 3 years (approximately €13.300 per year), and not have been mainly reliant on social welfare payments for the past 2 years.

      I live outside of Dublin:
      Go to your local Garda District Headquarters together with your Irish spouse. Remember to bring:
      ● Your marriage certificate
      ● Your passport
      ● Your Irish spouse’s passport
      ● Proof of joint address in Ireland
      ● Proof of your Irish spouse’s employment and income for the past 3 years

      I live in Dublin:
      Go to the online application on ISD Online

      When filling out the online form for Registration Renewal, under the section Immigration Permission, you explain in the Additional Information that you wish to change your permission to be based on your Irish spouse.

      In supporting documents, upload a picture of:
      ● Signature (in JPEG format)
      ● Biometric page of your passport
      ● Biometric page of your spouse’s Irish passport
      ● Marriage certificate
      ● Proof of joint address in Ireland
      ● Proof of your Irish spouse’s employment and income for the past 3 years

      If you do not have a valid GNIB/ IRP card, you will have to submit the written application to apply for permission based on your Irish spouse, which takes 12 months to process. You will not have a valid residence permission during this time.

    • I am married to an EU-citizen

      Submit a written application (Form EU1) to change your permission to be based on your EU-citizen spouse.

      While the application is being processed, you will usually be granted a temporary stamp 4 permission that will allow you to work. If successful, you get stamp 4 EU Fam for 5 years. Remember 6 months before the permission expires to submit a new written application to renew (EU1) or to apply for a permanent residence card (EU3). See link below for more information

    • I am married to a UK-citizen

      If you have a valid GNIB / IRP card and you get married to a UK-citizen you need to submit a letter asking for a change of status based on your UK national spouse. This needs to be sent to the address below:

      Unit 5 Domestic Residence and Permission Division
      Immigration Service Delivery
      Department of Justice
      13-14 Burgh Quay
      Dublin 2
      D02 XK70

      For more information see here.

    • I am married to a stamp 4 or stamp 5 holder
      You can change your permission the same way a spouse of an Irish national, using ISD Online.
      If successful, you get stamp 3. As a stamp 3 holder, you are not allowed to work. For more information see here.
  • I am in a long-term relationship
  • My child is Irish

    A child born in Ireland will be an Irish citizen at birth:

    ● If either parent is an Irish citizen at the time of the child’s birth.
    ● If either parent had 3 years of reckonable residence before the child was born. This means one of the parents needs to have had either stamp 1, 3, 4 or 5 in the 3 years before the child was born.
    ● If either parent has refugee status at the time of the child’s birth.

    I have a valid GNIB / IRP card and I have become the parent of an Irish child:

    You need to get a birth certificate and an Irish passport for your child before you can apply.

    ● If you live outside of Dublin, go to your local Garda District Headquarters together with your child to register for your permission. Remember to bring your child’s birth certificate and Irish passport.

    ● If you live in Dublin, register using the online renewal application on ISD online to change your permission. For information on how to register online check our page “Renewing your GNIB / IRP card“.

    You might be directed to do a written application if the registration officer is not satisfied you meet the requirements. For more information click here.

    I do not have a valid GNIB / IRP card and I have become the parent of an Irish child:

    Submit a written application to apply, which may take up to 12 months to process. During this time you will not be allowed to work or access any social welfare payments.

    • My Irish child is born outside of Ireland

      In some instances, your child might be entitled to an Irish passport at birth, even if born abroad.

      1) If either parent was born in Ireland prior to 31 December 2004, your child is eligible for an Irish passport.

      2) If either parent was a naturalised Irish citizen prior to birth, you can apply to register your child with foreign birth registration. This process can take up to 2 years. If successful, your child will get a foreign birth registration certificate and can then apply for an Irish passport.

      You can find more information here.

  • I have separated / divorced from my spouse
    • My permission is based on my Irish citizen spouse

      Contact Spouse of an Irish National Unit (SOIN):
      Inform the Department of Justice of the change in your circumstances within two months after your separation. Write a letter or email:

      Spouse of Irish National Unit (SIN/SOIN)
      Residence Division – Units 5 and 6
      Immigration Service Delivery
      Department of Justice
      PO Box 12695
      Ireland

      Email: inissinu@justice.ie

      Information to include in the letter / email:
      While informing of your change of circumstances, you will also need to request independent permission and explain your current situation. Relevant information include:

      ● Your immigration history
      ● Your relationship history and break down in your relationship
      ● Your employment and financial situation
      ● If you have any children or any other family members in Ireland
      ● Your connection to the State: evidence of any volunteer work you have done while in Ireland, clubs you are a part of, other hobbies you might have
      ● References from friends, colleagues and employers that can confirm you are of good character

      You may be required to provide evidence that you have been married for at least 3 years and living together in Ireland for at least 2 years.

      If your request for independent permission is successful, you may get a permission that will allow you to continue to live and work in Ireland.

      If you obtain independent permission, you will need to have 5 years of reckonable residence before you can apply for Irish citizenship instead of the 3 years.

    • My permission is based on my EU-citizen spouse

      Inform the Department of Justice of the change in your circumstances as soon as possible. Write a letter or email:

      EU Treaty Rights Applications Unit
      Residence Division
      Immigration Service Delivery
      Department of Justice
      13-14 Burgh Quay
      Dublin 2 D02 XK70
      Ireland

      Email: eutreatyrights@justice.ie

      You need to inform the Department of Justice when you move apart from your spouse. When the divorce is finalised, you need to apply for independent permission (retention of rights) using form EUTR 5.

      It is important that your divorce is finalised before your EU-citizen partner leaves the country in order for you to apply for independent permission (retention of rights), otherwise your application could be refused. You are also required to have been married for at least 3 years and living together in Ireland for at least 1 year before separating. For more information see Section 10

      If successful you get a stamp 4 that is no longer dependent on your EU-citizen spouse.

      For more information see link.

    • My permission is based on my UK-citizen spouse

      You will need to inform the Department of Justice of the change in your circumstances within 2 weeks. Write a letter to explaining the change in your circumstances:

      Unit 5 Domestic Residence and Permissions Division
      Immigration Service Delivery
      Department of Justice
      13-14 Burgh Quay
      Dublin 2 D02 XK70
      Ireland

      In the letter, you can request independent permission and explain your circumstances. For more information see here

  • I have left my partner/ spouse due to domestic violence

    First priority is to make sure you are safe . If you experience domestic violence, you can contact Women’s Aid or Men’s Aid to ask for advice, support and accommodation assistance.If your permission is based on a spouse or partner, who is abusing you emotionally, financially or physically you can apply for independent permission. You will need to send a letter to this address outlining your situation:

    Unit 2 Domestic Residence and Permissions Division
    Immigration Service Delivery
    Department of Justice
    13-14 Burgh Quay
    Dublin 2 D02 XK70
    Ireland

    You will need to include evidence of the domestic violence, which can include:

    ● Protection Order, Safety Order or Barring Order from the Courts
    ● Medical reports indicating injuries consistent with domestic violence. Details of doctor and dates of consultation should be supplied
    ● A Garda report of incidents of domestic violence
    ● A letter from a State body (such as the Health Service Executive) indicating that it is dealing with your case as an issue of domestic violence
    ● A letter of support from a domestic violence support organisation such as Women’s Aid or Men’s Aid
    ● Any other evidence indicating that you are the victim of domestic violence (for instance texts or chat messages that are threatening)
    ● Support letters from any organization or social worker that you are getting assistance from in relation to the domestic violence

    For more information see this page from the Department of Justice.

Page last updated 01/07/2022