Move to Ireland

Ireland, the westernmost point of Europe, with its breathtaking landscapes, the quaint pubs and the friendly, relaxed inhabitants, is a place to which many people are drawn. Not only families want to go to Ireland, also quite a few students, workers and those who want to escape the hectic everyday life in their home country.

We would like to give you a few tips on what you should take care of in advance, which visa you need and what you should definitely have experienced in Ireland.

Residence permit and visa for your move to Ireland

EU and EEA citizens including the Swiss are allowed to enter without a visa and stay in the country for 90 days. All you need is an identity card or passport to enter the country. After the 90 days, you must show that you have found a job. It does not matter if you are employed or self-employed. The Irish state is more concerned that the immigrants have enough financial means at their disposal so that they can at least take out health insurance. Thus, they want to prevent immigrants from burdening the social system. Students and trainees are exempt from this rule.

Those who are not EU or EEA citizens or have special agreements with Ireland must have a visa from day 1. Mostly the Visitor Visa is issued, which allows a stay of up to 90 days. After that, it is a matter of obtaining a residence permit, which you can obtain with certain proofs. Important here is that you have found a job.

Move to Ireland

A big advantage of moving to Ireland is that there is little bureaucracy to deal with. EU and EEA citizens can import all goods, whether by ship, motor vehicle or airplane, without paying customs duties. Therefore, a change of residence to Ireland is quite straightforward for you. For the others, check in advance with the Foreign Office and find out if your country has a special permit with Ireland, or if you are not on any list. Those coming from a country that is not on a special list and therefore does not have an explicit agreement with Ireland will have to go through customs clearance normally and also pay customs fees. You should allow another 1-3 days for customs clearance (as of Oct 2021). We recommend contacting our experts if you are unsure, they are always up to date, content on the blog on the other hand can become outdated.

The most famous sights of Ireland

Of course, besides the many formalities, we also want to show you some beautiful, exciting places, sights and attractions, so you can discover the wonderful island.

1. Capital Dublin: here you should have a look at the “Trinity College”, which was founded in 1592. The special thing about the university is the old library, which attracts many tourists every year. In the library there are over 4.5 million works and about 200,000 of them are extremely valuable, which is why you can only look at them from a safe distance. You should also visit the famous “Temple Bar” district in Dublin, which is nowadays the most popular nightlife area in Dublin.
2. Cliffs of Moher, the most famous attraction in Ireland. They are 214 meters high at their highest point. Many movies have been filmed in this breathtaking place, such as Harry Potter.
3. Ring of Kerry is a coastal route that is 179 kilometers long and reveals a powerful view of the sea.
4. Kylemore Abbey an impressive castle that you must see. The view is beautiful and the castle itself impresses with an outstanding Gothic architectural style.
5. Rock of Cashel is a ruined castle and features towers, battlements and pointed gables.
6. The Irish National Museum is a huge complex and contains about 4 million pieces. It is also divided into three branches in Dublin.

Culinary diversity: the best and most popular dishes in Ireland

1. Ireland has a lot to offer in terms of food culture, which is not known in other countries. We would like to present you some dishes that you should try.
2. Irish Stew, an absolute traditional meal of Ireland. It consists of pieces of lamb, mutton, potatoes, onions and parsley.
3. Soda Bread was first made in the 1830s and is still considered a St. Patrick’s Day tradition.
4. Boxty are traditional Irish potato pancakes.
5. Smoked Salmon, smoked salmon, fresh from the sea and well smoked, it is popular with white rolls.
6. Coddle, a stew of sausages, bacon bits, potatoes and onions.
7. Barmbrack is a bread with raisins and is popularly prepared for Halloween.
8. Shepherd’s Pie is the Irish status symbol par excellence. It consists of minced meat, mashed potatoes and a layer of cheese and is shaped like a pie.

We hope that we were able to give you some valuable tips and wish you good luck in Ireland. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.