Photo: Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped.
Ireland has no nomad visa. Here is what works instead.
Remote work, Irish jobs, a start-up route and retirement on Stamp 0. What each one allows, and what each one costs.
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Ireland does not offer a digital nomad visa. If your plan is to move with your US remote job, Ireland is a hard fit. Say so to yourself early, before you fall for a cottage listing.
Three routes remain. An Irish employer hires you. You build an innovative company in Ireland. Or you retire on your own income and do not work. Each route has its own money test.
U.S. dollar conversions are estimates using rates dated Sep 15, 2026. The amount and currency required by the visa office still apply. Rates by Exchange Rate API.
Remote work comes first, and here it stops short
Most countries in this batch offer a nomad route. Ireland does not. No published permission lets you live in Ireland while working for a US employer or US clients.
Stamp 0, the retirement permission, prohibits work, business, trade or professional activity unless your permission letter states an exception. Do not read a missing ban on remote work as approval. Ask Immigration Service Delivery in writing, and keep the answer.
Source: Irish Immigration, permission and stamp conditionsIrish Immigration, I want to retire to Ireland
Say so to yourself early, before you fall for a cottage listing.
Working here means an Irish job
A work move runs through an employment permit from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The employer must be registered with Revenue and trading in Ireland. You must be employed and paid directly by that employer. Recruitment agencies do not qualify.
Local jobs abroad are hard to get, and Ireland is no exception. Employers must show a reason to hire from outside the European Economic Area. Treat a permit job as a long search with no promised result.
Minimum salaries from 1 March 2026
- General Employment Permit
- 36,605 euros (EUR), about US$42,284 a year.
- Critical Skills, listed occupation with a relevant degree
- 40,904 euros (EUR), about US$47,250 a year, for a job offer of at least two years.
- Critical Skills, occupation not on the list
- 68,911 euros (EUR), about US$79,603 a year.
These figures are minimum salaries for a permit. They say nothing about rent in Dublin or Galway. Check the Critical Skills Occupations List before you apply for any role.
Source: Department of Enterprise, employment permit salary thresholds from 1 March 2026Citizens Information, Critical Skills Employment Permit
Starting a business has a high bar
Stamp 0 does not allow you to run a business. The Start-up Entrepreneur Programme is the founder route. Its published guidelines ask for 50,000 euros (EUR), about US$57,758 in funding and a high potential start-up in the innovation economy.
A shop, café, guesthouse or personal service does not fit this route. It is built for export-focused companies, not for competing with local owners. The guidelines on file date from 2020, so confirm the current version with Irish Immigration before you plan.
Source: Irish Immigration, Start-up Entrepreneur Programme guidelines
Retirement comes second: Stamp 0
Irish Immigration asks people of independent means for an individual income of 50,000 euros (EUR), about US$57,758 a year. You also need access to a lump sum for sudden major expenses. The official example is the price of a home in Ireland.
An Irish accountancy firm must certify your finances. Your records go in a spreadsheet, converted to euros, showing monthly income and spending. Apply for Stamp 0 before you arrive. US passport holders do not need an entry visa first, but they still need this permission.
Stamp 0, persons of independent means
- Income
- 50,000 euros (EUR), about US$57,758 a year for each person.
- Emergency fund
- A lump sum for major costs, with the price of an Irish home given as the example.
- Work
- Not allowed unless your permission letter says otherwise.
The 50,000 euros (EUR), about US$57,758 test proves self-sufficiency to an immigration officer. It is not a household budget. Price rent, heating, insurance and transport for the town you want.
Source: Irish Immigration, I want to retire to IrelandUS Embassy Ireland, working and retiring in Ireland
Health insurance before Medicare
Stamp 0 applicants must show private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals. Buy it before you apply, and read the waiting periods for existing conditions.
Medicare usually does not cover care outside the United States. Medicare drug plans do not cover prescriptions bought abroad. Decide whether to keep Part B for visits home, and ask about late penalties before you drop it.
Source: Irish Immigration, I want to retire to IrelandMedicare, travel outside the U.S.
US tax filing still applies
US citizens file a US return every year, wherever they live. Moving to Ireland adds Irish tax questions. It does not remove US ones.
Talk to a tax adviser who handles both countries before you move money or sell a home. Ask about pensions, Social Security and investment accounts in particular.
All sources for this story
- Irish Immigration, permission and stamp conditions
- Irish Immigration, I want to retire to Ireland
- US Embassy Ireland, working and retiring in Ireland
- Department of Enterprise, employment permit salary thresholds from 1 March 2026
- Citizens Information, Critical Skills Employment Permit
- Irish Immigration, Start-up Entrepreneur Programme guidelines
- Medicare, travel outside the U.S.
- IRS, US citizens and resident aliens abroad
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