How Much Does It Cost to Hire an Overseas Worker in Ireland?

The main employer-side cost of hiring an overseas worker in Ireland is the DETE employment permit fee: €1,000 for a General Employment Permit. That's the mandatory government charge. After that, costs depend on your sector, the role, and whether you use a recruitment agency.

Most employers are surprised by what they don't pay. The worker's visa and entry clearance is not an employer cost — the worker pays that themselves. CA Recruitment, which is Filipino-owned and Ireland-based, has a recruitment fee that is agreed with you upfront and separate from government costs.

Here is the full breakdown.

Cost Summary

The DETE Employment Permit Fee

The General Employment Permit (GEP) is the standard permit type for employers hiring in agriculture, construction, hospitality, and care. The application fee is €1,000 for a permit of more than six months and up to two years — the standard duration for a new hire — paid to DETE (Ireland's Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment) at the time of submission. (A permit of six months or less costs €500, but that's rarely relevant when hiring for a permanent role.)

If an application is refused, DETE refunds 90% of the fee — €900 back on a €1,000 application. The remaining 10% (€100) is retained to cover processing costs. No refund applies if the employer withdraws a completed application.

The Critical Skills Employment Permit carries the same €1,000 fee but covers a much narrower range of roles — primarily nursing, certain engineering specialisms, and senior IT positions. Most general employment roles in agriculture, construction, hospitality, and care qualify for the GEP, not the CSEP.

The Labour Market Needs Test

Before DETE will process a GEP application, employers must complete a Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT). This is a formal advertising process that demonstrates no EEA candidate was available for the role after genuine recruitment effort.

The LMNT requires advertising on:

• Jobs Ireland (the DSP job portal) — free. The role must be advertised here for a minimum period before the permit application is submitted.
• EURES (European Employment Services portal) — free. Required for GEP applications.
• One additional online platform — an online jobs site accessible to Irish and EEA candidates, such as IrishJobs.ie, Indeed, or LinkedIn. The Employment Permits Act 2024 removed the previous requirement for print advertising — national newspapers are no longer required. Costs range from free to a few hundred euro depending on the platform chosen.

The additional online platform is where most employers encounter an out-of-pocket cost at this stage, though many platforms offer free basic listings. CA Recruitment handles the LMNT in full — writing and placing the advertisements, recording applications received, and preparing the documentation DETE requires to confirm the test was properly conducted.

What the Employer Does Not Pay

Visa and entry clearance

The DETE employment permit is not a visa. It is a work authorisation issued to the employer-worker combination. Once the permit is issued, the worker applies separately for a long-stay 'D' visa or entry clearance through Immigration Service Delivery (ISD). That process and its fees are the worker's responsibility, not the employer's.

Worker flights and relocation costs

There is no legal obligation on an Irish employer to pay for a worker's flights or initial relocation. Some employers choose to contribute as a retention measure, but it is optional. CA Recruitment can advise on what is standard in your sector.

Recruitment Agency Fees in Ireland: What to Expect

Permanent-placement fees in the Irish market are usually quoted as a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary. Published agency terms and industry guides put the common range at 15–25%, with specialist and senior searches running to 30% or more. On a €35,000 salary, a 20% fee is €7,000. Quoted fees are usually exclusive of VAT, which applies to recruitment services at the standard 23% rate — always confirm which figure you've been given.

The three fee models

Contingency ("no placement, no fee") is the most common arrangement for permanent roles: the agency is paid only when a candidate starts. Retained search involves paying part of the fee upfront to commission a dedicated search, and is usual for senior positions. Fixed fee means a flat amount agreed before the search begins, regardless of salary. Fixed fees suit overseas recruitment well, because the work is largely process — sourcing, vetting, and the permit application — rather than salary-linked headhunting.

What an overseas recruitment fee should include

Hiring from outside the EEA involves work a domestic placement doesn't: the Labour Market Needs Test, the DETE permit application, candidate document checks, and coordination of the worker's visa application and travel. Some agencies fold all of this into one fee. Others charge separately for the permit paperwork, or refer it to an immigration solicitor and you pay both. Before signing terms of business, ask:

• Is the Labour Market Needs Test and the full DETE application included, or billed separately?
• Is any of the fee payable upfront, or only on placement?
• Are government costs (the €1,000 permit fee) passed through at cost, or marked up?
• Is the quoted fee inclusive or exclusive of VAT?
• What does the replacement guarantee cover, and for how long?

Our guide to choosing an overseas recruitment agency covers the non-fee questions — licensing, candidate vetting, and compliance track record.

What agencies can never charge

Two legal rules decide who carries recruitment costs in Ireland. Employment agencies must be licensed under the Employment Agency Act 1971, which also restricts their charges: fees cannot exceed a scale approved by the Minister, and no fee can be charged solely for agreeing to seek employment for a person. For permit hires the stronger protection is Section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024: an employer cannot deduct recruitment or permit costs from a permit holder's pay, or recover them from the worker in any other way. In practice, reputable Irish agencies charge the employer, not the candidate — an agency proposing that your prospective worker pays for their own placement is a red flag, and with a permit holder the compliance risk lands on you as the employer.

How CA Recruitment charges

CA Recruitment charges a fixed recruitment fee, agreed upfront and payable on placement — not a percentage of salary. Government permit, visa and travel costs are billed at cost, with no markup. The fee covers the full process: candidate sourcing and vetting in the Philippines, the Labour Market Needs Test, the complete DETE application, and coordination through to the worker's arrival. It is backed by a 90-day guarantee on the CA fee itself, covering cases where the worker leaves or is dismissed for gross misconduct.

Monette, CA Recruitment's founder, is Filipino and has been based in Ireland for years. She manages both sides of every placement — the Irish employer's requirements and the Filipino candidate process — from a position of first-hand experience that generalist agencies don't have.

Workers placed via an employment permit have relocated specifically for this role and this employer, so retention is consistently strong. If a placement runs into difficulty in the early weeks, contact CA Recruitment and we'll work through the options with you.

Costs to Watch For by Sector

Care and nursing home roles

Workers in care settings must be Garda vetted before they start. The employer submits the vetting application through the National Vetting Bureau — there is no charge for Garda vetting. The eVetting system handles 80% of applications within 14 days, but international candidates may take longer and this must be factored into the pre-employment timeline. CA Recruitment screens candidates against Garda vetting requirements during the selection process.

Construction roles

Some construction projects require workers to hold a Safe Pass card and sector-specific skills certification before going on site. Safe Pass training runs approximately €177–€202 (course fee plus the SOLAS registration charge). Where these are required, the cost is typically borne by the employer. These requirements apply to all workers on site regardless of nationality or permit status. CA Recruitment confirms certification requirements upfront for construction clients so there are no surprises on the first day.

Ongoing Employment Costs

Once your worker is employed, the ongoing costs are identical to those for any Irish or EEA employee. Overseas workers on General Employment Permits have exactly the same employment rights as any other worker in Ireland — this is a legal requirement under the Employment Permits Acts, enforced by the WRC (Workplace Relations Commission).

The main ongoing employer cost is the employer PRSI contribution, currently 11.25% of gross earnings above the weekly threshold (Class A, from January 2026; rising to 11.40% from October 2026). This applies to all employees, regardless of nationality or permit status.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do recruitment agencies charge in Ireland?

Permanent-placement fees are usually a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary — commonly 15–25%, with specialist and senior roles running to 30% or more. Overseas recruitment is often charged as a fixed fee instead, because the work is process-driven — sourcing, vetting, and the DETE permit application. CA Recruitment charges a fixed fee agreed upfront, payable on placement, with government costs billed at cost.

Can a recruitment agency charge the worker a fee in Ireland?

In practice the employer pays. The Employment Agency Act 1971 requires agencies to be licensed and restricts their charges — fees cannot exceed a Minister-approved scale, and no fee can be charged solely for agreeing to seek employment for a person. For permit hires, Section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 goes further: recruitment and permit costs cannot be deducted from or recovered from the permit holder. Avoid any agency that proposes charging your candidate.

Is the €1,000 DETE permit fee refundable if the application is refused?

DETE refunds 90% of the fee if an application is refused — €900 back on a €1,000 application, with €100 retained to cover processing. CA Recruitment conducts a full compliance review before submitting any application — checking the 50/50 workforce rule, salary threshold, and LMNT documentation — which significantly reduces refusal risk.

Does the employer have to pay for the worker's flights to Ireland?

No. Flight costs are not a legal employer obligation. Some employers offer a contribution as part of an attraction package for hard-to-fill roles, but it is at the employer's discretion.

How does CA Recruitment's no-fee-until-placement model work?

CA Recruitment's agency fee applies only when a worker is placed and confirmed in employment. The DETE permit fee is paid directly to the Irish government — that is an employer obligation regardless of which agency you use. CA Recruitment's own fee is separate from that and is charged only on successful placement.

What happens if the worker leaves after a few weeks?

Workers placed via an employment permit have relocated specifically for this role and this employer, so retention is consistently strong. If a placement runs into difficulty in the early weeks, contact CA Recruitment and we'll work through the options with you.

Are there other costs I should budget for?

The costs listed here cover the main employer-side expenses. The one that catches employers off guard most often is the additional LMNT advertising requirement — specifically which online platform to use and what it will cost. Sector-specific requirements (Garda vetting, Safe Pass, trade certifications) can also add pre-employment steps. CA Recruitment walks clients through the full cost picture at the first consultation, before anything is committed.