The short answer
Yes, you can hire a carpenter or joiner from outside the EU. Carpenters and joiners are not on the ineligible list kept by DETE (the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment), so the route is a General Employment Permit.
Where it goes wrong is usually the detail. Make sure the role is real carpentry, not labouring. In the construction sector, the pay has to meet the Construction Sector pay order rates as well as the permit minimum, and the job has to be advertised in Ireland for 28 days before you apply.
Checked against DETE and WRC pages on 14 October 2026. The Construction Sector pay rates used here apply from 1 August 2026. Get in touch and we will confirm the current position for your role before you commit to anything.
Is a carpenter eligible for a work permit in Ireland?
DETE's ineligible list is set out by occupation code, known as the SOC code. Carpenters and joiners are SOC 5315. That code does not appear on the Ineligible List of Occupations, and anything not on that list can be considered for a General Employment Permit.
Where employers get caught is the boundary between carpentry and labouring. SOC 9120, elementary construction occupations, is on the ineligible list. The application has to give the qualifications, skills or experience the job needs, so write the duties out honestly before you advertise. If the job is mostly carrying, loading and clearing up, do not dress it up as carpentry.
What you have to pay an overseas carpenter
The General Employment Permit has a minimum annual pay of €36,605. For a carpenter working in construction, that number is a trap.
The Construction Sector Sectoral Employment Order lists carpenters and joiners as craftspersons. From 1 August 2026 the craftsperson minimum is €23.74 an hour. If your business is in the construction sector, that hourly rate is the minimum you can pay a qualified carpenter. Price the job on it, not on €36,605.
The order also requires you to be in its pension scheme. From 1 August 2026 the employer contribution is €32.89 a week per worker, on top of pay, and there is a sick pay scheme as well.
Two more points on pay:
- For the permit threshold DETE counts basic salary and any health insurance you pay for the worker to a registered health insurer. Those are the only two items on its list.
- The order covers employers in the construction sector as it defines that sector. If you run a joinery workshop rather than a building firm, read the definitions on the WRC page or ask us before you set the figure.
Hiring an overseas carpenter: the steps, in order
- Check the role and your workforce. Confirm the duties are skilled carpentry (SOC 5315). Then count your staff: at least 50% must be EEA nationals when you apply, under DETE's 50:50 rule. Our 50:50 rule guide covers who counts.
- Run the Labour Market Needs Test. Advertise the job with the Department of Social Protection's employment service, JobsIreland, and on EURES for at least 28 continuous days. Run a second advert on another online jobs platform for the same 28 days. Each advert must show the job description, your business name, the minimum annual pay, the location and the hours. Keep a note of every applicant and why they did not suit.
- Find your carpenter. Use the 28 days. We screen candidates while the advert runs, so you have a shortlist by the time it closes.
- Apply for the General Employment Permit. Applications are made on DETE's Employment Permits Online system.
- Plan the visa and travel. Check whether your carpenter's nationality needs an Irish entry visa, using the country check in our work permit guide.
- Plan the first week in Ireland. Read our Safe Pass guide before you fix a start date on site.
How long it takes to hire a carpenter from overseas
In our experience, plan for about 6 months from start to the carpenter on site, when the worker needs an Irish entry visa.
On 13 October 2026, DETE was processing new General Employment Permit applications received on 8 September 2026. Check DETE's current processing dates page or our processing times tracker before you plan a start date.
Costs you carry
The General Employment Permit fee is €1,000 for a permit of up to 24 months, or €500 if the permit is for six months or less. If you are the applicant and you pay it, you cannot take it back from the worker's wages or ask them to repay it. Section 55 of the Employment Permits Act 2024 rules that out.
For the rest of the budget, including recruitment fees and the first weeks after arrival, see our full cost guide.
What CA Recruitment handles
We recruit overseas tradespeople for Irish construction employers, and you deal with Monette directly. For a carpentry hire we check the role's code and your 50:50 ratio before anything starts. We run the 28-day advert and keep the applicant log, source and trade-test carpenters, and prepare the permit application. We also coordinate the visa and arrival steps, so you are not chasing paperwork between site visits.
Hiring other trades as well? The construction hiring guide covers the sector as a whole, and there is a separate guide to electricians and plumbers, whose pay rules are different.
Short of a carpenter? Start with a free call.
We check whether your role qualifies, what you need to pay, and how long it will take for your site. No obligation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Carpenters and joiners (SOC code 5315) are not on DETE's Ineligible List of Occupations, so an Irish employer can hire one from outside the EEA on a General Employment Permit. You need to run a 28-day Labour Market Needs Test first, offer at least the legal minimum pay for the role, and meet the 50:50 workforce rule.
The General Employment Permit threshold is €36,605 a year, but for most construction employers that is not the real floor. The Construction Sector Sectoral Employment Order sets a craftsperson rate of €23.74 an hour from 1 August 2026, and it names carpenters and joiners as craftspersons. If your business is in the construction sector as the order defines it, build the job offer on that rate.
Yes. DETE requires a Labour Market Needs Test for a General Employment Permit in most cases, and a carpentry hire is one of them. The vacancy must be advertised with the Department of Social Protection's employment service and EURES for at least 28 continuous days, and on one other online jobs platform for the same 28 days, before you apply.
No. Labourers, carpenter's mates and general site operatives fall under SOC 9120, elementary construction occupations, which is on DETE's Ineligible List. The job has to be genuine skilled carpentry or joinery work, not labouring under a carpenter's title.
In our experience, plan for about 6 months from starting the process to the carpenter arriving on site when the worker needs an Irish entry visa, as Filipino workers do. That covers the 28-day advert, the DETE processing queue, the entry visa, travel, and the Safe Pass and onboarding steps after arrival.