What documents do I check to verify the right to work in Ireland?

For Irish and other EU/EEA/Swiss nationals, check the passport or national identity card. For non-EEA nationals, check the Irish Residence Permit (IRP card) and confirm the stamp or permission printed on it allows employment — Stamp 1 (with a valid employment permit), Stamp 1A, Stamp 1G, Stamp 4, Stamp 5, or Stamp 6. A visa label in a passport alone is not sufficient evidence of the right to work; the IRP card is the primary document for non-EEA workers.

Does a work visa mean someone has the right to work in Ireland?

Not exactly. A visa allows the person to travel to Ireland; it does not itself confer the right to work. The right to work for a non-EEA national is granted by the immigration permission (the stamp on their IRP card) or by a valid employment permit. Many employers confuse the two — if you are unsure what permission a candidate holds, check the IRP card, not the visa sticker.

What is the penalty for employing someone without a work permit in Ireland?

Under the Employment Permits Acts, employing a non-EEA national without a valid employment permit (where one is required) is a criminal offence. On summary conviction, an employer faces a fine of up to €5,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment. On conviction on indictment, the fine can reach €250,000 and/or up to 10 years imprisonment. Civil liability to the worker may also arise.

Can someone with a Stamp 4 work without a permit in Ireland?

Yes. A Stamp 4 grants unrestricted access to the Irish labour market — the holder can work for any employer, in any role, without needing an employment permit. You still need to verify the IRP card and confirm the stamp is current and not expired. See our full Stamp 4 guide for details.

How long do I need to keep records of right to work checks?

Best practice, and the standard recommended by the WRC, is to keep copies of the documents you checked for the duration of employment and for at least three years after the employment ends. This gives you a clear paper trail if you are ever investigated or face a WRC inspection.

What happens if a candidate's employment permit expires while they are working for me?

The worker no longer has lawful authority to work from the date of expiry. You must not allow them to continue working until a new or renewed permit is in place. A permit renewal application must be submitted before the existing permit expires — DETE operates a holding provision that maintains work rights while a timely renewal is under consideration, but only if the application was submitted before expiry.

Right to Work Checks in Ireland: The Employer's Compliance Guide

What a Right to Work Check Actually Is

Every employer in Ireland has a legal responsibility to verify that each person they hire is authorised to work in the state before employment begins. That verification — checking the right documents, recording what you saw, and keeping a copy — is the right to work check.

It is not a one-off formality for overseas hires. It applies to every new employee, regardless of nationality. The difference is that for Irish, EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals the check is straightforward — a passport or national identity card is enough. For non-EEA nationals, it is more involved, because the permission to work flows from their immigration status or from an employment permit specific to them and their role.

Getting this wrong carries serious consequences. Under the Employment Permits Acts, knowingly employing a non-EEA national without the appropriate permission is a criminal offence, not just an administrative breach. So it is worth understanding the system clearly before you hire.

Who Can Work in Ireland Without a Permit

The following categories of person have the unrestricted right to work in Ireland without needing an employment permit:

Irish citizens. No check beyond confirming identity.

EU/EEA nationals and Swiss nationals. Citizens of the 27 EU member states, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (the EEA), and Switzerland can work freely in Ireland. Check a valid passport or national identity card. No permit is required.

British citizens. Under the Common Travel Area arrangements, British citizens continue to have the right to live and work in Ireland. A British passport or identity document is sufficient.

Certain non-EEA nationals with a qualifying immigration permission. This is where it becomes more nuanced — and where most employer errors occur. A non-EEA national living legally in Ireland may or may not have work rights depending on the type of permission they hold. The stamp on their Irish Residence Permit (IRP card) is what tells you.

If a candidate does not fall into one of the categories above, they will need a valid employment permit before you can hire them.

Immigration Stamps and Work Rights: The Employer's Reference Table

Non-EEA nationals in Ireland are issued an Irish Residence Permit (IRP card) when they register with their local immigration registration office. The stamp printed on the card determines what, if anything, they are allowed to do in terms of employment.

Stamp 1 — The holder requires an employment permit to work. Employment is limited to the specific employer and role stated on the permit. You must see both the valid IRP card (Stamp 1) and the original employment permit. If the permit has expired, the right to work has lapsed.

Stamp 1A — Granted to student nurses on a supervised clinical placement. The holder is authorised to work for the specific hospital or healthcare provider named in the permission. Cannot be used for general employment.

Stamp 1G — Issued to non-EEA graduates of Irish higher education institutions who have completed an NFQ Level 8 or above qualification. Allows the holder to work in any role for any employer while they seek employment or pursue career development, up to the duration stated on the card (typically 24 months for degree holders). No employment permit is required during this period. For a full breakdown, see our Stamp 1G employer guide.

Stamp 2 — Issued to international students. The holder may work up to 20 hours per week during term time and 40 hours per week during official holiday periods. This is the full extent of their work authorisation — they cannot work full-time during term, and they cannot be the primary subject of an employment permit while on a Stamp 2.

Stamp 2A — Similar to Stamp 2 but for students on programmes that do not confer work rights. The holder may not work at all. Do not employ someone on a Stamp 2A.

Stamp 3 — Granted to certain non-EEA family members and others in Ireland on a non-economic basis. Stamp 3 holders are not permitted to work. This catches some employers off guard when a candidate presents a valid IRP card — if the stamp is 3, they cannot be employed.

Stamp 4 — Full unrestricted access to the Irish labour market. No employment permit is required. The holder can work for any employer, in any role, for the duration of the permission. Stamp 4 is commonly held by long-term residents, former permit holders who have completed five years, and certain protected categories. Always verify the card has not expired. For full details, see our Stamp 4 employer guide.

Stamp 5 — Permission to remain in Ireland without a time limit. The holder has unrestricted work rights and does not require a permit. Stamp 5 is issued after 8 years of legal residence in Ireland (under certain criteria).

Stamp 6 — Dual citizenship holders. No employment restriction.

The key takeaway: a valid IRP card alone does not tell you the person has the right to work. The stamp printed on it does. Stamp 3 and Stamp 2A holders cannot work. Stamp 1 holders can only work for the employer and role named on their permit. All other stamps with work rights have their own scope — read the card.

Documents to Check

For EU/EEA/Swiss and British nationals:

Valid passport or
National identity card (for EU/EEA nationals)

A driving licence or utility bill is not sufficient on its own.

For Irish citizens:

Valid passport or
Irish national identity card (if one is held — though Ireland does not issue a general-purpose national ID card, so typically a passport)

For non-EEA nationals:

Irish Residence Permit (IRP card) — read the stamp category and the expiry date
Where the stamp is Stamp 1: also check the original employment permit. The permit must name the employer and the role. A permit issued by a previous employer does not authorise work for you.

What is not sufficient:

A visa sticker in a passport. A visa allows entry — it is not a work authorisation.
A letter from an immigration solicitor or a GNIB appointment card. These are not work authorisations.
A social welfare PPS number alone. Everyone in Ireland can be assigned a PPS number, including those with no right to work.

How to Conduct the Check

Right to work checks in Ireland are not regulated by a single statutory checklist the way they are in the UK, but the standard expected by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in any inspection is that you can demonstrate you saw the correct documents before employment began.

In practice:

Ask to see the original documents before the person starts work. Do not rely on photocopies or scanned images submitted by email.
Check that the document is genuine — look for signs of tampering, confirm the photo matches the person in front of you, and check the expiry date.
Make a clear copy of both sides of the IRP card and the relevant pages of the passport or permit.
Record the date the check was carried out and by whom.
File the copies securely for the duration of employment and for at least three years afterwards.

If a candidate's IRP card is close to its expiry date, arrange for them to renew their registration before employment begins or very shortly after. A lapsed IRP card means lapsed work rights.

For employment permit holders (Stamp 1 candidates), also photograph or copy the permit itself and note the permit number, the employer named, the role, and the permit expiry date. Diarise that date so you can start a renewal application in good time.

When a Permit Is the Authorisation

If the candidate you want to hire is a non-EEA national who does not currently have a qualifying immigration permission (or has a Stamp 1 that names a different employer), they will need an employment permit before they can work for you. You cannot start them in the role while the permit is being processed — work can only begin once the permit is issued and the candidate has their updated IRP card.

The two most common permit types for general hiring are:

General Employment Permit (GEP) — available for most roles not on the ineligible occupations list, subject to a minimum annual remuneration (MAR) threshold and, in most cases, the Labour Market Needs Test. The permit is issued to the employee, names the employer, and is role-specific.

Critical Skills Employment Permit (CSEP) — for roles on the Critical Skills Occupations List or roles paying over €68,911 per annum. Faster processing and no Labour Market Needs Test required.

There are also permits for intra-company transfers, contract for services arrangements, reactivation of lapsed permits, and other situations. If you're unsure which permit applies to the role you're filling, see our guide on which roles cannot get an Irish work permit, or talk to us directly.

One point that catches employers: if a candidate mentions "visa sponsorship" when they apply, they typically mean they need an employment permit (and the IRP registration that follows). They are asking you to be the named employer on the permit. What that involves — and what you are and are not signing up to — is covered in our visa sponsorship guide for Irish employers.

Penalties for Employing Without Permission

Under the Employment Permits Acts (2003 and 2006, as amended by the Employment Permits Act 2024), it is a criminal offence to employ a non-EEA national who does not have a valid employment permit (where one is required) or whose immigration permission does not include the right to work.

The penalties are significant:

Summary conviction (District Court): a fine of up to €5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 12 months.

Conviction on indictment (Circuit or Central Criminal Court): a fine of up to €250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Beyond the criminal exposure, there are practical consequences. The WRC has powers of inspection and can issue compliance notices. Workers employed without permission can still pursue civil claims against you for unpaid wages or breach of employment law — courts have found that undocumented workers retain employment rights even where the employment was itself unlawful. DETE maintains a record of employers found to have employed workers without permits, which can affect future permit applications.

The risk is not abstract. WRC workplace inspections include verification of right to work documents as a standard element. Healthcare, hospitality, and agriculture are all sectors where inspections have identified non-compliant employment. The fine for a single employee is enough to cause serious disruption for a small or medium business, and the reputational damage of a prosecution is harder to recover from.

There is no defence of ignorance. If you did not check, you cannot demonstrate you had reason to believe the person had permission to work. That is why the document check matters — not because immigration enforcement will necessarily reach your door, but because if it does, your records are the only evidence that you acted in good faith.

How CA Recruitment Helps

Most Irish employers who want to hire overseas workers are not immigration specialists. They know their industry, they know the role they need to fill, and they need someone to handle the permit and compliance process correctly so they can get on with running their business.

That is what we do. CA Recruitment manages the full employment permit process — from assessing whether a role qualifies, running the Labour Market Needs Test where required, preparing and submitting the permit application, and advising on what you need to have in place before the worker arrives and on their first day. We also advise on right to work documentation so you understand exactly what to check and keep on file.

We place workers across construction, healthcare, agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, and other permit-eligible sectors. The entire journey — from identifying the right candidate to the worker starting in your business — takes approximately six months for a General Employment Permit. We manage that timeline and the steps within it.

If you have a role you need to fill, or if you've hired someone and you're not sure whether your right to work records are in order, contact us for a free consultation. We'll tell you where you stand and what needs to happen next.