Ireland

Renewing an employment permit in Ireland: when to apply, what it costs, and what happens after five years

An employment permit is issued for a fixed term and the renewal is a fresh application with its own queue at the Department. Here is what the Department's pages say about it, for the employer who has to keep the person.

Checked against the official pages listed below on 27 September 2026.

When to apply

For a General Employment Permit, the Department's page says the renewal application is made "within 4 months prior to the expiry of the existing permit". The Department's FAQ document (2024 edition) also describes an application made within one month after expiry as within the period; if you are past the expiry date, check the current position with the Department before relying on that.

Renewals have their own processing queue, separate from new applications, and it is often the slowest. our processing times page shows today's position for renewals against the others; apply at the start of the four-month window, not the end.

Working while the renewal is pending

The Department's FAQ states that once a renewal application has been submitted within the prescribed period, the employee can continue to work. The application receipt is the thing to keep on file.

How long a renewal runs, and the fee

A General Employment Permit is issued first for up to 24 months, and can be renewed for up to a further three years, after which the Department points the holder towards long-term residency.
Renewal fee: €1,500 for a renewal of more than six months and up to 36 months; €750 for six months or less.
No fee for a General Employment Permit renewal where the permit is an unlimited one (below).

After five years

The Department's General Employment Permit page says a person who has held valid permits for five consecutive years may not need a permit to keep working and should contact the Department of Justice about a Stamp 4. Where that route does not apply, the Department describes an unlimited-duration renewal, with no fee, for a person who has been in continuous employment with the same employer for five years or more. Otherwise a renewal is limited to three years, with the fee.

Critical Skills permits do not renew

A Critical Skills Employment Permit is issued against a job offer of at least two years. At the end of it the holder applies to the Department of Justice for a Stamp 4, which allows them to live and work without a further permit; the Department's fee table shows renewal as not applicable. For the employer, the practical point is that there is no renewal to diary for a Critical Skills hire, and the person becomes free to work for anyone once the Stamp 4 issues.

What we do

For every candidate we place, the permit's expiry sits in our placements tracker and the employer is reminded before the renewal window opens, with the documents listed. The full process, start to finish.

Sources

For employers

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General information for employers, not legal advice. Checked against the official pages above on 27 September 2026. The rules and figures change; the official pages are the authority, and we confirm the current position before anything is submitted.