The General Employment Permit is the foundation of international recruitment for most Irish employers. It is the permit type that covers electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, bricklayers, steel fixers, pipe fitters, most manufacturing operatives, and the majority of technical and semi-professional roles that do not appear on the Critical Skills Occupations List.
If you are an Irish employer planning to hire from the Philippines, South Africa, or any other non-EEA country for a skilled trade or operational role, understanding this process thoroughly is the most important thing you can do before starting. This guide walks through every stage.
Why the GEP matters more than ever in 2026
The GEP is the primary route for the trades in highest demand in Ireland. The Construction Industry Federation estimates a shortfall of 50,000 construction workers by 2030. ESRI analysis from June 2025 puts the total additional workforce required for housing and infrastructure at 80,000 people. The trades needed to close that gap, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, welders, are all on the GEP route, not the Critical Skills route.
The Hardware Association Ireland reported in October 2024 that over 90% of its members had projects postponed or cancelled due to trade shortages, per reporting by The Irish Times. For employers in this position, the GEP process is not a bureaucratic hurdle. It is the mechanism through which the problem gets solved.
Step 1: Confirm the role is eligible
The first checkpoint is the Ineligible Occupations List, published and updated periodically by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) under the Employment Permits legislation. This list sets out roles that cannot be filled through the GEP regardless of the circumstances. As of 2026, ineligible categories include most hospitality and retail roles below management level, general administrative and clerical positions, most agricultural and food processing operatives (with specific exceptions), domestic work, and most transport and logistics roles below certain skill thresholds.
If a role appears on the Ineligible Occupations List, a GEP application will be refused and the fee is not refunded. Checking eligibility before beginning the process is not optional. Check the current list on enterprise.gov.ie before anything else.
The role must also pay a minimum salary of €36,605 per year from 1 March 2026, per the most recent DETE salary threshold update. This represents a 7.6% increase from the previous threshold of €34,000. Specific lower thresholds apply for healthcare assistants and home carers (€32,691) and for recent Irish graduates at Level 8 or above (€34,009).
Step 2: Carry out the Labour Market Needs Test
The Labour Market Needs Test (LMNT) is the formal demonstration that you genuinely attempted to fill the role from within Ireland and the wider EEA before turning to international recruitment. For most GEP applications, it is mandatory.
Advertising requirements: the vacancy must be advertised simultaneously for a minimum of 28 consecutive days on two designated platforms. Platform one is IrishJobs.ie or another DETE-approved Irish job board (the advertisement on IrishJobs.ie also feeds into the EU-wide EURES network). Platform two is any additional commercial job platform whose principal purpose is publishing job vacancies, including Indeed, LinkedIn, or similar.
Both advertisements must be identical and must include the job title, a clear description of duties, required qualifications and experience, the annual salary, the work location, and the employer’s contact details. Any modification to the advertisement during the 28-day period requires the clock to restart from zero.
Following the advertising period, you must retain records of all applications received and document in writing the specific reason why each applicant was not progressed. Acceptable reasons include failure to hold the required trade qualification, insufficient relevant experience, or a failure to meet salary expectations. Vague reasons such as “not suitable” are not sufficient and will be questioned on review.
The application must be submitted within 90 days of the date the first advertisement was published. Missing this window means repeating the LMNT in full.
LMNT exemptions exist for specific circumstances: roles paying more than €68,911 per year, roles on the Critical Skills list (which have their own permit type), roles recommended by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland, and change-of-employer applications for workers already holding a valid GEP.
Step 3: Apply the 50/50 rule
The 50/50 rule requires that at least 50% of the sponsoring employer’s workforce must be EEA nationals (EU, EEA, Swiss, or UK citizens) at the time the application is submitted.
This rule exists to prevent businesses from operating primarily on non-EEA labour. It is applied as a hard threshold: if your workforce falls below 50% EEA at the time of application, the GEP will be refused.
There are exemptions. The rule does not apply to start-up employers registered with Revenue in the past two years who are also supported by Enterprise Ireland or IDA Ireland. It does not apply where the foreign national applying for the permit will be the employer’s only employee. It does not apply to applications from refugees or persons with subsidiary protection status.
Employers who are close to the 50% threshold should seek legal advice before submitting an application. A refused application due to 50/50 non-compliance means the fee is not refunded and the process must restart with a different candidate or after the workforce composition changes.
Step 4: Prepare the application documents
The GEP application is submitted through the Employment Permits Online portal at epos.enterprise.gov.ie. Both the employer and the employee have separate online accounts and sections to complete.
Core documents required include: a signed employment contract specifying the role, salary, and start date; evidence of the completed LMNT including the JobsIreland.ie reference number and a copy of the second platform advertisement with dates confirmed; a Revenue Commissioners statement of tax compliance issued within the preceding three months; the employee’s passport and qualifications certificates; PPS number where applicable; a passport photograph; and for regulated occupations, proof of registration with the relevant professional or regulatory body.
Where the candidate’s trade qualifications were obtained outside Ireland, a comparability statement from NARIC Ireland (operated by QQI) may be required. This assessment is available free of charge but should be initiated early in the process.
Step 5: Submit the application and pay the fee
Once all employer and employee sections are complete and supporting documents uploaded, the application is submitted electronically and the fee of €1,000 is paid through the EPOS portal. This fee is non-refundable in the event of a refusal. A 90% refund applies if the application is withdrawn before a decision is made.
Step 6: Processing and decision
Current processing times as of March 2026: new GEP applications are processing in approximately 9 to 11 weeks. New CSEP applications are processing in 5 to 6 weeks. Renewals are running at approximately 10 to 11 weeks.
The DETE may issue a Request for Further Information (RFI) during processing. Responses to RFIs should be provided within the timeframe specified, as delayed responses extend the processing timeline. Application status can be tracked through the EPOS portal.
Step 7: Entry visa and IRP registration
Once the permit is approved, workers from visa-required countries (including the Philippines and South Africa) apply for an entry visa. The visa fee is €60 for single entry and €100 for multiple entry.
Within 90 days of arriving in Ireland, the worker must register with the local immigration registration office and obtain an Irish Residence Permit (IRP). The registration fee is €300. The IRP documents the worker’s legal status and right to remain.
Common refusal reasons
Based on DETE guidance and immigration practitioner reporting, the leading causes of GEP refusal are: LMNT non-compliance (including advertisements that ran for fewer than 28 days, were modified during the advertising period, or for which records were incomplete or absent); salary below the current threshold including where the offered salary includes non-cash components that DETE does not count toward the minimum; breach of the 50/50 rule; role appearing on the Ineligible Occupations List; failure to maintain Revenue compliance as an employer; and incomplete or inconsistent documentation.
How Sama Talent Group supports the GEP process
Sama Talent Group manages the end-to-end GEP process on behalf of Irish employers. We run the Labour Market Needs Test, prepare and submit the EPOS application, coordinate document collection, track applications through processing, and manage pre-departure logistics for the candidate. Our exclusive sourcing partner in Manila ensures candidates arrive with their qualifications independently verified, their documentation complete, and their pre-departure compliance requirements met.
For employers who have never used the GEP route before, we provide a full briefing before the process begins, with no obligation. Contact our Dublin team to discuss your hiring requirements.
