If you or your spouse or De Facto spouse holds a European Union, Irish or British Passport you can use other methods of immigration to allow you to live and work in the Republic of Ireland, which includes very different rules in terms of retiring in Ireland.
If you and your spouse are South African Passport holders.
This entry however is subject to having sufficient paperwork at entry, this is discussed later in the Resources section “Entry into Ireland.”
At entry into Ireland you will get an entry stamp of up to 90 days. This entry stamp will be placed in the South African members passports. All applicants must apply for Stamp 0 before arriving in Ireland.
When you have arrived in Ireland, if you are not an EEA or Swiss national, you must have permission to remain if you wish to stay for more than 3 months.
If you are retiring to live in Ireland, you must be able to prove you have sufficient resources to support yourself and obtain permission to remain by registering with your local immigration registration officer following your arrival in Ireland.
Note: Entry to the State is always at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the port of entry. The granting of visitor permission at the port of entry does not mean that your Stamp 0 application will be successful.
If you wish to retire to Ireland you must be financially independent and meet all conditions. You will be required to provide independent verification of your compliance with the financial conditions. This verification must be certified by an Irish accountancy firm.
- Income of at least €50,000 per year (If you are part of a couple, then your joint income should be €100,000 per year).
- Access to a lump sum of money to cover any sudden expenses. This lump sum should cover the cost of a house or an apartment in Ireland.
The application process is explained below. All applicants must apply for Stamp 0 before arriving in Ireland.
In order to be eligible for a retirement permission you must be able to support yourself financially. This means that you are not entitled to access State benefits while resident here on a retirement permission.
What does Independent means mean?
For people of independent means who wish to retire to Ireland, you should have an individual income of €50,000 per year. You must also have access to a lump sum of money to cover any sudden major expenses. This lump sum should be equal to, for example, the price of a residential dwelling in the State.
Financial documentation should be presented in spreadsheet form and converted into euros. It should clearly show all income and spending each month. This must be certified by an Irish accountancy firm who has the expert knowledge to understand the format of overseas banking/accountancy documentation.
Applying for Stamp 0 immigration permission
There are two or three steps to the process and registering as a non-EEA national, depending on your circumstances. As South Africans are non-visa required nations, you do not need to apply for the D visa entry, however you need to apply for the permission in advance
HERE: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-live-in-ireland/i-want-to-retire-to-ireland/
If you are visa required or non-visa required you must apply for permission with a letter and the required documentation, to:
Unit 2 Domestic Residence and Permissions Division,
Immigration Service Delivery
Department of Justice
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2 D02 XK70
Ireland
If your application is successful, you will be issued with a Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division. This Conditional Letter of Offer is given on the condition that you meet any required visa checks and is subject to the discretion of the Immigration Officer when you enter the State.
If you are a non-visa required person who wishes to retire to Ireland and you meet the conditions, once you have received your Conditional Letter of Offer you may travel to the State.
Documents required for initial application for permission
- Clear and legible copy of your passport (all pages), including the visa on which you entered the State
- Copy of your birth certificate
- Copy of marriage certificate
- Reason for request for permission
- Details of all family members resident in the State and their legal status in the State
- Details of Irish Associations
- Evidence of all finances available to you (for example, six months of bank statements and payslips)
- Evidence of your finances verified by an Irish based accountant listing yearly income and any financial liabilities. Investment sums are not normally measured – finances must be in the form of pension income or readily accessible funds
- Evidence of private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals
- Police Clearance Certificate
- Health Declaration
- Any other information you consider relevant to your case.
The average processing time for applications is four months. Delays can be expected when applicants do not send in all of the required documents with their original application. Applications are processed in chronological order.
Once you have moved to Ireland see below on how to register at Garda Immigration and Renewals of Residency stamps once you have arrived, you have 90 days to register and again on renewals the EU300 per member registration fee applies
Terms and Conditions of Stamp 0 Permission
Applicants are required to sign an undertaking that they will abide by the restrictions imposed by the permission. Holders of Stamp 0 (who are not permitted to work) may volunteer in the State but it is not intended that a person given permission on Stamp 0 basis would take up any employment either paid or unpaid in relation to their professional qualifications.
The terms of the declaration are as follows
- I am not permitted to work in the State.
- I am not permitted to establish or operate a business in the State.
- I am not permitted to engage in a profession in the State.
- I am a person of self-sufficient/independent means.
- I am not permitted to have a family member join me on the basis that I am resident in the State.
- I am not permitted to receive any State benefits, nor is my sponsor in the State permitted to apply for any State benefits on my behalf.
- I have private medical insurance to cover the duration of my stay and it covers me for medical treatment and hospital accommodation in this State.
- I must abide by the laws of the State.
- I must continuously reside in the State.
Persons on Stamp 0 are required to have fully comprehensive medical insurance to cover fully private care in any hospital and are required to maintain this insurance for the duration of their permission. If they allow this private medical cover to lapse, their permission may not be renewed. There is no family reunification with Stamp 0. Each individual must apply in their own right.
How to Renew Stamp 0
A person who has been granted stamp 0 by INIS and whose residence permission letter from INIS states that this permission is renewable may make an application to INIS one month before expiry of the permission. The renewal application must include a full copy of your current passport and evidence of continuing medical insurance and finances.
If you are found to have breached the conditions of your permission renewal may be refused and you may be required to leave the State. The conditions attached to your residence permission will be contained in the original letter from INIS
Stamp 0 is given to people who have been approved by INIS (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service) for a limited and specific stay in Ireland. Accordingly, this limited and specific permission is not intended to be counted towards Long Term Residence. This Stamp will be renable on a yearly basis, and does not give automatic rights to apply for naturalisation.
Contact Details
Applications are dealt with by Unit 2 Domestic Residence & Permission’s Division, INIS, 13-
14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.
Queries are dealt with by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Stamp 0 indicates permission to stay in Ireland for a temporary period, subject to conditions.
Summary of conditions
You must be of independent means, fully financially self-sufficient. Alternatively, your sponsor in Ireland must be of independent means and can support you fully. You cannot receive any benefits or use publicly funded services, for example be treated at a public hospital. You must have private medical insurance. You must not work or engage in any business, trade or profession unless specified in a letter of permission from Immigration Service Delivery.
Examples when used
You may be given Stamp 0 if you have permission to:
- Retire to or live in Ireland as a person of independent means
- Be a visiting academic at an Irish university or college
- Live in Ireland as the elderly, dependent relative of a non-EU/EEA or Swiss citizen.
Important links:
#MapMyMove- Our coaching Services - Confused or lost and need some direction, book a session with us to help untangle the confusion and work out your route of immigration
Retiring to Ireland - Citizens Information
Register based on living independantly or retiring to Ireland - Irish Immigration
Register at Garda Immigration - How to register at Garda Immigration and Renewals of Residency stamps once you have arrived, you have 90 days to register and again on renewals the EU300 per member registration fee applies
