The Step By Step approach on this journey from South Africa to Ireland:
1. Am I eligible to move to Ireland?
This can only be answered by what passports you hold:
Do you or your spouse hold an Irish, British or EU passport, or are you all South African?
Irish and South African Passports
British and South African Passports
EU and South African Passports
If you hold South African passports, is your career eligible for a work permit? This step is VITAL for SA passport holders, because sadly if your career is not eligible, or if you do not like the terms and conditions of a given type of work permit, applying for work is just a waste of time. Please check and be certain on your SOC code being eligible.
2. Home Affairs in SA
Why is this point the second thing on the list? Because it is vital, even if you are just thinking of immigrating, to get the required documents from Home Affairs. Almost always these documents take months if not a year or so to gather from Home Affairs, unless you choose to use an Agent to get them for you. We have a few options if you choose to do them yourself and chase them up yourself, or if you want to use an Agent and then most importantly what documents you need and some tips and hints on the do's and don't's. Also, checking validity time on your SA passports is vital as these can take around 1 year to renew in Ireland but around 7-14 days in South Africa.
Home Affairs Agents and Contacts
South African Passport renewals in SA and Ireland
3. You have determined eligibility, what next?
Almost everyone has to find work, whether that's Irish, British, EU passport holders and their spouses (who can seek work inside Ireland) or if South African passport holders, you seek work from outside Ireland. We have put together some tips on finding work, getting your Cv into Irish recommended format and how to find that elusive job in some non-traditional ways
4. What can we expect the move to cost and a monthly budget to live in Ireland?
5. How do things work in Ireland and what do I need to investigate to see if it suits us?
Children in Ireland (& Education)
Starting a Business in Ireland
6. Paperwork to gather and things to do before your big move:
Checklist of things to do before you move
Police Clearance, Tax Clearance and Driver's licence letter of Entitlement
De Facto (unmarried) Partners and Proofs required
What should I or can I bring with me to Ireland? (and sending goods back to SA)
Banking in Ireland- have you opened a non-resident account?
7. Preparing to fly:
Flights from South Africa to Ireland
8. You have now landed in Ireland, what to do first?:
Driving in Ireland and everything related to it
9. Now you have been in Ireland a while and you want to look to your future:
Naturalisation and Becoming an Irish Citizen
#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
This is broken down into pre-move and post-move documentation and processes:
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