Visa Process (Stamp 2)
If you are a non-EU national, you will need Stamp 2 immigration permission to study in Ireland. This is the standard student immigration stamp, and it is what every international student on a degree programme receives. It lets you live in Ireland for the duration of your course, work part-time during term, and work full-time during designated holiday periods.
Whether or not you need a visa before travelling depends on your nationality. Citizens of certain countries are classified as "visa-required nationals" and must apply for a Type D (long-stay) student visa at their nearest Irish embassy or consulate before getting on a plane. This is a separate step from immigration registration, and you cannot skip it. If your country is on the visa-required list, you will not be allowed to board without one. Check the Irish Immigration website for the current list, as it is updated periodically. Citizens of visa-exempt countries can travel to Ireland without a visa, but they still need to register for their immigration permission once they arrive.
Once you are in Ireland, you must register with the immigration authorities within 90 days of arrival. Since January 2025, all first-time registrations are centralised at the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin, regardless of where you are studying. Even if your university is in Cork, Galway, or Limerick, your first registration appointment will be in Dublin. You book this appointment online, and slots fill up fast, so book as early as possible after you arrive. Some students have reported waiting three to four weeks for an available slot, so do not leave this until the last minute.
What you need for registration at Burgh Quay
- Valid passport — must be valid for at least the duration of your programme
- Letter of acceptance from your Irish university confirming your place on the programme
- Proof of paid fees or a letter from the university confirming that fees are covered by the scholarship
- Proof of access to EUR 10,000 — the GOI-IES stipend satisfies this requirement, but bring your scholarship confirmation letter as evidence
- Private health insurance — mandatory for all non-EU students
- Irish address — you need to have accommodation sorted before your registration appointment
- EUR 300 IRP card fee — payable by debit or credit card at the appointment. Cash is not accepted.
IRP Card (Irish Residence Permit)
The IRP card is a credit-card-sized permit that contains your photo, your immigration stamp type, and biometric data. It is your proof of legal residence in Ireland, and you will need it for everything from opening a bank account to proving your work entitlements to an employer. You do not receive it on the day of your Burgh Quay appointment. At the appointment, they take your biometrics, collect the EUR 300 fee, and issue you a temporary letter. The actual card is mailed to your Irish address within 10 to 15 working days.
The card is valid for the duration of your course or one year, whichever is shorter. If your programme runs longer than one year, you will need to renew the card annually, and that is another EUR 300 each time. Renewals for students outside Dublin are handled by the local Garda station, but the first registration is always at Burgh Quay. Keep your IRP card safe. If you lose it, the replacement process is slow and costs another EUR 300.
The Housing Crisis
This section matters more than the visa section. Ireland has been in a housing crisis for years, and it has hit international students particularly hard. There is a national shortfall of approximately 39,000 student bed spaces, and the private rental market is equally strained. Students arrive expecting to find a room within a week or two and end up spending their first month in hostels, Airbnbs, or sleeping on couches. This is not an exaggeration. It happens every September, and universities have publicly acknowledged the problem without being able to solve it.
Rental costs by city (shared room, per month)
The main rental platforms are Daft.ie and Rent.ie. When a listing goes up, it can receive 50 or more inquiries within hours. Many landlords will not even respond unless you can view the property in person that same day. This puts international students at an enormous disadvantage, especially those trying to arrange housing from abroad.
Scam warning
Fake rental listings are rampant, particularly on social media and in Facebook groups. The classic scam involves a listing that looks too good for the price, a landlord who claims to be abroad, and a request to transfer a deposit before you view the property. Never pay a deposit without seeing the property in person and meeting the landlord or a verified letting agent. If a deal seems too good to be true in the current Irish market, it almost certainly is.
Practical housing strategies
- 1 Start searching 3 to 6 months before arrival. This is not optional. If you wait until August or September, you will be competing with thousands of other students in a market that does not have enough supply.
- 2 Apply for university housing immediately upon receiving your offer. On-campus accommodation fills up fast, but GOI-IES scholars sometimes get priority or guaranteed housing. Check with your institution's accommodation office directly.
- 3 Arrive early, ideally in July or August. House hunting in person is far more effective than searching remotely. Landlords strongly prefer tenants who can view the property and sign a lease on the spot.
- 4 Consider “digs” (a room in an Irish family home). This is a traditional Irish arrangement where you rent a room and often get meals included. It is usually cheaper than a private rental and gives you a built-in support network. Universities sometimes maintain lists of families offering digs.
Living Costs by City
The EUR 10,000 stipend breaks down to about EUR 833 per month. Whether that is liveable depends entirely on where you study. Here is a realistic breakdown of total monthly costs, including rent, food, transport, and personal expenses.
| City | Total Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Dublin | €1,400 – €2,100 |
| Cork | €1,000 – €1,500 |
| Galway | €900 – €1,400 |
| Limerick | €800 – €1,300 |
Budget tips that actually work
- Shop at Lidl and Aldi. These are the cheapest supermarkets in Ireland by a significant margin. A weekly grocery shop for one person runs about EUR 40 to EUR 60.
- Get a Student Leap Card. This gives you discounted fares on all public transport. In Dublin, a 90-minute bus or tram journey costs just EUR 1 with the card.
- Cook at home. Eating out in Ireland is expensive. A meal at a casual restaurant runs EUR 15 to EUR 20. Cooking at home cuts your food budget by 60 to 70 percent.
Part-Time Work Rules
With Stamp 2 immigration permission, you are allowed to work in Ireland. During term time, you can work up to 20 hours per week. During designated holiday periods, you can work up to 40 hours per week. This is one of the genuine advantages of studying in Ireland compared to countries like the UK, where work hours for students are more restrictive.
The holiday periods are fixed by immigration law, not by your college calendar
This trips up a lot of students. The 40-hour holiday periods are:
- • 1 June to 30 September (summer)
- • 15 December to 15 January (winter)
If your university has a reading week in October or an Easter break in April, those do not count as holiday periods for immigration purposes. You are still limited to 20 hours per week during those breaks. Working more than your permitted hours is a breach of your immigration conditions and can result in deportation.
All employers must pay at least this rate. Many student jobs in hospitality and retail pay minimum wage.
Working 20 hours per week at minimum wage. Combined with the stipend, that brings your monthly income to roughly EUR 1,933.
Getting a PPS number (required to work)
You cannot legally work in Ireland without a Personal Public Service (PPS) number. This is Ireland's equivalent of a social security number, and employers need it to put you on their payroll. To get one, you first verify your identity through mygovid.ie, then book an in-person appointment at your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare branch office. Bring your passport, IRP card (or appointment letter), proof of address, and a letter from your employer or a job offer. The PPS number itself is issued on the spot, but the appointment can take a couple of weeks to get, so apply early.
Post-Study Work (Stamp 1G)
This is one of the strongest selling points of studying in Ireland as a non-EU student. After graduating with a Master's or PhD from an Irish university, you can apply for Stamp 1G permission, which lets you stay in Ireland and work full-time for up to 24 months. The initial grant is 12 months, and you can renew for another 12. There are no restrictions on the type of work or the employer. You can work for anyone, in any field, full-time.
To be eligible, you must apply within six months of receiving your exam results. You will need a new IRP card, which costs another EUR 300. The application is made to the Immigration Service Delivery, and most are processed within a few weeks.
From Stamp 1G to long-term residence
Stamp 1G is a stepping stone, not a dead end. During those 24 months, you can transition to a Critical Skills Employment Permit if you land a qualifying job. For recent graduates, the salary threshold is EUR 36,848 per year (it is higher for non-graduates). Once you have a Critical Skills permit, you are on a path to permanent residency.
Ireland hosts the European headquarters of Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, along with a significant presence from Salesforce, LinkedIn, Stripe, and dozens of other tech and pharma companies. The concentration of multinational employers makes Ireland one of the best countries in Europe for international graduates looking to transition from study to skilled employment.
Health Insurance
Health insurance is mandatory for all non-EU students in Ireland. This is not optional and it is not a nice-to-have. It is an immigration requirement, and failing to maintain valid health insurance is a breach of your immigration conditions. When you register at Burgh Quay, you will need to show proof of coverage.
Minimum coverage requirements
Minimum inpatient cover for accidents and injuries
Minimum inpatient cover for illness and disease
Student health insurance plans typically cost between EUR 120 and EUR 500 per year, depending on the level of coverage. Many universities offer their own group health insurance plans at competitive rates, so check with your international office before purchasing one independently.
Non-EU students are not entitled to free public healthcare
This catches many students by surprise. Ireland has a public healthcare system, but as a non-EU student, you are not entitled to access it for free. A visit to a GP costs EUR 55 to EUR 70, and a hospital emergency room visit without insurance can cost EUR 100 or more just for the consultation. If you let your insurance lapse, you are both breaking immigration rules and leaving yourself exposed to potentially significant medical bills.
Practical First Steps on Arrival
The first few weeks in Ireland are a blur of administrative tasks. Here is the order that makes the most sense, based on what depends on what.
Open a bank account
You will need an Irish bank account to receive your stipend and get paid for any work. Bank of Ireland and AIB are the two main high-street banks with student accounts. Both require proof of address and a university acceptance letter. If you are struggling with proof of address (because you do not have a lease yet), Revolut works immediately and can serve as a stopgap until your traditional bank account is set up.
Get your PPS number
Apply through mygovid.ie and book your in-person appointment as soon as possible. You will need this to work, and the waiting time for appointments can be two to three weeks.
Register for your IRP card at Burgh Quay
Book your appointment as early as you can. Slots fill up, and you have a 90-day window from arrival. You need accommodation arranged before this appointment because they require a verified Irish address.
Get a Student Leap Card
Available from your university's student union or from designated outlets. It gives you discounted fares on Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Luas, DART, and Irish Rail. In Dublin, any bus or Luas journey under 90 minutes costs EUR 1 with the Leap Card, which adds up to serious savings over the year.
Register with your university health centre
Most Irish universities have on-campus health centres that provide GP consultations at reduced rates for registered students. Some are free, others charge a small fee. Register during orientation week to avoid long queues later in the term.
No Return Obligation
If you have looked at other government scholarships, particularly the Australia Awards or Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship, you will know that many come with a formal bond or return-home requirement. Under those programmes, you must leave the host country after completing your studies and return to your home country for a specified period, typically two years.
The GOI-IES has no such requirement. There is no legal bond, no mandatory return period, and no penalty for staying in Ireland after your scholarship year ends. The scholarship does come with an expectation that you will serve as an ambassador for Irish education and promote the programme in your home country, but this is framed as a voluntary commitment, not a contractual obligation. No one will chase you down if you decide to stay in Ireland on a Stamp 1G and build your career there. In fact, the existence of the Stamp 1G post-study work route suggests that Ireland actively wants international graduates to stay and contribute to the workforce.
That said, the ambassador role is not entirely symbolic. The HEA may ask you to participate in promotional events, share your experience on social media, or speak at education fairs. These are reasonable requests, and most scholars are happy to do them. But you should know that there is no legal consequence for declining.
Continue Reading
Who qualifies, which countries are in, and what "domiciliary of origin" actually means.
The full breakdown of the EUR 10,000 stipend, tuition waiver, and what is not covered.
The errors that get applications rejected, from missing the institutional step to generic statements.
Straight answers to the questions people keep asking, from "is it really fully funded" to "can I stay after."
Need to check your eligibility first?
If you have not confirmed whether you qualify for the GOI-IES, start with the eligibility page before planning your post-arrival life.
Check Eligibility