After GOI-IES Selection: Visa, IRP Card, Housing and Work

Visa process (Stamp 2)

As a non-EU national, you need Stamp 2 immigration permission to study in Ireland. This is the standard student permission for degree programmes. It lets you live in Ireland for your course, work part-time during term and full-time during the designated holiday periods.

Whether you need a visa before travelling depends on your nationality. Citizens of "visa-required" countries must apply for a long-stay (D) study visa before getting on a plane. This is separate from immigration registration and cannot be skipped: without it, you will not be allowed to board. The list is updated periodically, so check the Irish Immigration Service website. Citizens of visa-exempt countries can travel without a visa but still need to register their permission after arrival. The HEA advises applying for your visa as soon as you receive your award letter, and having your documents ready by results day: visa delays can stop you arriving in time, many institutions do not accept late arrivals, and you could lose the scholarship. Visas for family members may not be approved, and the GOI-IES provides no support for dependants.

Once in Ireland, you must register your permission within 90 days of arrival. Registration is handled by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), and all first-time registrations take place at the Registration Office at 13–14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, wherever you are studying. Even if your university is in Cork, Galway or Limerick, your first appointment will be in Dublin. Appointments are booked through your ISD customer service account, only after you arrive, and slots can fill fast. If you cannot get an appointment within 90 days, ISD says it will not cancel your permission while you wait (see the ISD registration FAQ).

What you need for registration at Burgh Quay

• Valid passport, ideally valid for the duration of your programme
• Letter of acceptance from your Irish institution confirming your place
• Proof of paid fees, or a letter from the institution confirming that fees are covered by the scholarship
• Proof of access to EUR 10,000, the amount ISD asks students to show (ISD finances rules); bring your GOI-IES award letter and ask your international office how the stipend counts towards this
• Private medical insurance with the required cover (original policy document; cash-back plans are not accepted)
• Proof of an Irish address, so sort out accommodation before your appointment
• EUR 300 registration fee, payable by credit or debit card only

IRP card (Irish Residence Permit)

The IRP card is a credit-card-sized permit showing your photo, your immigration stamp and your permission's conditions. It is your proof of legal residence, and you will need it for everything from opening a bank account to proving your work entitlement to an employer. You do not get it on the day: at the appointment your documents are checked, your photograph and fingerprints are taken and the EUR 300 fee is collected. ISD then posts the card to your Irish address, with delivery expected within about 15 business days, according to ISD.

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 renew annually, normally another EUR 300 each time. Renewals can be made online with scanned documents; only the first registration has to be at Burgh Quay. Keep your card safe: replacing a lost one is slow and costs another fee.

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. Purpose-built student beds are in short supply, and the private rental market is equally strained. Students arrive expecting to find a room in a week or two and spend their first month in hostels, Airbnbs or on couches. This is common every September. The HEA itself warns that accommodation is likely to be expensive and hard to find, especially in Dublin, and that hotels while you search can drain your finances.

Rental costs by city (shared room, per month)

These are our estimates, not official figures, and they match the ranges on the Benefits page. Budget for the higher end.

The main rental platforms are Daft.ie and Rent.ie. A listing can receive 50 or more inquiries within hours, and many landlords will not respond unless you can view the property in person the same day. That puts international students, especially those searching from abroad, at an enormous disadvantage.

Practical housing strategies

1. 1
   Start searching 3 to 6 months before arrival

   This is not optional. Wait until August or September and you will be competing with thousands of other students in a market without enough supply.

2. 2
   Apply for university housing as soon as you get your offer

   On-campus accommodation fills up fast. GOI-IES scholars sometimes get priority or guaranteed housing; ask your institution's accommodation office directly.

3. 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 and sign on the spot.

4. 4
   Consider "digs" (a room in an Irish family home)

   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 keep lists of families offering digs.

Living costs by city

The EUR 10,000 stipend works out at about EUR 833 per month. Whether that is liveable depends on where you study. Here is our rough estimate of total monthly costs, including rent, food, transport and personal expenses. These are not official figures.

Budget tips that actually work

• Shop at Lidl and Aldi. They are the cheapest supermarkets in Ireland by a wide margin. A weekly shop for one runs about EUR 40 to EUR 60.
• Get a Student Leap Card. It gives discounted fares on public transport. In Dublin, a 90-minute bus or tram journey costs EUR 1 with the card.
• Cook at home. Eating out is expensive: a casual restaurant meal runs EUR 15 to EUR 20. Cooking cuts your food budget by 60 to 70 percent.

Part-time work rules

With Stamp 2 permission you may work in Ireland: up to 20 hours per week during term and up to 40 hours per week during the designated holiday periods. This is one of the genuine advantages of studying in Ireland compared with countries like the UK, where student work rules are more restrictive.

The holiday periods are fixed by immigration rules, not your college calendar

This trips up a lot of students. The 40-hour periods are:

• 1 June to 30 September (summer)
• 15 December to 15 January (winter)

A reading week in October or an Easter break in April does not count; you are still limited to 20 hours a week. Working more than your permitted hours breaches your immigration conditions and can result in deportation.

Getting a PPS number (required to work)

You cannot legally work in Ireland without a Personal Public Service (PPS) number, Ireland's equivalent of a social security number; employers need it to put you on the payroll. To get one, 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 number is issued at the appointment, but appointments can take a couple of weeks to get, so apply early.

Post-study work (Stamp 1G)

This is one of the strongest reasons to study in Ireland as a non-EU student. After graduating with a master's or PhD (NFQ Level 9 or above) from an Irish institution, you can apply for Stamp 1G under the Third Level Graduate Programme, which lets you stay and work full-time for up to 24 months: an initial 12 months, renewable for another 12. There are no restrictions on the type of work or employer.

To be eligible, you must apply within six months of being told you have achieved your award (see the ISD Third Level Graduate Programme page). You will need a new IRP registration, typically another EUR 300. The application is made to Immigration Service Delivery. To renew for the second 12 months, ISD asks for evidence that you have taken steps to find graduate-level employment.

From Stamp 1G to long-term residence

Stamp 1G is a stepping stone, not a dead end. During those 24 months you can move to a Critical Skills Employment Permit if you land a qualifying job. For recent graduates (qualification awarded within the previous 12 months), the minimum salary is EUR 36,848 per year; the standard threshold for occupations on the Critical Skills list is EUR 40,904. A Critical Skills permit puts you on a path to permanent residency.

Ireland hosts the European headquarters of Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon, along with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Stripe and dozens of other tech and pharma companies. That concentration of multinational employers makes Ireland one of the best countries in Europe for international graduates moving from study into skilled work.

Health insurance

Private medical insurance is mandatory for non-EU students in Ireland. It is an immigration requirement, and letting it lapse breaches your immigration conditions. You must show proof of cover when you register at Burgh Quay.

Minimum coverage requirements

By our estimate, student health insurance plans cost roughly EUR 120 to EUR 500 per year depending on cover. Many universities offer group plans at competitive rates, so check with your international office before buying independently.

Non-EU students are not entitled to free public healthcare

This surprises many students. As a non-EU student, you cannot use Ireland's public healthcare system for free. A GP visit costs roughly EUR 50 to EUR 70 (our estimate), and an emergency department visit without insurance can cost EUR 100 or more just for the consultation. Let your insurance lapse and you are both breaking immigration rules and exposed to potentially large medical bills.

Practical first steps on arrival

The first weeks in Ireland are a blur of admin. Here is the order that makes the most sense, based on what depends on what.

1. 1
   Open a bank account

   You need an Irish account for your stipend and any wages. Bank of Ireland and AIB are the two main high-street banks with student accounts; both want proof of address and a university acceptance letter. If you are stuck on proof of address because you have no lease yet, Revolut works immediately as a stopgap.

2. 2
   Get your PPS number

   Verify through mygovid.ie and book your in-person appointment as soon as possible. You need it to work, and the wait can be two to three weeks.

3. 3
   Register your permission and get your IRP card at Burgh Quay

   Book as early as you can. Slots fill up, and you have 90 days from arrival. You need accommodation first, because proof of an Irish address is required.

4. 4
   Get a Student Leap Card

   Available through your students' union or designated outlets, with discounted fares on Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Luas, DART and Irish Rail. In Dublin, any bus or Luas journey within 90 minutes costs EUR 1 with the card.

5. Register with your university health centre

   Most Irish universities have on-campus health centres with GP consultations at reduced rates for students; some are free, others charge a small fee. Register during orientation week to avoid queues later.

No return obligation

Many government scholarships, such as Australia Awards or the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships, come with a formal bond or return-home requirement: you must leave the host country after your studies and live in your home country for a set period, typically two years.

The GOI-IES has no such requirement. The HEA's FAQ states that the programme has no formal post-completion requirements, such as returning to your country of origin. There is no legal bond, no mandatory return period and no penalty for staying in Ireland after your scholarship year. The scholarship does come with an expectation that you will act as an ambassador for Irish education and promote the programme, but that is a voluntary commitment, not a contractual obligation. Nobody will chase you if you stay on a Stamp 1G and build your career in Ireland; the Stamp 1G route itself shows Ireland wants international graduates to stay and work.

That said, the ambassador role is not purely symbolic. The HEA holds an official awarding event for each cohort in the spring, and may ask you to take part in promotional events, share your experience on social media or speak at education fairs. These are reasonable requests that most scholars are happy to meet, but there is no legal consequence for declining.

If you have not yet confirmed whether you qualify, start with Eligibility. See also Benefits for the full stipend breakdown, Common Mistakes, and the FAQ.