Moving to Ireland from Argentina

Argentina is on Ireland's list of nationalities that do not need a visa. A visit for a holiday or a short break is a stay of under 90 days. Ireland is not in the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa or residence permit does not allow travel to Ireland; everyone from outside the EEA is subject to immigration control on entry, whether or not they need a visa, and a border officer may refuse entry.

Anyone from outside the EU, the UK or Switzerland who comes to work, study, live or join family for more than 90 days must register with the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD).

A full-time English course on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes gives permission of up to eight months. A new student may hold permission for at most three such courses, two years in total, with exam results and attendance required at each renewal; after that, continuing as a student needs a higher-education programme on the list. Courses must last at least 25 weeks with at least 15 hours of class a week, between 9am and 5pm on at least four weekdays; attendance must be at least 85 percent; a recognised exam is required.

Students may work up to 20 hours a week in term time and 40 hours a week in June to September and from 15 December to 15 January. Total time as a student is capped at seven years. Part-time programmes are not allowed, and family members generally may not accompany.

All non-EEA students, including those who need no visa, must register to stay beyond 90 days: first registration in Dublin is by appointment at Burgh Quay through the customer portal, the fee is EUR 300, and private medical insurance is required.

Funds shown on arrival, for a national who needs no visa: EUR 10,000 for a course giving more than eight months' residence, or EUR 6,665 for eight months or less.

Degree students receive permission for a specific programme at an approved provider; changing programme in the first year is allowed only exceptionally; a student may not move from a degree to a language course. Tuition fee status is decided by each institution's own residence and nationality rules; citizenship alone does not promise EU fees.

A Critical Skills Employment Permit needs a job offer of at least two years and minimum pay of EUR 40,904 for occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List with a relevant degree, with lower and higher thresholds for recent graduates and for most other occupations; there is no labour market test; the holder stays with the first employer for at least nine months; the fee is EUR 1,000, 90 percent refunded if refused.

A General Employment Permit runs for two years initially, renewable for up to three more, after which long-term residence may be sought from ISD; minimum pay is generally EUR 36,605, with lower floors for named occupations and for holders of a recent Irish degree; a labour market needs test is required in most cases.

The working holiday is a separate route with its own page.

An Argentine entered on the Foreign Births Register is an Irish, and therefore EU, citizen. The ISD registration duty, which applies to people from outside the EU, the UK and Switzerland, no longer applies; nor do student work limits or employment permits. For an Irish-Argentine family this is the single biggest practical reason to complete the register before moving.

Irish-born children of an Argentine-born parent may take Argentine nationality by option at the Argentine Embassy in Dublin; the child's Irish birth certificate must carry a DFA apostille.

The 2022 Irish census counted 2,904 residents born in Argentina, many of them holding Italian or Spanish passports; the 1,348 Argentine citizens were mostly aged 25 to 44 and mostly in Dublin. The Club Irlandés Argentinos joins the Foxford commemorations of Admiral Brown; the community pages list what we could confirm.