Renewing a General Employment Permit in Ireland: when, how and what it costs

In short: A General Employment Permit is first issued for up to two years and can be renewed for up to three more. The renewal can be applied for in the four months before the permit expires. The fee is €1,500 for a renewal of over six months (€750 for six months or less), and the employer must still meet the 50:50 rule. After five years with the same employer, a renewal can be granted with no end date and no fee.

This guide is for employers with staff on General Employment Permits, and for permit holders already working in Ireland. A renewal is simpler than a first application, but it has its own deadline and its own checks, and a missed date causes real problems for both sides.

When to apply

The Department accepts a renewal application within the four months before the current permit expires. Not earlier.

The renewal goes through Employment Permits Online, like a new application, and the Department works through renewals in date order. On 6 November 2026 it was working on renewals received on 3 September 2026, so renewals currently wait longer than new applications. Applying early in the four-month window gives you the most room.

Where we come in: we keep track of permit expiry dates for the employers we work with and start the renewal as soon as the four-month window opens, so it doesn’t depend on someone remembering.

How long the renewal lasts

Permit	Length
First permit	Up to 2 years
Renewal	Up to 3 years
Renewal after 5 years or more with the same employer	Unlimited duration, no fee

The fees

Renewal	Fee
6 months or less	€750
Over 6 months, up to 3 years	€1,500
Unlimited duration (5+ years with the same employer)	No fee

If an application is refused, 90% of the fee is refunded. The Department refunds the applicant only, even if someone else paid.

What the Department checks at renewal

The 50:50 rule

The Department’s rule is that renewals require the employer to have met the 50:50 rule: at least half the employer’s staff must be EEA nationals. If the business has grown or changed since the first permit, check this before applying.

If the first permit was granted because the employee was the employer’s only employee, that exception still applies at renewal, as long as they are still the sole employee.

Where we come in: the 50:50 rule is the check most likely to catch an employer out at renewal. We look at the employer’s current staff numbers and Revenue returns before anything is submitted.

The salary and the job

The general salary rules for a General Employment Permit still apply at renewal: for most jobs at least €36,605 a year for a 39-hour week, counting basic pay only. The contract and payslips should show the same job, hours and pay as the permit.

Documents

The usual General Employment Permit documents are needed again, including the employer’s recent Revenue returns and a contract signed by both sides. The permit holder’s passport must be valid for at least three months for a renewal (six months for a new permit).

Healthcare assistants

Healthcare assistants have one extra rule: the Department expects a relevant QQI Level 5 qualification (or a comparable health and social care qualification) after two years working in Ireland. Without it, a separate form signed by the clinical lead, the employee and the employer goes in with the renewal.

After the permit is renewed: the IRP card

The permit and the immigration permission are separate. Once the permit is renewed, the permit holder renews their IRP card (Stamp 1) with Immigration Service Delivery, online:

• apply up to 12 weeks before the current permission expires, and before it expires
• you must be in Ireland to apply
• the fee for most renewals is €300
• keep the acknowledgement email with your reference number

Immigration Service Delivery has its own queue, and has issued notices to employers about staff whose cards expire while a renewal is being processed. Check its renewals page for the current position.

Where we come in: we tell the permit holder when to start the IRP renewal and what to have ready, so the gap between the new permit and the new card is as short as possible.

Common mistakes

• Leaving it too late. A renewal that goes in close to the expiry date can leave the employee without a valid permit while the Department works through the queue.
• The 50:50 rule has slipped. The business took on more non-EEA staff since the first permit.
• Pay or hours have changed and no longer match the permit, or the salary has fallen below the threshold once allowances are taken out.
• A short passport. It must have at least three months left.
• Forgetting the IRP card. A renewed permit doesn’t renew the immigration permission.

What comes next

After 57 months on General Employment Permits, the permit holder can apply to move to Stamp 4, which lets them work without a permit. See our Stamp 4 guide. If they want to move to a different employer instead, see changing employer.

How Work Permit Consultants can help

Renewals are routine for us, for employers and permit holders across Ireland. Work Permit Consultants has prepared employment permit applications since 2007, and our team’s background includes work permit policy at the Department of Enterprise, so we know how the Department reads an application.

For a renewal, we:

• track the expiry date and start in the four-month window
• check the 50:50 rule, the salary and the contract before applying
• prepare and submit the renewal on Employment Permits Online as your agent
• deal with the Department if it asks for more information
• guide the permit holder through the IRP card renewal afterwards

Have a permit coming up for renewal? Get a free assessment or send us a message.