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Free movement — just bring your passport or national ID card

Icelandic citizens can enter Ireland with a valid passport or national ID card; no visa is needed.

Your circumstances

Passport:
🇮🇸 Icelandic
Lives in:
Not specified (general rule)
Going to:
🇮🇪 Ireland
Purpose:
Holiday

EU / EEA / Swiss free movement

Icelandic citizens can enter Ireland with a valid passport or national ID card; no visa is needed.

  • Carry a valid passport or national ID card.
  • Ireland is not in Schengen – passport/ID checks apply on arrival.

Official source: irishimmigration.ie · Last checked 4 Oct 2026

Business, work or just passing through?

The rules above are for a holiday: tourism and visiting family and friends. Business visits, paid work and transit are covered separately below.

Business visits to Ireland

Not verified yet (not yet covered). We haven't verified the business rules for Icelandic passport holders, and we don't publish rules we haven't checked against an official source. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet. Until then, see irishimmigration.ie.

Working in Ireland

Free movement

EU free movement: no work permit needed

As an EU citizen (or Swiss national under the EU–Switzerland agreement) you can generally work here without a work permit. Registration rules for longer stays still apply.

Source: Your Europe (European Union) – Work permits (europa.eu).

What the source says

"As an EU national you generally don't need a work permit to work anywhere in the EU ." … "Under the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons, Swiss nationals are free to live and work in the EU." … "Although these countries are not members of the EU, their nationals can work in the EU on the same footing as EU nationals, since they belong to the European Economic Area." (https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/moving-working-europe/working-another-eu-country/non-eu-nationals_en)

Other work routes in Ireland (not needed if the right above applies to you)

These are the main routes and what they require. Whether you qualify depends on your circumstances; the official page decides.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

For: Highly skilled jobs: occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, or any eligible job paying over €68,911

  • Job offer of at least 2 years from an employer trading in Ireland
  • Critical Skills Occupations List: at least €40,904 a year and a relevant degree (€36,848 for recent graduates)
  • Other eligible occupations: over €68,911 a year
Fees
€1,000 (90% refunded if refused)
Length
2-year job offer minimum
Longer term
Can then apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 permission

Source: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment – Critical Skills Employment Permit (enterprise.gov.ie).

What the source says

"Occupations with a minimum annual remuneration of €40,904 for a restricted number of strategically important occupations contained in the Critical Skills Occupations List" … "All occupations with a minimum annual remuneration of over €68,911" … "they are only issued in respect of a job offer that is at least a minimum of 2 years’ duration." … "€1,000. If an application is unsuccessful then 90% of the fee will be refunded." … "Critical Skills Employment Permit can apply directly to the Dept of Justice for a Stamp 4."

General Employment Permit

For: Jobs not on the ineligible occupations list, including job offers shorter than 2 years

  • Minimum annual pay generally €36,605 (lower for some occupations)
  • Labour Market Needs Test in most cases (job advertised first)
  • Employer criteria apply, including the 50:50 rule (see source)
Fees
€500 (up to 6 months) or €1,000 (6 to 24 months)
Length
Initially 2 years, renewable for up to 3 more years
Longer term
After 5 years holders are expected to apply for long-term residency

Source: Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment – General Employment Permit (enterprise.gov.ie).

What the source says

"Minimum annual remuneration - is generally €36,605." … "A Labour Market Needs Test is required in most cases" … "€500 for an employment permit of 6 months or less duration or €1,000 for an employment permit from 6 months up to 24 months duration." … "A General Employment Permit can be issued for an initial period of 2 years and can then be renewed for up to a further three years."

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Overview: DETE – Employment permits. Requirements, fees and thresholds change; confirm on the official page before applying.

Transit through Ireland

Option 1
Visa-free Conditional eligibilityTransit (changing flights in Ireland)

Transit: no airside transit outside Terminal 2 same-day; otherwise normal Irish entry rules

Ireland has no general airside transit: all transit passengers present to an immigration officer. If your nationality is not on the Irish transit-visa list (those passports have their own rule here), the Irish Immigration Service says that outside the Terminal 2 same-day window (both flights in Terminal 2, 04:00–20:00) you need permission to enter Ireland - meaning the normal entry rules for your passport, including an Irish visa if you are visa-required (see the holiday section). Ask your airline how your connection is handled.

Conditions

  • Dublin Airport: a transit visa only covers connections where both the arriving and onward international flight are in Terminal 2 between 04:00 and 20:00 on the same day; in all other cases you need permission to enter Ireland (an Irish entry visa if you are visa-required). All transit passengers present to an immigration officer.
Government fee
Fee not officially published
Processing
Not verified yet
Validity
Not verified yet
Max stay
Not verified yet
Steps, documents & where to apply

How to apply

Steps not verified yet — follow the official source below.

Documents checklist

Document list not verified yet — check the official source.

✓ Checked on the live official page

Official wording

“ISD: 'Transit Visa Required Countries' (29): Afghanistan, Albania, Bolivia, Botswana, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia*, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Lesotho, Moldova, Nauru, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe. 'If both your arrival flight and onward connecting flight are in Terminal 2 between the hours of 04:00 and 20:00 on the same day, you can use a transit visa in this case. In all other situations you will need permission to enter the State.'”

Before you go to Ireland

Cash you can bring in and take out

Bringing cash in
Declare cash of EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent) when arriving from outside the EU.
Taking cash out
Declare cash of EUR 10,000 or more (or equivalent) when leaving to a country outside the EU.

Official source: taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu · Last checked 4 Oct 2026 · Details

Common tourist traps

  1. Bag-snatching and pickpocketing

    How it works: Most incidents are in larger cities.

    How to avoid it: Avoid carrying valuables and large amounts of cash.

  2. Car crime

    How it works: Vehicles are targeted.

    How to avoid it: Lock the car and use secure car parks.

  3. €10+ pints in Temple Bar

    How it works: Pubs in the Temple Bar area charge far more for a pint than pubs a few minutes' walk away.

    How to avoid it: Check prices before ordering, or drink in pubs outside the Temple Bar strip.

    From visitor reviews, not official Temple Bar, Dublin. Sources: reddit.com · extra.ie. Researched 23 Oct 2026; there is no official page to re-check, so this date is not updated automatically.

Emergency numbers in Ireland

  • Emergency 112 or 999

Other traps paraphrased from official travel advice: gov.uk · FCDO page updated 4 Sept 2026 · Last checked 2 Nov 2026.