Employment permit vs Stamp 4
A permit is permission to do one job for one employer. Stamp 4 is permission to work without one.
The two routes, row by row
Every row below is a published rule rather than an assessment of a specific case. Checked against official guidance on 18 August 2026.
The table scrolls sideways to keep both routes side by side.
| What the rules say | Employment permitGranted by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment for a named employer, a named employee and a named job. | Stamp 4An immigration permission granted by the Department of Justice that allows the holder to work without an employment permit and is not tied to a single employer. |
|---|---|---|
| What it allows | Employment in the specific job, with the specific employer, on the terms stated on the permit. The salary, hours and location have to match the job actually being done. | Taking up employment without an employment permit, working in a profession subject to the relevant professional bodies, and establishing and operating a business. State funds and services may be accessed as determined by government departments and agencies. |
| This is the whole distinction: a permit authorises one job, a Stamp 4 authorises the person. | ||
| Labour Market Needs Test | Depends on the route. Usually required on the General Employment Permit, not required on the Critical Skills Employment Permit. | Not applicable. No permit application is made, so no advertising test attaches to taking a job. |
| Minimum annual remuneration | Set per route. €36,605 standard on the General Employment Permit, €40,904 for occupations on the Critical Skills Occupations List, with lower figures for named sectors and recent Irish graduates. | None attaches to the permission. Pay is a matter for the employment relationship and employment law rather than for a permit condition. |
| Family reunification | Varies by route. Critical Skills holders can apply for immediate family reunification from Immigration Service Delivery. Spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for a permit in their own right. | Stamp 4 is itself the permission several family based outcomes result in, including joining an Irish spouse, civil partner or de facto partner. Reunification applications are decided by the Department of Justice. |
| How one leads to the other | Duration is set by the permit and renewed by application. General Employment Permits run up to 24 months in the first instance, extendable by a further three years. | Immigration Service Delivery states Stamp 4 may be given after permission to work in Ireland with a valid Critical Skills Employment Permit for two years, with a valid employment permit for five years, or as a researcher on a valid Hosting Agreement for two years. Stamp 4 is reckonable as residence when applying for citizenship by naturalisation. |
| Those periods describe when an application can be made, not an entitlement. Stamp 4 is granted by the Department of Justice on its own criteria, and permission must be renewed before it expires. | ||
| Where the queue stood | Critical Skills applications received on 7 August 2026, new General Employment Permit applications received on 10 July 2026, other new applications received on 21 July 2026, and renewals of all types received on 7 May 2026. | Immigration Service Delivery publishes no equivalent queue date for permission applications and registrations. |
| Permit queue positions as published by the Employment Permits Section on 17 August 2026. They are the dates the Department was working through, not processing times it commits to. | ||
| Changing employer | Nine months with the initial employer before a permit for a different employer can be considered, under section 18 of the Employment Permits Regulations 2024. After that, a move means a fresh application. | No permit ties the holder to an employer, so employment can change without a new application. Self-employment and operating a business are also permitted. |
| What happens if the job ends | Where the holder ceases to be employed by the employer during the permit's validity, section 43(1) of the Employment Permits Act 2024 requires the permit to be returned to the Department within four weeks of termination. | The permission is not attached to a job, so ending one does not end it. It still has to be renewed before its expiry date, and the conditions of all permissions continue to apply. |
How the rules divide the two
These are not competing applications. An employment permit is granted by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment against a job. Stamp 4 is a permission granted by the Department of Justice against a person's immigration history. For most people the second follows the first, which is why the question is usually about timing rather than choice.
Immigration Service Delivery publishes the qualifying periods plainly: two years on a valid Critical Skills Employment Permit, five years on a valid employment permit, or two years as a researcher on a Hosting Agreement. Those are the points at which an application can be made. They are not a grant, and the Department of Justice assesses compliance with previous immigration and permit conditions when it decides.
The practical difference before that point is mobility. A permit names one job and one employer and carries a nine month minimum with the initial employer. Stamp 4 carries neither restriction, allows self-employment, and counts as reckonable residence for naturalisation. Anyone already holding a permission that allows unrestricted work does not need a permit at all, which is why checking current permission first is usually faster than starting with a permit route.
Common questions
- Does a Stamp 4 holder need an employment permit?
- No. Immigration Service Delivery states that a Stamp 4 holder can take up employment and is not required to hold an employment permit, can work in a profession subject to the conditions of the relevant professional bodies, and can establish and operate a business.
- How long does it take to get Stamp 4 from an employment permit?
- Immigration Service Delivery publishes the qualifying periods as two years on a valid Critical Skills Employment Permit, five years on a valid employment permit, or two years as a researcher on a valid Hosting Agreement. Reaching one of those points allows an application to be made. The Department of Justice decides it.
- Do Critical Skills permit holders still need a Stamp 4 Support Letter?
- The Department states that as of 30 November 2023 a Stamp 4 Support Letter from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment is no longer required, and that a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder can apply directly to the Department of Justice instead of renewing the permit.
- Can a Stamp 4 holder change employer or start a business?
- Yes on both counts. The permission is not tied to a single employer, and it allows the holder to establish and operate a business. An employment permit holder is subject to the nine month rule with the initial employer and needs a new permit application to move.
- Does Stamp 4 expire?
- Stamp 4 is permission to stay for a specified period, subject to conditions. Immigration Service Delivery states that anyone wishing to stay past the expiry date of their immigration permission must apply to renew the permission and registration before they expire.
Official sources
Figures and rules on this page were read from these pages on 18 August 2026. Salary thresholds, fees and the occupation lists are revised, so confirm the current figure on the official page before relying on it.
- Immigration permission stamps, Immigration Service Delivery(opens in a new tab)
- Critical Skills Employment Permit(opens in a new tab)
- General Employment Permit(opens in a new tab)
- The employment permit types, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment(opens in a new tab)
- Current application processing dates, Employment Permits Section(opens in a new tab)
Check the actual occupation
A comparison describes the routes. Which one is even in scope depends on the occupation code, and that is published. The occupation permit check looks a code up against the current lists.
Related surfaces
Hiring outside the EEA: how the permit system works
Where the permit routes sit against immigration permission, end to end.
Stamp 4 in the permit and immigration glossary
The definition, alongside the other stamps and permission types.
Occupation permit check
Look up how a specific occupation code sits against the published lists.
Employment permit directory
Issued-permit records by period, employer and occupation.
Licensed recruitment agency directory
Agencies on the WRC employment agency licence register.
More route comparisons
The same table, applied to the other pairs people mistake for each other.
Important
IrishTalents is not a licensed employment agency and does not select or submit candidates. Any agency information reflects the wording found on agency websites only, not vacancies, sponsorship, or suitability.
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. IrishTalents is not affiliated with the Irish government.