Can the spouse of a General Employment Permit holder get a Dependant permit?

No. The Department states that spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for an employment permit in their own right, subject to the normal criteria for that permit type.

Is there a salary threshold on the Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit?

Remuneration must be at or above the National Minimum Wage. There is no route-specific threshold of the kind that applies on the General and Critical Skills routes, and all jobs are eligible except that of domestic operative.

How much does a Dependant Employment Permit cost?

The Department states there is no fee for a Dependant Employment Permit. A new General Employment Permit is €500 for six months or less and €1,000 for six months up to 24 months, with 90 per cent refunded if the application is unsuccessful.

What happens to the Dependant permit if the relationship ends?

The Department states that a Dependant Employment Permit holder who separates from the primary permit holder or researcher is no longer eligible to renew it. If the Department of Justice grants them permission to remain in the State in their own right, they may apply for a different class of employment permit subject to the normal requirements.

How long does a Dependant Employment Permit last?

It is issued to run to the expiry of the primary permit holder's employment permit or immigration stamp, subject to a maximum period of three years. Renewals are considered against the primary holder's current position rather than independently.

GEP vs Dependant permit

General Employment Permit vs Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit

One is applied for on the strength of the job. The other is applied for on the strength of a relationship to another permit holder.

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.

General Employment Permit and Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit compared across 8 published criteria.
What the rules say	General Employment PermitThe broad route, applied for on an eligible occupation and a job offer, by the employer or the prospective employee.	Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment PermitThe route open to the dependant, civil partner or spouse of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder or of a researcher on a Hosting Agreement, once they are resident in the State on that basis.
Who can apply	Anyone with an offer for an eligible occupation, subject to the employer criteria and the occupation lists. No prior connection to Ireland is required.	A dependant, civil partner or spouse of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder or a researcher on a Hosting Agreement, or of someone who once held one and now has permission from the Department of Justice to work without a permit. The applicant must already be resident in the State on that basis.
	A letter from the primary holder's employer, dated within the three months before the application is received, confirming they are still employed there and their job title, is required on the dependant route.
Labour Market Needs Test	Usually required, with published exemptions including where annual remuneration is above €68,911.	Not required. The prospective employer does not have to advertise the position.
Minimum annual remuneration	€36,605 standard, €34,009 for a recent relevant Irish degree, and €32,691 with a minimum hourly rate of €16.12 for horticulture workers, meat processors, health care assistants and home support workers.	Remuneration must be at or above the National Minimum Wage. All jobs are eligible except that of domestic operative.
	The dependant route is the widest in occupational scope and the lowest in salary floor of the two, because it exists to let a family member work rather than to fill a shortage.
Family reunification	Spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for an employment permit in their own right.	This permit is the family reunification instrument. If the holder separates from the primary permit holder or researcher they are no longer eligible to renew it, though they may apply for a different class of permit if the Department of Justice grants them permission to remain in their own right.
Duration and the Stamp 4 route	Up to 24 months in the first instance, extendable by a further three years. Five or more consecutive years of lawful employment on General Employment Permits may allow the holder to contact the Department of Justice about a temporary Stamp 4.	Tied to the expiry of the primary holder's permit or immigration stamp, subject to a maximum of three years. Five or more consecutive years of lawful employment on Dependant Employment Permits may likewise allow the holder to apply to the Department of Justice for a temporary Stamp 4.
	Both routes end at the same door, and it is not a door the Employment Permits Section controls. The Department of Justice decides Stamp 4.
Where the processing queue stood	New General Employment Permit applications received on 10 July 2026.	Other new applications, the category this permit falls into, received on 21 July 2026.
	As published by the Employment Permits Section on 17 August 2026. These 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.	The same nine month rule applies, with published exceptions where the holder is made redundant or where circumstances unforeseen at the time of application fundamentally change the employment relationship. After nine months a move requires a new application.
Application fee	€500 for six months or less, €1,000 for six months up to 24 months. Renewals are €750 and €1,500, with 90 per cent refunded if unsuccessful.	None. There is no fee for a Dependant Employment Permit.

See the sources every row came from.

How the rules divide the two routes

These two permits are not alternatives for the same person. The General Employment Permit is decided on the occupation, the salary and the employer. The Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit is decided on a relationship to someone who already holds a Critical Skills Employment Permit or a Hosting Agreement, plus residence in the State on that basis. Where the qualifying relationship exists, the dependant route asks for less: no advertising test, no route-specific salary floor above the National Minimum Wage, no fee, and every occupation in scope except domestic operative.

Where it does not exist, the dependant route is simply closed, and the Department says so directly on the General Employment Permit page: spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for it and must apply for a permit in their own right. This is the single largest downstream consequence of the choice between the General and Critical Skills routes for the primary hire.

The dependant permit also inherits its lifespan from the primary permission rather than holding one of its own, and a separation ends eligibility to renew it. Which permit applies to a specific person is decided by the Department on the facts of the application.

Common questions

Can the spouse of a General Employment Permit holder get a Dependant permit?: No. The Department states that spouses, dependants and partners of General Employment Permit holders are not eligible for a Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit and must apply for an employment permit in their own right, subject to the normal criteria for that permit type.
Is there a salary threshold on the Dependant, Partner or Spouse Employment Permit?: Remuneration must be at or above the National Minimum Wage. There is no route-specific threshold of the kind that applies on the General and Critical Skills routes, and all jobs are eligible except that of domestic operative.
How much does a Dependant Employment Permit cost?: The Department states there is no fee for a Dependant Employment Permit. A new General Employment Permit is €500 for six months or less and €1,000 for six months up to 24 months, with 90 per cent refunded if the application is unsuccessful.
What happens to the Dependant permit if the relationship ends?: The Department states that a Dependant Employment Permit holder who separates from the primary permit holder or researcher is no longer eligible to renew it. If the Department of Justice grants them permission to remain in the State in their own right, they may apply for a different class of employment permit subject to the normal requirements.
How long does a Dependant Employment Permit last?: It is issued to run to the expiry of the primary permit holder's employment permit or immigration stamp, subject to a maximum period of three years. Renewals are considered against the primary holder's current position rather than independently.

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.

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.

Check an occupation Browse licensed recruitment agencies

More route comparisons

The same table, applied to the other pairs people mistake for each other.

All comparisons Permit guides

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.

An occupation (SOC) code classifies the kind of work. It does not by itself determine permit eligibility, Critical Skills status, or sponsorship. Job duties, salary, employer and permit route also matter.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. IrishTalents is not affiliated with the Irish government.