The Trusted Partner Initiative: retired, and what replaced it
The scheme was retired on 28 April 2025. Every employer now carries the verification it used to grant, through an Employment Permits Online portal account.
The short answer
- Status
Retired
There is no Trusted Partner status on the Employment Permits Online system.
- When it ended
28 April 2025
The date Employment Permits Online launched and replaced the previous system.
- What replaced it
Verified employer portal accounts
All employers submit revenue documentation and a CRO number to establish and maintain an account.
- What employers do now
Keep the portal account current
The portal shows a pending renewal status three months before verification details expire.
Checked against official guidance on 15 August 2026. See the sources.
What the Trusted Partner Initiative was
The Trusted Partner Initiative was a registration an Irish employer could hold with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Registered employers submitted their company details once rather than with every employment permit application, which reduced paperwork on repeat hires and, in practice, shortened the turnaround on a file that was otherwise straightforward.
It made sense in a world where employer details arrived attached to each individual application. The initiative was, in effect, a way of pre-verifying the employer so the same documents did not have to be assessed again every time.
Why it no longer exists
Employment Permits Online launched on 28 April 2025, replacing the older technology with a system built around portal accounts for employers, employees and agents.
Under that system, every employer is required to submit revenue documentation and a CRO number to set up and maintain a valid portal account. The Department's position is that because all employers now carry that verification, there is no longer a requirement for a separate Trusted Partner Initiative, and there is no Trusted Partner status on the system.
The benefit was not withdrawn so much as generalised. What used to be an opt-in registration for some employers is now the baseline for all of them.
What an employer does instead
The work the initiative used to represent still exists. It has moved into keeping the portal account in good standing.
- Set up an employer portal account on Employment Permits Online, separate from any employee or agent account.
- Provide the revenue documentation and CRO number the account requires, and keep them valid.
- Watch for the pending renewal status, which appears three months before verification details expire, and refresh them before they lapse.
- Use multi-factor authentication on the account, and make sure more than one person in the business can access it.
- Stop quoting Trusted Partner status in offers, tender responses and candidate communications. It no longer describes anything.
Older advice still circulates
Trusted Partner status appears in employer handbooks, agency collateral and immigration explainers written before April 2025, and many have not been updated. Treat any current claim that a business holds Trusted Partner status as out of date rather than as a differentiator.
Common questions
- Does the Trusted Partner Initiative still exist in Ireland?
- No. It was retired when Employment Permits Online launched on 28 April 2025, and there is no Trusted Partner status on that system.
- What replaced Trusted Partner status?
- Verified employer portal accounts. All employers are now required to submit revenue documentation and a CRO number to establish and maintain a valid account, which is the verification the initiative used to provide separately.
- Do employers still get faster processing?
- The Department's stated intent is that operating all employers from portal accounts delivers more efficient processing for all users. There is no separate faster track that an employer can register for.
- How does an employer keep the account valid?
- By keeping the revenue documentation and CRO number current. The system shows a pending renewal status three months before verification details expire, which is the point to act on rather than the expiry date itself.
Official sources
Figures and rules on this page were read from these pages on 15 August 2026. Salary thresholds, fees and the occupation lists are revised, so confirm the current figure on the official page before relying on it.
Find a licensed agency for the role
Ireland’s recruitment agencies hold employment agency licences issued by the Workplace Relations Commission. The directory carries that register, so you can check an agency before you contact it.
Related surfaces
Hiring outside the EEA in Ireland
The full sequence, including where the portal account fits.
The General Employment Permit: the standard route
The route most employers reach the portal for.
Employment permit directory
Issued-permit records by period, employer and occupation.
Licensed recruitment agency directory
Agencies on the WRC employment agency licence register.
More guides
Neutral explainers that survive being forwarded, because they name no agency and sell nothing.
- Hiring outside the EEA in Ireland: how the permit system works
- The General Employment Permit: Ireland's standard work permit route
- The Critical Skills Employment Permit: the shortage route
- The Labour Market Needs Test: 28 days, two places, one window
- What an employment permit hire costs, from fee to start date
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.