--- title: "Ireland Spouse of a citizen 2026: income from €40k needed" url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/spouse-of-citizen/ lang: en updated: 2026-10-11 --- Ireland · Spouse visas # Ireland Spouse of a citizen **Income needed:** from €40k ≈ $45k Join Family visa and Stamp 4 permission for the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen First checked against official sources on 11 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) - **Income needed:** from €40k ≈ $45k (Income of at least EUR 75,000 (≈ $83,800) · Irish citizen sponsor gross income above State benefits, cumulative over the 3 years before the application (about EUR25,000 a year); applies to family reunification applications made for a spouse abroad. Only one sponsor's income counts. Income of at least EUR 40,000 (≈ $44,700) · Irish spouse earned this over the last 3 years above State welfare benefits; applies to the in-country Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National scheme.) - **Who can apply:** Most passports (Non-EEA nationals; EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss citizens do not apply.) - **Work:** Yes (May work without an employment permit.) - **Tax angle:** Tax relief (Ireland: remittance basis for residents who are not Irish-domiciled: An individual resident in Ireland who is not Irish-domiciled is taxed on foreign-sourced income and foreign capital gains only to the extent they are remitted to Ireland; Irish-source income is taxed in full and the income of a non-Irish employment is taxable on the remittance basis only for duties performed outside Ireland.) ## Key facts Spouse of a citizen is a spouse visas route for Ireland. Applicants need income from €40k ≈ $45k. You can work locally. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source. - **Money needed:** from €40k ≈ $45k ## Cost, time and long term **Shown, not spent: €75k+ ≈ $84k · €40k+ ≈ $45k** - EUR 75,000 (≈ $83,800) Irish citizen sponsor gross income above State benefits, cumulative over the 3 years before the application (about EUR25,000 (≈ $27,900) a year); applies to family reunification applications made for a spouse abroad. Only one sponsor's income counts. - EUR 40,000 (≈ $44,700) Irish spouse earned this over the last 3 years above State welfare benefits; applies to the in-country Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National scheme. **Renewal: Renewable** Stamp 4 permission is registered with Immigration Service Delivery and renewed online. [Immigration Service Delivery](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/spouse-civil-partner-of-irish-national-scheme/) **Citizenship: After 3 years of residence** A spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen can apply after 3 years of reckonable residence on the island of Ireland, once married for 3 years. [Immigration Service Delivery](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/become-an-irish-citizen-by-naturalisation/) **Presence rules: Away max 70 days in 12 months** For naturalisation, you must not have been outside Ireland for more than 70 days in the 12 months before applying. [Immigration Service Delivery](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/become-an-irish-citizen-by-naturalisation/) ## Why this route may not fit Check this before you apply. - Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports ### What you'll need #### Who can apply - The applicant is a non-EEA spouse or civil partner aged 18 or over of an Irish citizen who lives or will live in Ireland. - The marriage or civil partnership is between two people, freely entered, lawful and recognised under Irish law. - Both partners live together as a family unit and intend to keep living together in Ireland. - The partners have met in person before and since the marriage; no minimum length of marriage is required. - The applicant is of good character and has no adverse attention from An Garda Siochana. - The sponsor has not mainly relied on State supports for 2 years or longer before applying. - The applicant will not become an undue burden on the State. #### What you must show - The Irish citizen earned at least EUR75,000 (≈ $83,800) gross over the last 3 years for a spouse applying from abroad. - For the in-country scheme the Irish spouse earned EUR40,000 (≈ $44,700) over the last 3 years above State benefits. #### Documents - Original marriage or civil partnership certificate and both original passports. - Evidence of the joint address and of financial means. #### Steps 1. Visa-required spouses apply for a Join Family (D) visa before travelling to Ireland. 2. After arrival the couple attend the registration office together with the required documents. #### After you arrive - Permission is renewed online, and a refused applicant with permission can ask for a review within two months. ## When you become tax resident How Ireland decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records. - **Tax residence:** - **At least 183 days in a tax year** Resident if present in Ireland 183 days or more in the tax year. - **At least 280 days in the current and preceding tax year combined** Resident if present 280 days or more across two years, provided more than 30 days are spent in Ireland in the current year. - **Foreign-source income:** **Remittance basis (non-dom)** An individual resident in Ireland who is not Irish-domiciled is taxed on foreign-sourced income and foreign capital gains only to the extent they are remitted to Ireland; Irish-source income is taxed in full and the income of a non-Irish employment is taxable on the remittance basis only for duties performed outside Ireland. - **Special regime:** **Remittance basis for residents who are not Irish-domiciled** · Tax relief [All tax rules for Ireland](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/tax/) Tax records checked 10 Oct 2026 **Full official text** For the non-EEA spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen. It gives permission to live and work in Ireland without an employment permit, normally as a Stamp 4 holder, after a Join Family visa where one is required. (sources 1, 2, 3) #### What you must show - Income of at least EUR 75,000 (≈ $83,800) · Irish citizen sponsor gross income above State benefits, cumulative over the 3 years before the application (about EUR25,000 (≈ $27,900) a year); applies to family reunification applications made for a spouse abroad. Only one sponsor's income counts. (source 2) - Income of at least EUR 40,000 (≈ $44,700) · Irish spouse earned this over the last 3 years above State welfare benefits; applies to the in-country Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National scheme. (source 1) #### Requirements - The applicant is a non-EEA spouse or civil partner aged 18 or over of an Irish citizen who lives or will live in Ireland. (source 3) - The marriage or civil partnership is between two people, freely entered, lawful and recognised under Irish law. (sources 3, 1) - Both partners live together as a family unit and intend to keep living together in Ireland. (source 1) - The partners have met in person before and since the marriage; no minimum length of marriage is required. (source 3) - The applicant is of good character and has no adverse attention from An Garda Siochana. (source 1) - The sponsor has not mainly relied on State supports for 2 years or longer before applying. (source 2) - The applicant will not become an undue burden on the State. (source 1) - The Irish citizen earned at least EUR75,000 (≈ $83,800) gross over the last 3 years for a spouse applying from abroad. (source 2) - For the in-country scheme the Irish spouse earned EUR40,000 (≈ $44,700) over the last 3 years above State benefits. (source 1) - Original marriage or civil partnership certificate and both original passports. (source 1) - Evidence of the joint address and of financial means. (source 1) - Visa-required spouses apply for a Join Family (D) visa before travelling to Ireland. (sources 3, 1) - After arrival the couple attend the registration office together with the required documents. (source 1) - Permission is renewed online, and a refused applicant with permission can ask for a review within two months. (source 1) #### Stay - Stamp 4 permission, registered with Immigration Service Delivery and renewed online; family reunification applications currently take about 12 months to process. - Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal. #### Nationality Non-EEA nationals; EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss citizens do not apply. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. #### Work May work without an employment permit. #### Family Minor unmarried children of the Irish citizen can be reunited under the same policy. Checked 2026-10-11 ## Official sources 1. [Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National Scheme](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/spouse-civil-partner-of-irish-national-scheme/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 2. [Financial thresholds for non-EEA family reunification](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/financial-thresholds/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Policy on non-EEA family reunification (12 June 2026)](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Family-Reunification-Policy-12-June-2026.pdf) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 4. [Become an Irish citizen by naturalisation](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/become-an-irish-citizen-by-naturalisation/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice) · checked 2026-10-11 5. [Immigration permission/stamps (which stamps are reckonable)](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/information-on-registering/immigration-permission-stamps/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice) · checked 2026-10-11 ## Spouse of a citizen and its alternatives | Route | Money needed | Stay | Work | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Spouse of a citizen | Needs income from €40k ≈ $45k | – | Yes | | [Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/spouse-of-permanent-resident/) | Needs income of €30k+ a year ≈ $34k | – | – | | [Spouse of a citizen](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/portugal/spouse-of-citizen/) Portugal | – | – | – | | [Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/spain/family-reunification/) Spain | Needs income of €900+ a month ≈ $1,010 | – | Yes | | [Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/georgia/spouse-of-permanent-resident/) Georgia | – | 1 yr, renewable | – | ## Questions people ask ### How much money do I need for the Spouse of a citizen? Income of at least EUR 75,000 (≈ $83,800). Irish citizen sponsor gross income above State benefits, cumulative over the 3 years before the application (about EUR25,000 (≈ $27,900) a year); applies to family reunification applications made for a spouse abroad. Income of at least EUR 40,000 (≈ $44,700). Irish spouse earned this over the last 3 years above State welfare benefits; applies to the in-country Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National scheme. ### How long can I stay on the Spouse of a citizen? Stamp 4 permission, registered with Immigration Service Delivery and renewed online; family reunification applications currently take about 12 months to process. ### Can I work on the Spouse of a citizen? Yes. May work without an employment permit. ### Can I bring my family on the Spouse of a citizen? Minor unmarried children of the Irish citizen can be reunited under the same policy. ### Who can apply for the Spouse of a citizen? Non-EEA nationals; EU, EEA (including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss citizens do not apply. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia. ### Is there a tax break for Spouse of a citizen holders in Ireland? Ireland: remittance basis for residents who are not Irish-domiciled: An individual resident in Ireland who is not Irish-domiciled is taxed on foreign-sourced income and foreign capital gains only to the extent they are remitted to Ireland; Irish-source income is taxed in full and the income of a non-Irish employment is taxable on the remittance basis only for duties performed outside Ireland. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions. ## Tax Special regime ### [Ireland: remittance basis for residents who are not Irish-domiciled](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/tax/#tax-ie-remittance-basis-non-domiciled) Tax relief Foreign-source income: Remittance basis (non-dom) **Details** - On: Actual sums remitted to Ireland out of foreign-source income An individual resident in Ireland who is not Irish-domiciled is taxed on foreign-sourced income and foreign capital gains only to the extent they are remitted to Ireland; Irish-source income is taxed in full and the income of a non-Irish employment is taxable on the remittance basis only for duties performed outside Ireland. #### Taxed on Actual sums remitted to Ireland out of foreign-source income (Schedule D Case III) and foreign gains; Irish-source income and Irish gains on the arising basis at ordinary rates (20% standard rate band and 40% higher rate in the Revenue example for 2026). #### Who it applies to - Resident in Ireland for the tax year and satisfies Revenue that they are not domiciled in the State (section 71 TCA 1997). #### Exclusions - Duties of a non-Irish employment performed in Ireland are taxed under Schedule E on the arising basis. - UK-source income is taxed on the arising basis (section 18 FA 2008). - Other statutory exceptions are listed in Part 7 of the manual. #### Days in the country - At least 183 days in tax year · Resident if present in Ireland 183 days or more in the tax year. - At least 280 days in current and preceding tax year combined · Resident if present 280 days or more across two years, provided more than 30 days are spent in Ireland in the current year. #### Tax residence Residence is by days of presence under section 819 TCA 1997; domicile is a separate general-law concept. #### Visas Not tied to a visa; SARP is a separate employment-income relief. #### Other taxes USC and PRSI follow their own rules; the Revenue manual notes the remittance basis is also available for foreign gains. Checked against official sources on 10 Oct 2026 [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/) [Full page →](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/tax/) ## More in Ireland [Working Holiday](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/working-holiday/) [Retirement / Stamp 0](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/retirement-stamp-0/) [Start-up Entrepreneur (STEP)](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/start-up-entrepreneur-programme/) [Critical Skills permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/critical-skills-employment-permit/) [General Employment permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/general-employment-permit/) [Intra-company transfer permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/intra-company-transfer-permit/) [Student permission](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/student-stamp-2/) [Irish citizenship by descent](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/ireland/citizenship-foreign-births-register/) ## Spouse and partner visas elsewhere [🇮🇹 Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/italy/spouse-of-permanent-resident/) [🇬🇷 Spouse of a citizen](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/spouse-of-citizen/) [🇫🇷 Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/france/spouse-of-permanent-resident/) [🇬🇧 Fiancé visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/united-kingdom/fiance-visa/) [🇳🇱 Spouse of a citizen](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/netherlands/spouse-of-citizen/) [🇨🇾 Spouse of a resident](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/cyprus/spouse-of-permanent-resident/) ≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated. ## How this was checked **Checked on 2026-10-11 against 5 official sources.** Status: verified against the official sources. Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out. 1. [Spouse/Civil Partner of Irish National Scheme](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/my-situation-has-changed-since-i-arrived-in-ireland/spouse-civil-partner-of-irish-national-scheme/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 2. [Financial thresholds for non-EEA family reunification](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-join-family-in-ireland/financial-thresholds/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 3. [Policy on non-EEA family reunification (12 June 2026)](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Family-Reunification-Policy-12-June-2026.pdf) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration) · checked 2026-10-11 4. [Become an Irish citizen by naturalisation](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/how-to-become-a-citizen/become-an-irish-citizen-by-naturalisation/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice) · checked 2026-10-11 5. [Immigration permission/stamps (which stamps are reckonable)](https://www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/information-on-registering/immigration-permission-stamps/) · Immigration Service Delivery (Department of Justice) · checked 2026-10-11 Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.