Moving to Ireland

Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Ireland, in one place.

by Navid Moazzez·Updated Sept 29, 2026·3 min read·

Northern Europe

Ireland

85% of US pricesRemittance5 years to citizenshipInternet 72 Mbps · 227 on fast lines

Your passport

IrelandNorthern Europe · Video: Jay's Photography · Pexels

Thinking about moving to Ireland?

Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.

In this guide, I'll show you:

How long you can stay, by passport
How long citizenship takes
How tax works, with the rates
What it costs, and the internet and safety
The best places to live
The basics: capital, currency and languages

Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.

key_takeaways.md

TL;DR

Key takeaways

Everyday prices are about 85% of US prices (World Bank, 2025).

Ireland taxes foreign income only when you bring it in.

Citizenship takes about 5 years, and you can keep your passport.

US travel advice is Level 1, normal travel.

Ireland at a glance

Everyday prices against the US

2025

Top income tax rate

remittance system

To citizenship

0 years

dual citizenship: yes

Typical download

0 Mbps

fastest quarter 227 Mbps

How long can you stay in Ireland?

It depends on the passport you hold.

Here's the rule for the most common ones:

US passport

Rule: Visa-free
Stay: 90 days

UK passport

Rule: Visa-free
Stay: –

EU passport (German)

Rule: Visa-free
Stay: –

Canadian passport

Rule: Visa-free
Stay: 90 days

Australian passport

Rule: Visa-free
Stay: 90 days

Indian passport

Rule: Visa needed
Stay: –

Passport	Rule	Stay
US passport	Visa-free	90 days
UK passport	Visa-free	–
EU passport (German)	Visa-free	–
Canadian passport	Visa-free	90 days
Australian passport	Visa-free	90 days
Indian passport	Visa needed	–

For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.

Citizenship in Ireland

Naturalization takes about 5 years of residence.

Dual citizenship is allowed, so you can keep your passport.

Work out your own timeline with the second passport calculator.

Tax in Ireland

Ireland taxes foreign income only when you bring it into the country.

See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.

The main rates:

Lowest income tax band – 20%
Top income tax rate – 52%
Corporate tax – 12%
VAT or sales tax – 23%
Capital gains tax – 33%

New residents can use Special Assignee Relief Programme (SARP).

See how it works in tax breaks for new residents.

Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.

Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.

Company and banking

Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.

Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.

Setting up a company here?

See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.

Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.

Cost of living in Ireland

Everyday prices in Ireland are about 85% of US prices.

That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.

It's close to US prices, or above them.

A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:

Dublin – $292

Convert what things cost with the currency converter.

Is Ireland safe?

The US State Department rates Ireland Level 1 ("Exercise normal precautions", updated 2026-03-20), the same level it gives Austria, Portugal, Japan and Australia. Level 1 is normal travel. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.

For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.

See every country's level on the travel advisory map.