Stamp 0

Stamp 0 indicates permission to stay in Ireland for a temporary period, subject to conditions.

You must be of independent means, ie fully financially self-sufficient. Alternatively, your sponsor in Ireland must be of independent means and can support you fully.
You cannot receive any benefits or use publicly funded services, eg be treated at a public hospital. You must have private medical insurance.
You must not work or engage in any business, trade or profession unless specified in a letter of permission from INIS.

You may be given Stamp 0 if you have permission to:

Retire to or live in Ireland as a person of independent means
Be a visiting academic at an Irish university or college
Live in Ireland as the elderly, dependent relative of a non-EU/EEA or Swiss citizen
Extend a short term visit here due to exceptional humanitarian circumstances
Work here for an overseas company to carry out a specific task for a limited time
Other

Stamp 0 is given to people who have been approved by INIS (Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service) for a limited and specific stay in Ireland. Accordingly this limited and specific permission is not intended to be counted towards Long Term Residence.

It is necessary for your permission that you can support yourself or that your sponsor will cover all of your costs. Because of this you do not have permission to access State benefits while resident here on a Stamp 0 basis.

Types of people who may be granted Stamp 0.

Elderly dependent relatives

For elderly dependent relatives, the financial requirements to allow a person to sponsor an elderly dependent relative are set out in Chapter 18 of the Family Reunification Policy Document (PDF 500KB).

Persons of independent means

For people of independent means, you should have an individual income of €50,000 per year. You must also have access to a lump sum of money to cover any sudden major expenses. This lump sum should be equal to, for example, the price of a dwelling in the State. Financial documentation should be presented in spreadsheet form and converted into Euros. It should clearly show all income and spending each month. This must be certified by an Irish accountancy firm that has the expert knowledge to understand the format of overseas banking/accountancy documentation

Visiting academics/Researcher

As a visiting academic/researcher you must be paid from outside the State and are here to work for no longer than 12 months.

There are two or three steps to the process of gaining Stamp 0 and registering as a non-EEA national, depending on your circumstances:

Apply for permission

You must apply for permission, with a letter and the required documentation, to:

Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
Department of Justice and Equality
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
D02 XK70

If your application for Stamp 0 is successful, you will be issued with a Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer and an Agreement Form, from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division. This Letter of Offer is given on the condition that you meet any required visa checks and is subject to the discretion of the Immigration Officer when you enter the State. Read more about the letter of permission (PDF 100KB).

Apply for a visa if you are from a visa required country

Visa required people

If you are a visa required person and have received your letter of offer to be given a Stamp 0, then you must contact your local visa office to get a visa (submit a visa application) to enter the State. There are various types of entry visa which are to be used after you have been offered Stamp 0. The type of visa you use depends on your Stamp 0 permission:
Elderly dependent relatives: In order to reside in the State on Stamp 0 conditions, you must apply for a visa to join your family through a D-Join Visa. When submitting your application for a D-Join Visa, you must include your Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer. If you do not enter the State with a D-Join Visa, you will not be able to complete the registration process that will allow you to reside in Ireland on Stamp 0 permission. See detailed information on the Join Family visas web page.
People of independent means: In order to reside in the State on Stamp 0 conditions, you must apply for a D-Reside Visa. When submitting your application for a D-Reside Visa, you must include your Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer. It is very important that you obtain a D-Reside Visa before entering the State. If you do not enter the State with a D-Reside Visa, you will not be able to complete the registration process that will allow you to reside in Ireland on Stamp 0 permission
Visiting Academics/Researchers: You should apply for a visa from your local visa office. When stating the purpose of your visit on the visa application, you should select “other” and fully explain the purpose of your visit in the space provided

Once you have received a Stamp 0 Conditional Letter of Offer from Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division, and have been issued with the correct visa, you may enter the State.

Entry to the State is always at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the port of entry.

Non-visa required people

If you are a non-visa required person who wishes to reside in Ireland on a Stamp 0 permission as a person of independent means, visiting academic, or visiting researcher, and you meet the criteria, you may apply from inside or outside the State.Applications for family reunification in cases involving elderly dependants can only be made from outside the State, regardless of whether or not you are a visa-required person.

The granting of visitor permission at the port of entry does not mean that your Stamp 0 application will be successful.

Complete application and register

If your application is successful, INIS will issue you a letter of permission. This letter will specify if the permission can be renewed. It will also contain instructions on either leaving the State at the end of the permission or applying for an extension of this permission.

If you are granted permission then you must register at your local immigration office.

Required Documents

You must apply for permission, with a letter and the required documentation posted by registered post to:

Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service
Department of Justice and Equality
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
D02 XK70

Documents required for each initial application group are listed below

Elderly Dependent:

Clear and legible copy of your passport (all pages), including the visa on which you entered the State
Copy of your birth certificate
Proof of relationship to sponsor (i.e. Birth Certificate)
Details of all family members resident in the State and their legal status in the State
Evidence of all finances available to you (i.e. six months of bank statements, payslips)
Evidence in financial documents that the sponsor (son/daughter etc.) is earning an income, in excess of €60,000 for one parent and €75,000 for two parents for the three years prior to the application
Details of accommodation to be provided for you
Evidence of private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals
Your future intentions in the State
Any other information you consider relevant to your case

For further information refer to the Family Reunification Policy Document

People of independent means:

Clear and legible copy of your passport (all pages), including the visa on which you entered the State
Copy of your birth certificate
Copy of marriage certificate
Reason for request for permission
Details of all family members resident in the State and their legal status in the State
Details of Irish Associations
Evidence of all finances available to you (i.e. six months of bank statements, payslips, etc)
Evidence of your finances verified by an Irish based accountant listing yearly income and any financial liabilities. Investment sums are not normally measured – finances must be in the form of pension income or readily accessible funds
Evidence of private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals
Police Clearance Certificate
Health Declaration
Any other information you consider relevant to your case

Visiting Academic/Researcher:

Clear and legible copy of your passport (all pages), including the visa on which you entered the State
Reason for request for permission
Details of all family members resident in the State and their legal status in the State
Evidence of all finances available to you (i.e. six months of bank statements, payslips)
Letter from an Irish college/university confirming you will be working within that college, this must also state the length of this arrangement ( no longer than 12 months)
Letter from your home college/ university specifying your position in that college and stating that you will be paid by your home college/ university while within the State
Evidence of private medical insurance with full cover in private hospitals
Police Clearance Certificate
Any other information you consider relevant to your case

If your application is successful, INIS will issue you a letter of permission. This letter will indicate if the permission is renewable. It will also contain instructions on either leaving the State at the end of the permission or applying for an extension.

Processing times:

Delays can be expected when processing applications if applicants do not send in all of the required documents with their original application
Applications are processed in chronological order

If your application is successful:

You will be sent a conditional letter of offer and an agreement form for you to sign
You will need the letter of offer to get the correct visa if you are required to get one
When you arrive in the State you should send a signed agreement form and your passport to Unit 2, Domestic Residence and Permissions Division, Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, Department of Justice and Equality, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, D02 XK70

Unit 2 will add a stamp to your passport and return it to you

When Stamp 0 residence permission was originally implemented, it was intended to cater for some of the exceptions thrown up by the immigration system and to provide some additional flexibility. In some cases, it provides an alternative to a refusal of immigration permission. This is merely a clarification of the criteria that are currently used to assess such applications. All non-EEA nationals need residence permission to remain in the State. Permission to remain will be in the form of an endorsement in your passport confirming the conditions and period of time for which you have permission to remain in the State. Persons granted permission to be in the State by INIS must also register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau. Stamp 0 is a low-level immigration status that covers persons who have been approved by INIS for a limited and specific stay in Ireland and who, as an inherent condition of their residence permission, are required to be self-sufficient; i.e. they are not permitted to avail of State benefits while resident here on a Stamp 0 basis even if they acquire an entitlement to such benefits. While the entitlements of a non – EEA national to State Benefits is a matter for the relevant government department/ agency, any accessing of State benefits while present in the State on a Stamp 0 basis will breach the condition of their residence permit that they must be self – sufficient and cannot receive state benefits. If a holder of Stamp 0 permission is found to be in breach of any or all of the conditions, the permission may be varied or not renewed. There are three types of persons who may be granted Stamp 0:

Elderly dependent relatives(as set out in the Family Reunification Policy Document )
Persons of Independent Means
Visiting academics / Researchers Stamp 0 may be granted to persons who can demonstrate sufficient funds to ensure they will not become a burden on the State.

For elderly dependent relatives, the financial criteria required to allow a person to sponsor elderly dependent relatives are set out in Chapter 18 of the Family Reunification Policy Document.

For persons of independent means, the financial threshold is generally considered to be a lump sum to purchase a property in the State PLUS an income in excess of €50,000 per person per annum. Each application is dealt with on a case by case basis. …..

Visiting academics they must be paid from outside the State and here to work for no longer than 12 months Terms and Conditions of Stamp 0 Permission Applicants are required to sign an undertaking that they will abide by the restrictions imposed by the permission.

Holders of Stamp 0 (who are not permitted to work) may volunteer in the State but it is not intended that a person given permission on Stamp 0 basis would take up any employment either paid or unpaid in relation to their professional qualifications.

The terms of the declaration are as follows –

I am not permitted to work in the State. – I am not permitted to establish or operate a business in the State. – I am not permitted to engage in a profession in the State. – The person or organisation sponsoring my presence in the State is responsible for providing me with accommodation and my general up-keep.

OR –

I am a person of self-sufficient/independent means. –

I am not permitted to have a family member join me on the basis that I am resident in the State. – I am not permitted to receive any State benefits, nor is my sponsor in the State permitted to apply for any State benefits on my behalf. – I have private medical insurance to cover the duration of my stay and it covers me for medical treatment and hospital accommodation in this State. – I must abide by the laws of the State. – I must continuously reside in the State.

Persons on Stamp 0 are required to have fully comprehensive medical insurance to cover fully private care in any hospital and are required to maintain this insurance for the duration of their permission. If they allow this private medical cover to lapse, their permission may not be renewed.

There is no family reunification with Stamp 0. Each individual must apply in their own right

Elderly Dependent Parents – Policy document on Non – EEA family reunification.

The issue of elderly dependent parents has arisen in a number of cases involving both Irish and non-EEA national sponsors. This form of migration can, however, be hugely problematic and is subject to considerable restriction in many jurisdictions, in some cases with extreme waiting times. It is of course entirely understandable that an Irish citizen or a non-EEA national lawfully resident in the State would wish to have his or her elderly parent residing with them so as to ensure their wellbeing as they get older and for the general enrichment of family life. However, it must also be acknowledged that the potential financial liability for the State of providing medical treatment, perhaps nursing home care and other services to an elderly person who is unable to support themselves is very considerable.

The Irish State is simply not in a position to take on financial responsibilities of this nature, nor should it be expected to do so. Moreover, even where the family in Ireland is willing to assume the initial responsibility of providing for their relative and has a good faith intention to continue to do so, circumstances can change. If the family becomes unable or unwilling to assume the costs of maintenance, then the State could be faced with an invidious choice between assuming the financial burden from the public purse or seeking to deport an elderly person who cannot provide for him/herself. This is not to say that there should be an absolute bar on all such applications but rather that a highly restrictive approach should be taken. Ultimately emigration, including that by Irish people, is undertaken with no legitimate expectation of ever being joined by parents.

The issue of dependency and these principles will apply also in the case of dependent elderly relatives. The onus of proof as to dependency is entirely on the sponsor and the dependant and the default position for such migration, given the financial risk to the State is a refusal. However each case must be viewed on its particular merits to see if there are exceptional circumstances that would warrant a positive decision. The onus must however be on the family to show that there is no viable alternative to the parents coming to Ireland. In reality, such alternatives are very often available, for example, where the parent has the financial resources to meet their needs and is physically capable of independent living; where other family members are in the country and capable of providing support or where homecare can be funded by the Irish resident through remittances. Moreover, the option of family members leaving Ireland to care for their elderly dependent relative in the country of origin cannot be discounted merely on the basis that it is not the option preferred by the family.

Given the level of risk, which cannot be fully mitigated by undertakings of financial support by family members, the financial thresholds for earnings to support an elderly dependent relative must be high enough to meet the foreseeable expense. Therefore a sponsor of an elderly dependent relative will be required to have earned in Ireland each of the 3 years preceding the application an income after tax and deductions of not less than €60K in the case of one parent and €75k where 2 parents are involved. Where the elderly dependent relative has a guaranteed income into the future this can be used to partially offset the financial limits (bearing in mind however that a person with a sufficient personal income for their needs cannot reasonably be regarded as financially dependent).

The following conditions should be applied to migration of this nature if approved.

Elderly dependent relatives must be covered by the private medical cover at or above the level of VHI plan D or equivalent;
The sponsor will be required to sign a legal undertaking to the effect that they will bear personal complete financial responsibility for the elderly dependent relative and that any State funds availed of by the relative will be reimbursed by them. The possibility of requiring the family to establish a financial bond for this purpose remains open;
The Sponsor will be required to make detailed provision for the accommodation of the elderly dependent relative.

The permission granted will be regarded as temporary but renewable on an annual basis providing the conditions are met. The immigration stamp applicable will be Stamp 0. This category would not be reckonable for Long Term residence or naturalisation. The explicit exclusion of such residence from reckonability will ultimately require legislation but it can in the interim be implemented administratively given the Minister’s absolute discretion in determining applications for naturalisation. In effect persons receiving permission under Stamp 0 would be fully aware that it does not carry an expectation of leading to citizenship.

Applications for family reunification in cases involving elderly dependants can only be made from outside the State and will be subject to a preclearance procedure and application fee. Applications will not be accepted in respect of a person who has come to the State on a visitor visa and then seeks to leave to remain. This is in order to maintain separate immigration channels for those seeking to reside in Ireland and those who may wish to come on an extended visit but without the intention of residence. If applications for residence were permitted from within the State it would inevitably make the visitor
This requirement will continue to apply irrespective of whether a person would be eligible for State-funded health services.
visa process more restrictive and indeed undermine the visit visa route, ultimately to the detriment of those who merely want to visit family.
Applications involving elderly dependent relatives other than parents will only be accepted in truly exceptional circumstances even where all financial and other conditions are met. In the ordinary course claims by such persons to come to Ireland are not sustainable and the more distant relationship with the sponsor further lessens any claim they might have to a positive decision.

Eligibility

Visa Required Nationals

INIS will not accept a Stamp 0 application from a visa required national who is present in the State on a C Visit Visa.

INIS will not accept applications from nationals present in the State on the Visa Waiver Programme or the British Irish Visa Scheme.

Non-Visa Required Nationals

If you are a non-visa required national who wishes to reside in Ireland on a Stamp 0 basis and you fulfil the criteria, you may apply from inside the State. When the Family Settlement Unit is established, Stamp 0 applications will be decided prior to entry to the State for non-visa required people as well as for visa required people. Until the pre-clearance system is introduced, the current position is that non-visa required nationals who believe they fulfil the criteria may make an application for Stamp 0 from inside the State while on visitor permission.

Excluded Categories

Unlawfully Present – Applications will not be accepted from individuals who are unlawfully present in the State, in the asylum/protection processes or are the subject of a Deportation Order or a Notification of Intention to Deport under section 3 of the 1999 Immigration Act.
Deportation Order – Any individual who is the subject of a Deportation Order and who wishes to make an application for revocation of the Deportation Order, pursuant to Section 3(11) of the Immigration Act, 1999, should send their application for revocation to the Repatriation Section at the address below.
Notification to Deport (15-day letter) – Any individual who has been issued with a Notification of Intention to Deport under Section 3 of the 1999 Immigration Act and who wishes to remain in the State must make submissions under Section 3 of the Act of 1999 to the address below.

Permission letter.

f your application is successful INIS will issue a letter of permission. This letter will indicate if the permission is renewable or not and will contain instructions on either leaving the State at the end of the permission or applying for an extension.

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