IRELAND IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAMME(IIP)
An immigration programme tailored-made for investors who wish to contribute to projects bringing public benefits to Irish society
ELIGIBILITY FOR IRELAND IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM
Investment
Upon approval by INIS, the applicant has 90 days to invest in one of the four eligible investment options: endowment, enterprise investment, investment fund, or REIT investment.
Minimum net worth
The applicants must establish that they, not another individual, solely own their minimum net worth of € 2 million. Co-owned property with spouses, gifts, and inheritance can also contribute to the minimum threshold.
Admissibility
The applicants must establish good character and have never been convicted of a criminal offense in any jurisdiction. This evidence must be provided at the submission of the IIP application.
IRELAND Fact Sheets
Capital: Dublin
Major cities: Cork, Limerick, Galway
Population: Close to 5 million (2021)
GDP: $413 billion (2021)
Average Income: €45,000
KEY BENEFITS OF IRELAND IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM
Settlement in Ireland
Upon issuing the Stamp 4 visa, the principal applicants, their spouse, and children up to 24 years old can settle in Ireland to live, work and study.
Low Physical Presence
For the first five years of Stamp 4, the visa holders can maintain their status by visiting the country one day per year and by abiding o the other visa conditions.
Access to Citizenship
Stamp 4 holders can apply for Irish citizenship after a minimum of five years if they fulfill the conditions of their citizenship and establish themselves in Ireland.
INVESTMENT OPTIONS IN IRELAND
- Endowment: A minimum €500,000 (or €400,000 where five or more applications are received) philanthropic donation to a public project.
- Enterprise Investment: minimum of €1 million invested in an Irish enterprise for at least three years
- Investment Fund: minimum of €1 million invested in an approved fund for at least three years
- Real Estate Investment Trusts: minimum investment of €2 million in any Irish REIT that is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange for at least three years
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
To qualify for the Irish Immigrant Investor Programme, the investor must:
- Be a person of good character of at least 18 years old
- Not have been convicted of a criminal offense in any jurisdiction
- Have a minimum net worth of € 2 million
- Invest in one of the four eligible investment options after approval by the Immigrant Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).
The Ireland Immigrant Investor Programme allows the approved investor to choose among four investment options:
- Endowment: a minimum of € 500,000 (or € 400,000 where five or more applicants are received in one project) philanthropic donation to a project of public benefit to the arts, sports, health, culture, or education in Ireland
- Investment Fund: a minimum of €1 million invested in an approved investment fund, approved and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, for at least three years.
- Enterprise Investment: a minimum of € 1 million invested in an Irish enterprise for at least three years
- REIT Investment: a minimum of € 2 million in any Irish real estate investment trust listed on the Irish Stock Exchange for at least three years.
The investor must invest in one of the four options only after receiving a pre-approval of the Investment Immigration Application by INIS.
After an initial period of 2 years, the investor must apply for the renewal of Stamp 4. The visa will be renewed if:
- The designated investment remains in place for the specified period.
- The investor has not become a financial burden for the Irish State.
- The investor has not been convicted of a criminal offense in any jurisdiction.
- The investor has visited Ireland at least one (1) day per year.
At Year 5, the investor must apply for the 2nd renewal of Stamp 4. The visa will be renewed according to the conditions mentioned above. After five years of Stamp 4, the investor no longer needs to visit Ireland one (1) day per year to maintain his status.
Eterna International is helping immigration consultants with their clients' Ireland Immigrant Investor applications by providing comprehensive services, from investment and immigration to capital refund advisory.
No. The IIP is intended to encourage investors from outside the EEA to avail themselves of opportunities to invest in Ireland and acquire residency status in Ireland.
The INIS accepts projects that can establish a clear benefit to the Irish public. In the past, investment projects such as social and affordable housing, primary care centers, renewable energy project, and nursing homes were among the projects introduced to the IIP investors.
Yes, the investor must prove they own and have legally acquired a minimum net worth of € 2 million.
Yes, Stamp 4 visa holders may apply for Irish citizenship after five years of physically residing in Ireland (among other conditions).
The investor must:
- Have one year of continuous reckonable residence in Ireland immediately before the date of the citizenship application, and
- During the eight years before that, have had a total reckonable residence in Ireland of four years.
Without further explanation, the investor can be out of Ireland for up to six weeks per year and still be considered a resident that year. If the investor leaves the country for more than six weeks in one year, this period should not be counted when calculating the reckonable residence period. The application should explain if the investor had to leave Ireland for longer than six weeks because of an emergency.
(Altogether, the investor must have five years (5 x 365 days*) reckonable residence out of the last nine years. * One day must be added for any leap year.)