What should you do after arriving in Ireland?

After arriving in Ireland for work, focus on four essentials: follow the conditions given at the border, register your immigration permission if required, arrange your PPS number and tax record, and check that your employment terms match your permit and contract.

These processes are connected, but they are not interchangeable. A PPS number does not give you permission to work, and an employment permit does not replace immigration registration.

Check your entry permission

At border control, the immigration officer decides whether to admit you and may place a landing stamp in your passport. Check the date and any conditions before leaving the airport.

Keep copies of the documents you travelled with, including:

• your passport and visa, if one was required;
• your employment permit;
• your employment contract or employer letter; and
• evidence of your Irish address when you have it.

If a detail is wrong or you do not understand a condition, contact Immigration Service Delivery rather than relying on informal advice.

Register your immigration permission

If you are from outside the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland and intend to live in Ireland for more than 90 days, you generally must register your permission with Immigration Service Delivery within 90 days of arrival.

First-time registration for residents across the Republic of Ireland is handled by ISD. You need an appointment, and ISD says there is no fee to book one. A registration fee may apply depending on your permission.

Check the current document list before attending. Employment-permit holders will normally need evidence of the permission on which their registration is based. After registration, ISD issues an Irish Residence Permit card showing the conditions under which you live in Ireland.

Do not confuse the Irish Residence Permit with the employment permit. The employment permit concerns the job. The residence permission concerns your stay in Ireland.

Apply for a PPS number if you do not have one

A Personal Public Service number, usually called a PPS number or PPSN, is a unique reference number used for access to public services and tax administration.

Apply through the Department of Social Protection and follow its current identity, address and reason-for-application requirements. Your employer may provide a letter confirming your employment if needed.

Having a PPS number does not itself give you the right to work. Your right to work comes from your citizenship, immigration permission, employment permit or another applicable permission.

Register your first job with Revenue

If this is your first job in Ireland, Revenue says you should notify it as soon as possible. Otherwise, your pay may be taxed on the emergency basis.

Register for Revenue myAccount, then use the PAYE service to add your job. You will need the employer's Tax Registration Number. Once the job is registered, Revenue makes a Revenue Payroll Notification available to the employer so it can calculate the appropriate Income Tax and Universal Social Charge deductions.

Revenue says subsequent jobs are generally registered by the employer. Check your myAccount record when changing jobs so you can identify missing or duplicate employments.

Check what your employer gives you

Your actual job should match the employment permit and contract, particularly the employer, occupation, location, pay and hours.

The Workplace Relations Commission says an employer must provide core written terms within five days of the employee starting. These include the employer and employee names, workplace, job description, start date, pay and expected hours. A fuller written statement of terms must be provided within one month.

Keep copies of:

• the signed contract and written terms;
• payslips;
• work schedules or time records;
• tax records; and
• important messages about changes to your role.

If the employer asks you to perform a substantially different role, work for another entity or accept lower pay than the permit states, do not assume that the change is allowed. Check with DETE and get appropriate advice.

Know your basic employment rights

Employment-permit holders have employment rights in Ireland. The WRC identifies basic rights including written terms, minimum wage protection, rest breaks, paid annual leave, public holiday benefit, lawful payment and a payslip.

The WRC also states that a person cannot work while waiting for an employment-permit application to be processed. If your permission is not yet in place, pressure from an employer does not make early work lawful.

Track your expiry dates

Record the expiry dates of your passport, employment permit and immigration permission. They may not all expire on the same day.

Begin checking renewal requirements well in advance. Do not assume that the employer will manage every part of the process or that an application automatically extends every related document.

If your job ends, your duties change materially or you want to move employer, check the rules before taking action. Can you change employer on an Irish employment permit? explains the main change-of-employer route.

Common misunderstandings

"My PPS number proves I can work"

No. A PPS number is an administrative reference. It does not create immigration or employment permission.

"My employment permit means I do not need to register"

Not usually if you are a non-EU, non-EEA, non-UK or non-Swiss national staying for more than 90 days. Registration is a separate immigration step.

"Emergency Tax means my employer has done something illegal"

Not necessarily. It can apply when Revenue does not yet have the information needed to issue the correct payroll instruction. Register your first job promptly and check your Revenue record.

"My signed offer is the only written document I need"

No. Your employer must provide the written terms required by Irish employment law, and you should retain payslips and records throughout the job.

This guide provides general information, not legal advice. Immigration, tax and employment procedures can change, so check the official sources for the current requirements.