Eight Attractions of Ireland's Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP)

The Irish Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) is often overlooked in favour of lower-cost EU residency programmes. But for those that have the budget, Ireland offers some highly favourable advantages over its EU neighbours and is worth considering, particularly for those who are planning on fully relocating to the EU.

The IIP grants residency in Ireland to those investing a minimum of €1,000,000 into an approved investment fund, plus fees. The investment must be held for a minimum of five years, after which the applicant can withdraw and recoup their funds. Investors must also demonstrate a net worth of €2,000,000 and hold a clean criminal record.

Below are eight key benefits of the programme.

Residency

On approval of the IIP application, investors will gain an Irish residency permit which will enable them to live, work and study in Ireland. Should investors only wish to hold a residency permit in Ireland, and do not wish to later apply for citizenship, the minimum stay requirement is just one day per year. This is one of the lowest stay requirements amongst the EU countries offering similar programmes.

Citizenship

Following five years of full-time residency, investors will have the opportunity to apply for Irish citizenship and an Irish EU passport. Once this has been granted, the holder will gain the ability to reside, work or study in any of the other EU countries with no additional visa required.

United Kingdom Access

Ireland and the UK hold a Common Travel Area agreement which enables citizens of both countries the right to work, study and travel freely between the two nations, as well as access social welfare and health benefits and the right to vote in certain elections. This unique agreement is highly attractive to those who want to enjoy both EU Citizenship and access the UK; and Ireland is the only EU country to hold such agreement. In light of Brexit, the agreement was renewed in 2019 and will continue following the UK’s recent exit from the EU. Once IIP investors have gained their Irish Citizenship (after 5 years), they will be able to freely access the UK, including work and study rights with no need for an additional visa.

Older Children Accepted

Applicants can include dependent children up to the age of 24 years old. This is older than the typical age limit in other EU countries such as Portugal and Greece.

Education

If investors choose to send their children to University in Ireland, they will receive a €50,000 discount incentive from their IIP investment. Ireland is home to two of the top universities in Europe, namely Trinity College and University College Dublin. Should investors later gain Irish citizenship, they will also then have the option to educate their children in the UK too.

High Ranking Passport

Ireland’s passport is one of the highest-ranking in the world and comes with visa-free access to 199 countries and territories which equates to 80.8% of the worlds GDP. Read more on Ireland’s passport value here.

English Speaking Country

Whilst English is widely spoken in many EU countries, Ireland is the only EU country where English is the official first language.

Industry 

Ireland ranks amongst the top ten wealthiest countries in the world, in terms of GDP per capita, and several of the worlds high-performance companies hold offices in Dublin including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple, Intel, Citi, Fujitsu and more.

For more details on this programme, please contact one of our expert advisors today.