Services

Immigrant Investment Programme

Ireland’s Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) offers high-net-worth investor and their families a simple, proven route to residency in one of Europe’s safest and most stable countries. Established in 2012, the IIP encourages foreign investments into Ireland with a view to facilitating job creation across all industries while developing the Irish economy.

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and an evaluation committee are responsible for deciding which investments are eligible for the IIP, granting applicants with an Ireland Investment Visa – often referred to as an Ireland Golden Visa because of the many ‘golden’ benefits that it offers.

 

Investment Options

In order for an investor to be considered for the IIP, the applicant must choose one of the current qualifying investments outlined below:

1. Enterprise Investment

A minimum personal investment of €1 million into a new or existing Irish business (or businesses) for a minimum of 3 years. This can include a new business created by the investor or an existing Irish business, however, in both cases, the company headquarters must be in Ireland. The investment may be made in either a single Irish enterprise or spread over a number of Irish enterprises.

2. Investment Fund

A minimum investment of €1 million in an approved investment fund for a minimum of 3 years. The fund must be invested in an Irish registered company and the fund must be regulated and approved by the Central Bank of Ireland. This option may be attractive to an investor who is not familiar with Irish investments or enterprise, as they can use the expertise of an investment manager as part of a wider fund.

3. Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)

A minimum investment of €2 million for a period of at least 3 years in any Irish REIT, which is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and the investment may be spread over a number of Irish REITs.

4. Endowment

A minimum of €500,000 invested benevolently in an Irish public project benefiting the arts, sports, health, culture or education. This endowment may be €400,000 per investor if it is pooled by at least 5 individuals. This option may be considered attractive as once the endowment is made, no further financial obligation is required under the IIP.

Who is eligible to apply for an Ireland investment visa?

You will qualify to apply for a visa under the IIP if you can satisfy the following criteria:

  • You are a non-EU/EEA national;
  • You are at least 18 years old;
  • You have a minimum net worth of €2 million, which you have legally acquired;
  • You are able to invest at least €500,000;
  • You can prove the funds are yours and not that of another person (e.g. family member);
  • You must be able to prove how you acquired the funds intended for the investment;
  • You must be able to transfer the funds for the investment to Ireland;
  • You must be able to provide a statement of character from the authorities of every country you have lived in for longer than six months over the last 10 years;
  • You must be in possession of a clean criminal record;
  • You must be willing to spend a minimum of one day per year in Ireland

The family members that can be included on your Investor Visa are:

  • Your spouse/partner;
  • Any children under 18 years old
  • In some cases, children aged between 18 and 24 can be included if they are unmarried and are financially dependent on you, for example, they are attending university

 

Residency and Citizenship

The main applicant (the investor), can include their spouse and dependent children under the age of 18 on their IIP application such that they will all receive Irish residency if the application is approved. Investors and their nominated family members are not required to permanently reside in Ireland. They are only required to visit Ireland at least once per calendar year. However, for investors who wish to access an EU country passport, the IIP facilitates Irish citizenship applications (subject to standard residency requirements).
Successful applicants can expect to receive residence permission for 5 years. Initial permission will be granted for 2 years and thereafter for a period of 3 years (subject to the investor continuing to meet the conditions of the programme).

For investors who wish to reside in Ireland during the course of their investment, the IIP complements the path to citizenship. Successful applicants may apply for citizenship pursuant to Irish Nationality and Citizenship legislation, requiring applicants for Irish naturalisation to be physically resident in Ireland for 12 months prior to such application and overall to be physically resident for 5 of the preceding 9 years.

The IIP Process

Once you have decided on an investment option, there is a six step process:

Step 1 An application is made to the ISD without making any investment.

Step 2 Approval is then obtained for the application from the Evaluation Committee of the ISD.

Step 3 An approval letter issues to the applicant and the investment is then made within 90 days.

Step 4 The investor submits evidence of the investment to the Minister.

Step 5 The Minister issues an approval letter to the investor to be used to register their residency permission.

Step 6 The IIP resident can then build up their residency requirements in order to qualify for an Irish passport.

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