Application Methods and Procedure of Ireland


The Ireland Immigrant Investor Programme(IIP)


There are four investment options for non-EEA nationals who wish to acquire permission to reside in Ireland through the Immigrant Investor Programme. 


1.Enterprise Investment 

  • A minimum investment of €1.0 million in an Irish enterprise for a minimum of 3 years;

  • The enterprise may be a start-up established by the investor or an existing business registered in Ireland. The enterprise must be registered and headquartered in Ireland and the investment must support the creation or maintenance of employment;

  • The investment may be in either a single Irish enterprise or spread over a number of Irish enterprises;

  • The investment must be made in the name of the individual seeking residence under the Programme; 

  • A purely speculative investment aimed at increasing profits through reduction in staff or moving jobs offshore would not be acceptable for the purposes of the Programme;

  • An investment by a corporation, even where owned 100% by the applicant will not be acceptable. An investment which comprises the purchase of publicly traded securities will not be considered as an eligible investment under the enterprise option; 

  • An investment in commercial property for the purposes of leasing or renting that property to tenants will not be considered as an eligible investment under the enterprise option. 


Categories eligible for consideration include investments in social housing and primary care centres. 


2.Investment Fund 

  • A minimum investment of €1.0 million in an approved Investment Fund for a minimum of 3 years; 

  • The monies invested by the fund on behalf of IIP applicants must be invested in a manner consistent with the programme objectives (in other words relating to investments that would, if made by an individual applicant on their own behalf, be likely to qualify under the programme). All funds must be invested in Ireland and must represent equity stakes in Irish registered companies that are not quoted on any stock exchange; 

  • The funds and fund managers must be regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland to conduct business in Ireland; 

  • Only fund managers with an established record of managing regulated funds will be accepted to manage funds in Ireland; 



3. Real Estate Investment Fund (REIT) 

  • A minimum investment of €2 million in any Irish REIT that is listed on the Irish Stock Exchange. The €2 million investment may be spread across a number of different Irish REITs;

  • The full REIT investment that has been approved for the Immigrant Investor Programme must be held for three years from the date of purchase. During this three year period the number of shares in the REIT approved for qualification under the IIP must be retained by the investor even if their value rises above the €2m original investment;

  • After three years from the date of purchase, the investor may divest no more than 50% of the shares purchased for the IIP. Where an investor has divested shares during year three, the investor may, after four years from the date of purchase, divest no more than a further 25% of the shares purchased for the IIP. After five years from the date of purchase, no requirements on the retention of shares will apply to investors;

  • Only REITs that have a listing or have applied for a listing on the Irish Stock Exchange and which have given notice to the Revenue Commissioners under Section 705E of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 are eligible for the REIT investment option under the Immigrant Investor Programme; 

  • The investor must declare an intention to invest in a REIT as part of the application process;

  • The Evaluation Committee will make a recommendation to the Minister as to whether or not the person should be accepted under the programme prior to the investment.


 4.  Endowments 

  • A minimum endowment of €500,000 in a project of public benefit in the arts, sports, health, cultural or educational field;

  • The endowment should be regarded as a philanthropic contribution with a clear public benefit. Investors will receive no financial return or recoupment of the principal; 

  • The endowment must not displace or supplement current or capital expenditure as voted by the Oireachtas (the Irish parliament). It is important that the endowment is visible to the public and beneficial to the wider community; 

  • Where a group of five or more investors wish to combine their philanthropic endowments to contribute to an appropriate project, a minimum investment of €400,000 per investor will qualify under the Programme. 



There are four steps to the IIP process– 


1. Make an application, without committing any investment funding, on the basis of one of the above investment options. 

2. Application approved by the Evaluation Committee. 

3. Make the investment in accordance with your approved application. 

4. Provide evidence that you have made the investment. 


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