High Net Worth Immigration Blog

Ireland Offers the Best Golden Visa Program - Here’s Why

Written by Vicky Katsarova | Jun 29, 2021

Ireland’s Golden Visa Program is highly sought after by investors worldwide. It is an accessible program with reasonable requirements, a secure investment, and many benefits. Further, there are a myriad of advantages to securing residency and citizenship in Ireland. Intrigued? We’ve highlighted a snapshot of the key benefits below:


Benefits of the Ireland Golden Visa Program

  • Minimal residency requirement – 1 day per calendar year 
  • No requirement to learn English 
  • Full Stamp 4 visa provided for 5 years and renewed every 5 years, even after the investment period is closed and the investor's money is returned
  • Secure investment – refunded in full after 5 years
  • Discount for Education Expenses 
  • Can lead to securing full Irish citizenship if the applicant fulfills all of the necessary requirements 

Top 5 Benefits of Residency and Citizenship in Ireland 

  1. Part of the European Union, the Irish economy is the fastest growing in the Eurozone and is the 6th most competitive economy in the world
  2. Ireland has been named the best country in the world for attracting high-value foreign direct investment for six years in a row
  3. Only English-speaking country in the Eurozone – and, following Brexit, the only English-speaking country in Europe
  4. Ireland is part of the EU, yet has a Common Travel Area agreement with the UK, meaning that Irish passport holders can travel, work, and study in the UK, giving them the best of both worlds. 
  5. Ireland’s education system is amongst the top 10 globally

Lifestyle Benefits

  • Excellent health care 
  • The youngest population in Europe with one third under 25 years of age and almost half the population under the age of 34
  • Irish passport is one of the most powerful in the world with visa-free access to 172 countries

Business Benefits

  • Ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the best countries for businesses of all sizes
  • Considered one of the top 10 most innovative countries 
  • Economy driven by a variety of sectors, including financial services, the alcoholic beverage industry, aircraft leasing, engineering, Information and communications technology (ICT) 
  •  Home to many of the world’s leading high-performance companies including  Intel, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pfizer, Citi, Huawei, Takeda, Fujitsu, Novartis, Trend Micro 
  • Corporate tax rate is 12.5%
  • Tax treaties with 73 countries
  • Well-educated and adaptable workforce

Financial Benefits

  • One of the top countries in the world for GDP growth 
  • First in the world for investment incentives 
  • Maximum protection of investor funds for the Golden Visa by following a conservative, low-risk loan investment policy.

Discount for Education Expenses 

Investors who plan to educate themselves or their family members in Irish higher education institutions can take advantage of a discount on their investment. The following conditions apply:  

  • Investors can discount their approved investment with eligible education expenses that they commit to incur within the first five years after their permission has been granted
  • The education expenses must be for an Irish University or Institute of Technology
  • The expenses must be for the investor and/or their family member who has been accepted on an academic programme in one of the above educational institutions
  •  The expenses must be indicated as part of the application process
  • The maximum discount is €50,000.

Next Steps

There’s no question that residency and citizenship in Ireland can open up a world of benefits for investors when it comes to lifestyle, business, and financial security. 

To learn more about the Ireland Golden Visa Program and apply, please contact us today.