Processing Times

When will I get my answer?

It depends which of two systems has your file, and most people are checking the wrong one.

Work permits are decided by one department. Visas, residence and your IRP card are decided by another. They do not share a queue, a date, or a screen.

Find your situation below and you will know where your answer is coming from, and where to look for it.

Figures taken directly from the official sources and updated automatically.

An hourglass, an application progress board and Irish work permit and residence visa folders on a desk

Two systems

Which one is deciding your case?

Pick the one you are waiting for. Each opens a page showing the current processing dates for that side, and what those dates actually mean.

When will my work permit be decided?

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE)

New permits, renewals, reviews and appeals. Current dates for every permit type, updated automatically.

See work permit processing dates

When will my visa or IRP card be decided?

Immigration Service Delivery (ISD)

IRP renewals, visas, preclearance, first registration and Stamp 4. Where each one is tracked, and which have no date at all.

See visa and residence processing dates

Find yourself

Not sure? Pick what you are waiting for

Nine situations, and the honest answer for each. Some have no published date at all, and knowing that saves you hunting for a page that does not exist.

Tap a card to turn it over

I applied for a work permit Who has it → DETEA date is published Your permit type has its own date, updated on the department's page. Work permit page →

My IRP card is expiring Who has it → ISDA date is published Renewals run in submission order per stamp, updated every Monday. Visa and residence page →

My permit is approved, now I need the visa Who has it → Your local Irish embassyNo date anywhere A D visa is not handled by Dublin. Each embassy runs its own queue. Visa and residence page →

I have my visa application number Who has it → ISD, Dublin visa officeSearch your own number You do not need a processing date. Decisions are published every Tuesday. Visa and residence page →

I just arrived and need to register Who has it → ISDYou are not in a queue First registration is appointment based. You are waiting for a slot, not a decision. Visa and residence page →

I applied for Stamp 4 Who has it → ISDNo published date You are not missing a page. It is tracked only in the Customer Service Portal. Visa and residence page →

My application was refused and I am challenging it Who has it → DETE, if it was a permitA date is published The slowest queue by a distance. A review must be asked for within 28 days. Work permit page →

I am joining my family in Ireland Who has it → ISDA date is published Join Family sits in the Dublin visa office table, alongside preclearance. Visa and residence page →

Both my permit and my card are expiring Who has it → Both departmentsTwo applications They are not connected. Renewing one does not renew the other, and you need both. Read both pages →

The one thing worth remembering

These two departments do not share a queue and do not share a system. Checking one tells you nothing about the other, and you can be waiting on both at the same time for two completely different things.

Still not sure where you stand?

If you are waiting on more than one thing at once, or a date has passed and you cannot tell whether that is normal, that is worth a proper conversation rather than another hour of refreshing a page.

Work out where you stand

Information on this page is drawn from enterprise.gov.ie and irishimmigration.ie. Processing dates change regularly and the official pages are always the current source. Nothing on this page is legal advice.