Linda S. Says:
We’re two California seniors who would like to retire in Ireland. We already know most of the requirements, but we have one question we just can’t seem to find the answer to.
The question is: Assuming we’re granted residency and fulfill the first year requirement of 183 days in the country, are we then able to travel the remainder of the year to the rest of Europe? If so, can we stay in Europe using our US passports and for how long?
We would also welcome a referral to an immigration firm in Ireland.
IL Lifestyle Editor Sean Keenan Says:
Hi Linda,
Congratulations on your decision to move to Ireland. As an Irishman myself, let me be the first to say, “céad míle fáilte” to the Emerald Isle.
To your question, you’re in luck because of one fact a lot of people don’t know about Ireland: While it is a member of the EU, this green little country is not, in fact, a member of Europe’s Schengen Zone.
The Schengen Zone is a European area with a uniform visa policy, which has abolished passport controls and most other border controls within it. This means that, upon arrival in the Schengen Zone, you only need to go through passport control once—and can then travel freely between any countries that are within the zone.
So, how is Ireland not being in the Schengen Zone a good thing for you?
This is down to Europe’s 90-day tourist visa.
Non-Europeans can visit countries within the Schengen Zone as tourists for only limited amounts of time. For citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries, that limit is 90 days out of every 180 days. That 90-day limit holds for the entire Schengen Zone. So, let’s say you want to visit France and Italy, both of which belong to the Schengen Zone. You can spend up to 90 days either in France or in Italy… or you can divide your 90 days between the two. But you don’t get 90 days in each.
But, because Ireland is outside the Schengen Zone, once you’ve spent your 183 days there you can simply hop across the Channel to any mainland European country that’s inside the zone and begin your 90-day visit as a tourist.
During those 90 days, you’re free to move around however you like within the 27 countries that make up the Schengen Zone. When your time is up, you must spend another 90 days in a country outside the zone before you can return.
You could choose to use that time to visit home for the Holidays, perhaps.
Or you could simply stay in Ireland.
Remember, the tourist visa limit is 90 days out of every 180. And your 183 days of residency in Ireland does not need to be consecutive, as far as I’m aware.
That means you could spend 90 days in Ireland, hop over to the Schengen Zone for 90, return to Ireland for 95 days, then back to the mainland for the remaining 90. And just like that, you’ve spent a full year in Europe while fulfilling your residency requirements for Ireland.
While we do not have any contacts with immigration firms in Ireland that we can share, you may find the following contacts useful:
- Department of Foreign Affairs, 80 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 408-2000; website: www.dfa.ie
- Department of Justice and Equality, 94 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2; tel. 1890 221-227; e-mail: info@justice.ie; website: www.justice.ie
- Garda National Immigration Bureau, Immigration and Registration Office, 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2; tel. +353 (1) 666-9100/1; e-mail: gnib_dv@garda.ie; website: www.garda.ie
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