VisaIreland employment-permit portal outage: drafts and renewals receive deadline flexibility
The department expects the portal to reopen on 3 November, while internal processing continues and separate residence-permission obligations remain relevant.
Official source date: 2026-10-29
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Distinguish the closed portal from continuing permit assessment
Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment announced on 29 October 2026 that its Employment Permits Portal had been taken offline after suspicious unauthorised activity and identification of a security vulnerability. It expects reopening on Tuesday 3 November, subject to implementing and independently verifying security measures. That date is an expectation rather than a guaranteed restoration time.
The incident notice says internal permit processing continues and customers will still receive decision updates. Saved drafts, applications awaiting payment and other system information will remain available when service resumes, including applications exceeding the normal twenty-eight-day submission period during the outage. Appropriate flexibility will also apply to affected renewals and Labour Market Needs Test advertising requirements. Keep the relevant dates and application references available; the notice does not prescribe one universal replacement deadline for every interrupted file.
Prepare the joint application without creating a replacement filing route
The department’s Employment Permits Online launch guidance explains the normal structure of the service. Employers, employees and agents have separate accounts; a permit application is completed jointly, with each party providing its relevant information and the parties signing electronically. The outage therefore affects more than a single employee’s ability to log in: an employer or appointed agent may also have unfinished steps.
Use that guidance to identify which party still needs to complete which part of the file. It describes Revenue and company-registration information needed for employer accounts and additional validation for core changes. It also states that the former separate Trusted Partner Initiative does not exist in the new portal. Do not rely on an old checklist suggesting that buying access to a trusted-partner service can bypass the current platform. Prepare the records and coordinate the employer’s contribution while waiting for official restoration instructions.
Retain the correct permit category and fee budget
The General Employment Permit page remains the official resource for that category’s ordinary filing requirements and charges. It calls for applications at least twelve weeks before the proposed employment start date and links to the category checklist. That lead-time requirement should inform recruitment planning; it is not a promise that an application submitted during disruption will be decided within twelve weeks.
The page lists EUR 500 for a new permit of six months or less and EUR 1,000 for a new permit covering the longer period up to twenty-four months. Renewals have separate charges, listed at EUR 750 for six months or less and EUR 1,500 for the longer period up to thirty-six months. Check applicable waivers and the exact duration through the official fee guidance. The outage notice does not announce a general fee waiver. Nor should an applicant pay an unsolicited alternative channel merely because the normal portal is unavailable.
Keep residence permission separate from employment permission
Immigration Service Delivery’s immigration-stamps page explains the conditions attached to Stamp 1. A holder must have the relevant employment permit or a specific permission letter allowing work without one. The stamp does not authorise starting any job simply because an application has been drafted or an employer expects approval.
The same resource tells holders who wish to remain beyond their immigration permission to renew the permission and registration before expiry. This is a different process from the department’s employment-permit application. The portal incident’s flexibility should not be assumed to extend every residence document automatically. Someone with an imminent immigration-permission expiry should check the relevant ISD process and obtain a case-specific answer rather than treating an employment-permit draft as proof of an extended lawful stay.
Use the official checklist and verified contact for the next action
ISD’s work FAQs explain that a visa-required person generally needs the employment permit or relevant immigration permission before applying for an employment visa. The application is made from the country of ordinary residence, and a stay exceeding ninety days also requires registration. These stages remain distinct even while the employment portal is interrupted. Collect the permit decision and other required records before assuming that a visa appointment can replace the outstanding employment process.
For urgent permit issues, the incident notice identifies [email protected]. Check that official notice for restoration updates and verify unexpected document or payment requests through established contacts before responding.
