Working in Ireland from Brazil: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

If you live in Brazil and want to build a practical career in Ireland, you need to understand the exact legal path. Ireland offers strong labor protections and competitive earnings, but its immigration system is tightly regulated. It is essential to follow the right procedures from the start.

Before starting your preparations, here is an important reality check: Ireland is a tough target for general or low-skilled manual workers. Roles like basic warehouse packing, general cleaning, entry-level hospitality, or general farm labor are explicitly placed on Ireland's Ineligible List of Occupations. If you do not have specialized trade experience or professional certificates, getting a work permit in Ireland is almost impossible. In that case, a country like Portugal may offer a far more realistic legal route for Brazilian nationals. However, if you are a qualified trade worker, such as a certified welder, health care assistant, or experienced construction specialist, Ireland actively recruits foreign talent.

The legal work permit route for Brazilians in Ireland

To work legally in Ireland as a Brazilian passport holder, you cannot simply buy an airline ticket, travel on a tourist status, and look for work. You must complete a two-step process before you can start working.

First, you must secure a formal job offer from an Irish employer. The employer must apply for an Employment Permit on your behalf through the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE) in Ireland. For skilled and technical trades, the standard route is the General Employment Permit. In some highly technical cases, it may be the Critical Skills Employment Permit. The employer initiates this step in Ireland while you remain in Brazil.

Second, once DETE grants your Employment Permit, you must apply for your visa. Because Brazil is a non-EEA country whose citizens need an employment visa to reside long-term, you must submit an application for a Long Stay Employment Visa (Type D). You start this step online using the official AVATS portal. After completing the form, you submit your physical passport, application summary, and supporting documents to the Embassy of Ireland in Brasilia or an authorized visa application centre serving Brazil.

Required documents and legalisation in Brazil

Gathering your documents early in Brazil prevents costly delays or visa refusals. Every official Brazilian document submitted to Irish authorities must meet strict translation and legalisation standards.

• Valid Brazilian passport: Must be valid for at least 12 months beyond your intended arrival date in Ireland and contain blank pages.
• Signed employment contract: A binding job offer or formal employment contract signed by your Irish employer, detailing your working hours, duties, and pay.
• Approved Employment Permit: The official permit document issued directly by DETE in Ireland.
• Police clearance certificate: A clean criminal record certificate (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais) issued by the Polícia Federal in Brazil.
• Proof of qualifications and experience: Official trade certificates, diplomas, training logs, or formal letters from previous employers in Brazil proving your work history.
• Private health insurance: Proof of medical coverage valid for your initial period of residence in Ireland.

Important legalisation requirement: Brazil and Ireland are both party to the Hague Convention. Public documents issued in Brazil, such as your police clearance certificate, birth certificate, or official trade diplomas, must receive an Apostille (Apostila de Haia) from a licensed notary office (Cartório) in Brazil. Additionally, any document issued in Portuguese must be translated into English by an official sworn translator (tradutor juramentado).

Official fees and real costs in Brazil

Planning your move requires a realistic understanding of the actual costs. Never take out informal high-interest debt to cover your costs.

Official government fees set by Ireland:

• General Employment Permit fee: The official fee set by Ireland is approximately 1,000 euros for a permit lasting up to 12 months. In most standard arrangements, the employer pays this fee directly to DETE.
• Long Stay Visa fee: The Irish visa application fee is set by Ireland and is approximately 60 euros for a single-entry visa or approximately 100 euros for a multiple-entry visa.

Real costs you carry on the Brazil side (rough estimates):

• Hague Apostille (Apostila de Haia): Expect to pay approximately 60 BRL to 150 BRL (approximately 10 EUR to 25 EUR) per document at a Brazilian cartório.
• Sworn translations (Tradução Juramentada): Official English translations cost approximately 100 BRL to 250 BRL (approximately 15 EUR to 40 EUR) per page depending on your region.
• Police clearance certificate: Issued free of charge on the official Polícia Federal portal.
• Flight ticket: A one-way flight from Brazil (São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro) to Dublin typically costs approximately 3,500 BRL to 7,000 BRL (approximately 600 EUR to 1,200 EUR) depending on season and booking time.

Myths vs facts

There is a lot of bad information on social media regarding work opportunities in Ireland. Here are the facts every Brazilian worker must know.

• Myth: You can enter Ireland as a tourist and legally switch to a work permit inside the country.
  Fact: You cannot change a tourist entry stamp into an employment permit while inside Ireland. You must process your visa and entry authorization correctly.
• Myth: An English language student visa (Stamp 2) lets you work full-time in a trade job.
  Fact: A Stamp 2 student visa limits you to 20 hours of work per week during term time. It does not allow full-time qualified trade employment and does not lead directly to a full work permit.
• Myth: You can pay a recruitment agent in Brazil a processing fee to buy an Irish work visa.
  Fact: It is illegal for agencies to sell work visas or charge candidates money for a job position in Ireland.
• Myth: Any employer in Ireland can sponsor you for any job.
  Fact: The Irish government strictly blocks employment permits for jobs on the Ineligible List of Occupations, regardless of how much an employer wants to hire you.

Trades in demand in Ireland right now

Ireland faces target shortages in specific trade, health, and technical production sectors. Here are three roles currently eligible for foreign recruitment under specific permit schemes:

• Health Care Assistants: Irish residential care facilities actively recruit qualified caregivers from abroad under specific general employment permit allocations.
• Specialized Welders and Pipefitters: Large industrial construction projects and manufacturing plants in Ireland hire experienced welders with verified technical certifications.
• Meat Processing Operatives: Agri-food facilities recruit foreign workers under dedicated quota schemes for specialized meat deboning and industrial processing roles.

Before you sign

Protect yourself from fraud and fake job offers before you commit your time or money. Run through this safety checklist before signing anything:

• Verify the employer: Confirm that the company is a legally registered business in Ireland with an official Companies Registration Office (CRO) number.
• Check the occupation list: Ensure your exact job role is not listed on Ireland's Ineligible List of Occupations.
• No placement fees: Confirm that neither the employer nor any agency is charging you a fee for giving you the job.
• Review the contract terms: Make sure your written employment contract clearly states your title, weekly working hours, job location, and exact salary rate.
• Check permit processing: Confirm that the employer is submitting the application directly to DETE in Ireland.
• Keep your documents: Never hand over your original passport or personal certificates to any agent or recruiter.

Build your profile on Workuro

If you are a Brazilian worker with practical trade skills, start your path to working in Europe the right way. Create a detailed profile on Workuro listing your real trade experience, professional certificates, English skill level, and job availability. Employers in Europe search our register to find real workers directly for legitimate jobs. When an employer finds your profile, they can contact you directly to discuss job offers and legal permit sponsorship. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.