Register to join your EU/EEA or Swiss family member
- Published on: 7 December 2020
- Last updated on: 11 April 2025
To stay with your EU/EEA or Swiss family member in Ireland for longer than 90 days, you can apply for a 'Residence Card of a Family Member of a Union Citizen' (also referred to an EU Treaty Rights application).
Immigration permission
Apply for a Residence Card of a Family Member of a Union Citizen
A Residence Card of a Family Member of a Union Citizen allows you to join your EU/EEA or Swiss family member if they live in Ireland.
To obtain a card, your family member must use their EU Treaty Rights to sponsor an application by you. Applications may take 12 months to process.
Types of card
Residence card for a qualifying family member of a Union citizen
Apply for this card if you are the spouse, child, grandchild, dependent parent or dependent grandparent of an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen in Ireland.
Residence card for a permitted family member of a Union citizen
Apply for this card if you are the long term (de facto) partner of an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen in Ireland, or some other family member as defined in the application conditions.
A 'de facto' relationship means you and your partner are committed to a shared life together, ie as if you were married.
Note: You cannot use a 'Residence Card of a Family Member of a Union Citizen' issued by any other country to authorise a long term stay here. Your card must be issued by Ireland.
Temporary immigration permission and registration
After you make an application, you will be sent a letter that gives you temporary permission to stay in Ireland until a decision about your case is ready.
The letter will contain detailed information about what to do next. This includes how to register with immigration.
Read a summary of the registration process.
If you have applied for but not yet received a response or a letter, contact the EU Treaty Rights Applications Unit for an update.
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