... stay for a year if immigration allows us. We applied as "persons of independent means" from the US, and the paperwork to package WAs considerable. At this Point, we still don't know if we will be allowed to live more than 3 months. I'll update as we learn. My general advice to anyone WAnting to move to Ireland is to make friends there. Our friends have made this all possible. Find your community and become and active, generous part of it.

Hi Liam, I'll give you a few quick responses, and Point you to resources as appropriate. Broadband - check out the coverage map here Healthcare - private is definitely a better option if you can do so. The public health system isn't quite at the level of that in the UK. Passports - can your wife apply for an Irish one? Who knows how things are going to pan out post-Brexit. Driving license - if you move before Brexit, I'd recommend 'trading in' your license. It'll make life easier in the long run, and again, who knows how the rules will change in the coming years. Cars - you'll find them more expensive in Ireland. Weigh up the cost of bringing it over (registration, testing etc) vs selling and re-buying. Buying a house - pitfalls? Haha, you bet! Read more here Banking - might be easier to switch to an Irish account. I don't know of any HSBC locations in Ireland. If there are, then that might work out too. Overall, depending on your current setup, you might be in for a little bit of shock in rural Ireland. It's not going to have the same level of service (buses etc) as what you might be used to. However, I think the move won't be a huge culture shock or anything, especially if you've been making regular trips back over the years. I hope this helps 🙂 Liam

Hi Yvonne, At the Point that you WAnt to stay in Ireland for longer than the allowed 90 days as a visitor, that's when you will WAnt to apply for a Stamp 4. In my opinion, you should do it sooner rather than later into that 90 days. Obviously you will need to have the evidence required, address etc, but the sooner you take care of it, the better. The length of validity may be different from case to case, but in some cases, readers here have said theirs WAs good for up to one year. See here I hope this helps. Best of luck, and feel free to ask other questi ...

@fionaz and anyone else having difficulty with this. I played around with Daft.ie today searching for rentals that will allow pets. If you go to their 'advanced search' option, you can choose that as one of your criteria in the search. As an example a search in Dublin city, with no other options set, returned 65 results. Of course, other factors will limit your selection e.g. price, location etc, but at least it's a starting Point.

@dorzak, I think the lack of formatting (headers etc) on that page leads to the confusion. Right below the section you quoted the following appears: Entry into Ireland from outside of the EU Dublin Airport is the only entry Point permissible for pets entering Ireland from non-EU countries. These animals must travel as manifested freight (cargo) on an approved airline or with an approved cargo company.

Hey Kelsey, I thought about what you said a little more, and WAnted to follow up to be sure of something.... Where did you originally hear that the MRF is good for 6 months? Do you think that it is possible that is still the case? Providing accurate documentation or info isn't the strong Point of many Irish gov't agencies, so I'm just hoping you're not assuming it's validity is indefinite just because there's no expiration date on whatever you received.

... for the purpose of immigration has been illegal for one year, and illegal for many years in America." We said, okay! Haha. Then I WAs brought in first to be interviewed. Here are the questions that I WAs asked (that I can remember, anyway. I WAs SOOOOO nervous. I am going to refer to my SO as "John"): - How long have you known John? - When did you meet? - Where did you meet? (they asked me to be specific, as in the name of the pub. ha!!!) - How many times have you been to Ireland, including your first visit? - Why were you in Ireland on your first visit? ...

... I assume we won’t be issued an MRF straight away, if so there would be no Point in having the meeting as this MRF would expire within the 6 months. So will they issue it to us at a later date closer to our marriage date or should I postpone this meeting? - This is tricky. I don't actually know the concrete answer to this. Here's my situation: We have the "notice" in person on July 4. We had this "interview" on Monday that made sure we were "legitimate" on Sept 12. We have to WAit two weeks to get "approved," and then we pick a date. She just said if we did ...

... I can't WAit to be interviewed, I could declare my love for her all day. We have known each other for years but our relationship is comparatively short. We will be having a civil ceremony in the registry office and having a wedding at a different date and so my questions are: 1.) Our first notification to marry meeting is in November and we plan to marry in August. I assume we won't be issued an MRF straight away, if so there would be no Point in having the meeting as this MRF would expire within the 6 months. So will they issue it to us at a later date cl ...

... a permanent status? Also, why would anyone buy a home in Ireland not knowing how long they will be able to live there? Maybe the Ministry does not WAnt foreigners buying property for fear of a housing bubble. But how much of an impact could a few hundred or a even few thousand retirees have on the Irish housing market?> Let's ask a few Irish estate agents what they think.