Chapter 6 of 10 · Buying in a particular situation · 12 of 14
Getting a mortgage in Ireland on Stamp 1 or Stamp 4
Checked 21 Oct 2026the Central Bank's mortgage measures, Revenue's rules and the scheme operators' published terms.
Mortgages for non-EU residents in Ireland: what lenders ask of Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 holders, permit length, residence history and deposits.
Check before you hire: a mortgage advisor should be on the register kept by the Central Bank of Ireland. Central Bank register
Written in plain English for the person buying, selling or switching. This guide covers the Republic of Ireland only.
Your immigration stamp is not a bar to a mortgage. It is one of the things a lender weighs, beside your income, your deposit and how long you have been here. This guide explains what Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 mean to a lender, what each is asked for, and where the Irish schemes fit.
What Stamp 1 and Stamp 4 are, in one line each
A stamp is the permission a non-EU citizen has to live in Ireland, shown in their Irish Residence Permit.
- Stamp 1 means you can work for a named employer under an employment permit. It is tied to the permit and renewed with it.
- Stamp 4 means you can live and work in Ireland without an employment permit. It is given, for example, after years on a work permit, to the spouse of an Irish citizen, or to someone with refugee status. It leads towards long-term residence and citizenship.
StampWise explains each stamp, how you move from one to the next, and how to renew. This guide covers only what the stamps mean for a mortgage.
The rules are the same for everyone
The Central Bank's mortgage measures apply to every home loan from an Irish lender. They do not mention citizenship or stamps.
- A first-time buyer: up to 4 times gross income (pay before tax) and 90% of the price.
- Someone who has owned a home before, in any country: 3.5 times and 90%.
- A home you will not live in: a buy-to-let, 70% of the price and no income multiple.
Read the Central Bank rules. Owning a home in your home country counts as having owned before. Read who counts as a first-time buyer.
What differs by stamp is the lender's own policy on top of the rules. Lenders ask: will this person still be living and earning in Ireland in five, ten and twenty years?
Stamp 4: close to a resident
Most lenders treat a Stamp 4 holder like any other resident. You can change jobs freely, your residence is long-term, and the path to citizenship is open. The lender's checklist is the standard one: income, deposit, credit history and bank statements.
A few lenders still ask for the Irish Residence Permit and want it to have time left on it at the date of the loan offer. Renewing before you apply avoids a question.
Stamp 1: the questions lenders ask
Stamp 1 is tied to an employment permit, and a permit is tied to an employer and a term. A lender sees a loan of 25 to 35 years against a permission measured in years. So it asks more.
| What the lender asks | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| How long is left on your permit? | A permit with time left is a sign you are staying |
| How long have you been in Ireland? | 12 months or more is a common ask; longer is stronger |
| How long with your employer, and are you past probation? | The permit and the income both depend on the job |
| Is the employer established? | A large or long-standing employer eases the lender's worry |
| Are you on a path to Stamp 4? | Years on a permit lead to Stamp 4; the lender may ask where you are on that path |
| Is your partner on Stamp 4, or an EU or Irish citizen? | A joint application with a settled partner changes the picture |
Some lenders lend to Stamp 1 holders who meet these. Some ask for a larger deposit than 10%. Some do not lend on Stamp 1 at all. The list changes, and this is where a broker (on the Central Bank's register) earns their place: they know which lenders are open to Stamp 1 this month. Read about the mortgage advisor.
A worked example
Priya is on Stamp 1 with two years left on her permit. She has been in Dublin for three years, earns €62,000, and has €38,000 saved. She has never owned a home.
- 4 times €62,000 is €248,000. That is her limit under the rules.
- At a 90% loan, the price is €275,555 and the deposit €27,556.
- Her €38,000 covers the deposit, stamp duty of about €2,756 at 1%, and part of the solicitor's fee. Read the cost of buying a house.
A lender that asks Stamp 1 holders for a 20% deposit would cap her at a price of €190,000 on the same €38,000. That is the difference the lender's own policy makes. The mortgage calculator shows the figures for any deposit.
Residence history and credit history
Two records matter. Neither is about your stamp.
Your Irish bank statements. Lenders want six months of statements from every account, showing your salary coming in, your rent going out, and regular saving. A year or more is better. Read the mortgage documents checklist.
Your credit record. The Central Credit Register holds every Irish loan of €500 or more. If you have had no Irish loan, your record is empty, which is not a bad mark but gives the lender nothing to go on. A credit card or a car loan paid on time builds a record. Check yours for free before you apply. Read the credit check guide.
Some lenders also ask for a credit report from your home country.
The deposit
The minimum is 10% of the price. It can come from savings, from a gift, or from Help to Buy on a new build. Money sent from abroad, or a gift from family abroad, needs a paper trail: where it came from and that it is not a loan. Read the gift letter guide.
Help to Buy and the schemes
Nationality and stamps are not conditions of the Irish schemes. The conditions are about tax, the home and whether you have owned before.
- Help to Buy refunds the income tax and DIRT you paid in Ireland over the last four years, up to €30,000 and 10% of the price, on a new build up to €500,000. Budget 2027 announced €35,000, waiting on the Finance Act 2026 (see changes). If you have paid Irish tax for four years, you can claim it. Read the Help to Buy guide.
- The First Home Scheme takes an equity share of up to 30% in a new build for first-time buyers who will live in the home. Read the First Home Scheme guide.
- The Local Authority Home Loan needs a right to live and work in the State, an income within the limit and two refusals from lenders. The council asks about your residence permission. Read the Local Authority Home Loan guide.
Buying with a partner on a different stamp
A joint application takes both incomes and both records. If one of you is Irish, an EU citizen or on Stamp 4, many lenders see the household as settled, and the Stamp 1 partner's permit becomes less of a worry. Both of you owe the whole loan. Read buying with a partner.
What to have ready
- Your Irish Residence Permit, with time left on it, and your passport.
- Your employment permit, if you are on Stamp 1, and a letter from your employer.
- Six to twelve months of Irish bank statements and payslips.
- Your Central Credit Register report, and a credit report from your home country if the lender asks.
- Proof of the deposit and where it came from.
Where this leaves you
Run your income through the mortgage calculator to see your limit under the rules; the lender's own policy on your stamp then sets the deposit it wants. A broker can tell you which lenders are open to your stamp, and get quotes lines up a solicitor and a surveyor once you are sale agreed. The buying from abroad journey covers the rest of the process, including the identity checks. For the stamp itself, renewals and the move to Stamp 4, read StampWise.
Questions people ask
Can I get a mortgage on Stamp 4 in Ireland?
Yes. Most lenders treat a Stamp 4 holder much like any resident, because Stamp 4 lets you work without a permit and leads to long-term residence. The usual tests apply: income, deposit, credit history and time in Ireland.
Can I get a mortgage on Stamp 1 in Ireland?
Some lenders lend to Stamp 1 holders, usually where the permit has time left, you have been in Ireland for a year or more, and your employer is established. Others want Stamp 4 or a longer history. A broker knows which lenders are open to Stamp 1 that month.
How long do I need to live in Ireland before getting a mortgage?
There is no legal minimum. Lenders set their own, and 12 months of Irish residence, employment and bank statements is a common ask. Longer helps, because it gives the lender a credit history on the Central Credit Register and a record of saving.
Do I need a bigger deposit on Stamp 1 or Stamp 4?
The Central Bank minimum is the same for everyone: 10% of the price for a home you will live in. Some lenders ask Stamp 1 holders for more, as their own policy. Stamp 4 holders are usually asked for the standard 10%.
Does the Central Bank rule on 4 times income apply to me?
Yes. The mortgage measures apply to every home loan from an Irish lender, whoever the borrower is. A first-time buyer can borrow up to 4 times gross income; anyone who has owned a home, anywhere, up to 3.5 times.
On the sister sites
Residence permissions and the Stamp 4 · StampWise