1. Guide to Irish Investor and
Entrepreneurial Visas

2. There are four categories of vehicle used for the Irish Investor Visa Programme:
 Immigrant Investor Bonds
 Enterprise Investment Mechanism
 Mixed Investment Strategies
 Endowment Strategies

3.  A minimum investment of €2,000,000 in the immigrant investor bond issued by Ireland acting
through the National Treasury Management Agency. The immigrant investor bond has a term of 5
years and an annual interest rate of 1% per annum.
 Please note that any bonds referred to in these guidelines have not been, and will not be,
registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and, subject to
certain exceptions, may not be offered or sold within the United States (as those terms are defined
in Regulation S under the Securities Act).

4. A minimum investment of €1,000,000 in a single Irish enterprise or spread over a number of
enterprises for a minimum of 3 years. The enterprise may be a start-up established by the investor or
an existing business registered in Ireland. The enterprise must be registered and headquartered in
Ireland. The investment must support the creation or maintenance of employment. An investment by a
corporation, even where owned 100% by the applicant will not be acceptable
The investment must be made in the name of the individual seeking residence under the Programme.
An investment by a corporation, even where owned 100% by the applicant will not be acceptable
In certain circumstances investment through a venture capital (VC) fund may be considered. However
it must be clearly demonstrated that the net effect of the investment is the same as if it were invested
directly in Irish businesses. I would however ask you to note the following advice given by Justice.
The two central elements of this are that the investor puts at least €1m to the benefit of Irish
companies and that such companies receive investment of at least €1m that can be attributed to the
investor. In other words the investors share of new VC funds invested in Ireland must be not less than
€1m. Example: VC fund invests €50m in Ireland. Overall Fund is €200m. To satisfy the requirement
for contributing €1m to Irish business the investor would have to have €4m investment in the fund.

5. In certain cases an investment in property will be considered eligible for the programme. In order for
the property investment to be the basis for qualification for residence the property in question must
either;
 Be a residential property in which the applicant and their family intend to reside in Ireland
(residential properties purchased for rental income will not be eligible). In such cases a minimum
investment of €1,000,000 will apply and this investment must be diversified between residential
property and immigrant investor. The investment must be diversified between each eligible
investment category but not more than 50% can be in property. This may represent a mix of
property and investor bond investments.
 In certain cases, a property investment of a minimum value of €1,000,000 in which the investor can
demonstrate a clear economic or social benefit for Ireland or where the property investment is a
critical part of an overall business development or enterprise plan.

6. A minimum endowment of €500,000 in a project of public benefit in the arts, sports, health, cultural or
educational field. The endowment should be regarded as a philanthropic contribution with a clear
public benefit. Investors will receive no financial return or recoupment of the principal. The
endowment must not displace or supplement current or capital expenditure as voted by the
Oireachtas. It is important that the endowment is visible to the public and beneficial to the wider
community.

7. Residence Permission granted to successful applicants: Successful applicants can expect to receive
residence permission for 5 years. An initial permission will be granted for two years and following a
review at that point to ensure the investor is continuing to meet the conditions of the scheme (i.e. the
investment has not been withdrawn, they continue to be law abiding and self sufficient), a further
period of 3 years will be granted. After this initial 5 years period, the investor will be free to apply for
residence in 5 year tranches.

8. Key Aspects
 For non-EEA nationals with a innovative business idea for a High Potential Start-up and funding of
€75,000
 The candidate can acquire residency in Ireland for the purposes of developing their business.
 No initial job creation targets will be set as it is recognized that such businesses can take some
time to get off the ground.
 The Programme will facilitate participants in establishing a permanent relationship with Ireland,
ultimately it may lead to Citizenship.

9.  An initial permission of two years and following a review a further 3 years will be granted.
 After this initial 5 years period, successful entrepreneurs will be free to apply for residence in 5
year tranches.
 As with Investor Visa types referred to above, if criteria associated with Irish Nationality and
Citizenship Acts are met reckonable residence may ultimately lead to a grant of Citizenship.
 Note: Where a proposal has more than one principal, other than family members, seeking to avail
of this programme then each principal will be required to demonstrate access to €75,000 funding.

10.  The intention of the Programme is to support High Potential Start-Ups (HPSUs). The Irish state
agency Enterprise Ireland defines a HPSU as a start-up venture that is capable of the following:
 Introducing a new or innovative product or service to international markets.
 Creating 10 jobs in Ireland and realising €1 million in sales within three to four years of starting up.
 Led by an experienced management team.
 Headquartered and controlled in Ireland.
 Less than six years old.
Note: The scheme is not intended for retail, personal services, catering or other businesses of this
nature the “Business Permission Scheme” remains available to this sort of proposal.
Therefore it is our belief that qualifying applications will benefit from a targeted alignment with key
areas of Irish Industrial Development policy.

11. Software Development Healthcare Services
Data Processing and Electronic Commerce Construction Related Services
Technical and Consulting Services Environmental Services
Commercial Laboratory Services Supply Chain Management and Logistics
Management Services
Administrative / Service Centres, Co-ordination Commercial and International Standards Bodies
and headquartering services
Research and Development Services Technology Test Centres
Media, Multi media and Recording Services Prototype Laboratory Services
Entertainment and Leisure Services Intellectual Property Services
Training Services Group Procurement
Publishing Services Shipping Services
International Financial Services Education Services

12. Assessment of these applications is expected to be robust. Applications will be scrutinised by an
evaluation committee with members coming from the Departments of Justice and Enterprise. There
will also be members coming from Enterprise Ireland and the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) the
State’s Foreign Direct Investment development agency. The visa assessment system is more
streamlined and targeted mirroring the assessment procedures associated with Enterprise Ireland’s
assessment of identified HPSU’s already located in Ireland whether these are indigenous companies
or not

13. Tom Ryan / Ellis McKechnie
Actus Business Immigration Ltd.
Tel: + 353 1 802 0468
Fax: + 353 1 802 0455
Email: tom@actus.ie / ellis@actus.ie
Blog: actusvisa.wordpress.com
Website: www.actus.ie