Ireland spouse visa for Pakistani nationals

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What this visa is

If you are married to, or in a civil partnership with, an Irish citizen, you can apply to live with them in Ireland. This is a residence route, not a visit. If you are approved you get Stamp 4 permission, which lets you work without an employment permit. As a Pakistani national you need a long stay join family visa, also called a D visa, before you travel. You apply online and send your documents to the Irish visa office handling your application.

Figures in this guide are as at October 2026. Ireland changed its family reunification rules on 12 June 2026, so older guidance that quotes a €40,000 income figure is out of date.

Who can apply

You can apply if you are the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, or their unmarried partner. You both need to be 18 or over when you apply, and your marriage must be one that Irish law recognises. Irish law does not recognise polygamous marriages, so only a first marriage can qualify.

If you are not married, you can apply as a de facto partner. You need to show you have lived together in a relationship akin to marriage for at least 2 years before you apply, and that the relationship has been exclusive for that time. Unmarried partners always need preclearance or a visa before travelling, whatever their nationality.

You must have met in person. Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) states that a relationship must include a number of face to face meetings, and video calls do not count.

Who can sponsor

Your spouse or partner sponsors you if they are an Irish citizen living in Ireland or intending to live there. Under the June 2026 policy, Irish citizens can apply at any time, with no waiting period.

If your spouse is not an Irish citizen, a different set of rules applies. These are covered in their own section near the end of this guide.

Financial requirement

Your Irish citizen spouse must show gross income of at least €75,000 in total over the 3 years before you apply. That works out at about €25,000 a year. Income from State benefits does not count towards this, and your spouse must not have been mainly reliant on State supports for a continuous period of 2 years. Only one sponsor’s income is assessed, so your own earnings cannot be added.

If your spouse lives and works in Ireland, they prove this with an Employment Detail Summary from Revenue for the 3 years before you apply, plus their 3 most recent consecutive payslips. Self employed sponsors provide Revenue Notices of Assessment for the last 3 years and evidence of earnings since their last tax return.

The threshold rose from €40,000 for applications made from 12 June 2026. Some ISD pages had not been updated at the time of writing, so rely on the June 2026 policy document if you see the older figure.

Your Pakistani marriage documents

Most Pakistani marriages are recorded on a Nikah Nama, registered with the Union Council. You should also obtain the computerised Marriage Registration Certificate (MRC) issued through NADRA, which confirms the registration.

Marriage certificates issued outside the EEA must be apostilled by the foreign ministry of the issuing country. Pakistan joined the Apostille Convention in 2023, and apostilles are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Nikah Nama is usually in Urdu, so it needs an English translation, and a translation done outside the EEA must also be apostilled.

Irish law does not recognise polygamous marriages. If your spouse has another marriage that is still in force, only the first marriage can qualify.

Documents you need

Check the current checklist for your visa office before you apply. In general you need:

Your signed and dated application summary form
2 colour passport photos taken in the last 6 months
Your current passport, valid for at least 12 months, and copies of any previous passports
A signed letter explaining your application, with your contact details and your spouse’s
A copy of your spouse’s Irish passport or other proof of Irish citizenship
6 months of bank statements for you and for your spouse
Your spouse’s income evidence, as described above
Your marriage or civil partnership certificate, prepared as described above
If you have not lived together since you married, a relationship history with evidence such as travel stamps, photographs and correspondence
If either of you was married before, proof that the earlier marriage legally ended
Your NADRA Marriage Registration Certificate as well as the Nikah Nama
If either of you was divorced, the divorce certificate issued through the Union Council or NADRA

Your spouse may later be asked for proof of suitable accommodation. ISD does not need this when you first apply, but can request it during the assessment.

How to apply

You apply online through AVATS, Ireland’s visa application system, then print and sign the summary form. You submit your application and documents at a VFS Global visa application centre in Islamabad, Karachi or Lahore. Your AVATS summary form tells you which Irish visa office will decide it. You may need to give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) when you submit. Apply from outside Ireland. The June 2026 policy says applications are not accepted for family members who are already in Ireland as visitors, on a different permission such as a student permission, or without permission.

Costs and processing times

Spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens do not pay the visa fee when they include proof of the relationship. Unmarried partners pay €60 for a single entry visa. Your visa application centre may charge its own service fee on top.

Spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens are also exempt from the €300 registration fee. Unmarried partners pay the €300.

ISD aims to decide applications from spouses of Irish citizens within 6 months, and its policy says applications can take around 12 months. These are targets, not guarantees. Processing times depend on the visa office handling your application, which publishes its own figures. Make sure your spouse meets the financial threshold before you apply, because an incomplete or premature application takes longer.

After approval

When you arrive, tell the immigration officer that you are joining your Irish spouse so your passport is stamped correctly. You then register your permission and receive an Irish Residence Permit card. Your Stamp 4 permission lets you work for any employer, or be self employed, without an employment permit. It is renewable.

As the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, you may be able to apply for Irish citizenship once you have been married for at least 3 years and have lived in Ireland for 3 years. Check the naturalisation rules with ISD before you apply.

If your spouse is not an Irish citizen

If your spouse holds a Critical Skills Employment Permit, they can bring you with them straight away and there is no income threshold. You get Stamp 1G permission, which lets you work without an employment permit.

If your spouse holds a General Employment Permit, they must have lived in Ireland for 12 months before sponsoring you, and must have earned more than €30,000 gross in the year before you apply. They also need to show suitable accommodation. You get Stamp 1G permission.

ISD’s target for these applications is 12 months. Spouses of EU citizens living in Ireland follow a separate route under EU free movement rules.

FAQs

Is the Nikah Nama enough on its own?
Provide the NADRA Marriage Registration Certificate as well. Both should be apostilled, with an apostilled English translation of the Urdu text.

Does Ireland accept an apostille from Pakistan?
Yes. Pakistan has been part of the Apostille Convention since 2023, and Ireland asks for marriage certificates from outside the EEA to be apostilled by the issuing country’s foreign ministry.

Can my own salary count towards the €75,000?
No. Only your Irish spouse’s income is assessed.

Can I work once I arrive?
Yes. Stamp 4 lets you work without an employment permit once your permission is registered.

My spouse was previously married. What do we need?
Proof that the earlier marriage legally ended, such as a divorce certificate issued through the Union Council or NADRA.