This segment will explore the strength of the Irish passport, in terms of its giving an Irish passport holder the right to travel to multiple countries with many attractive incentives.
In this feature we shall use the concept of the nomad to refer to individuals who travel from place to place for the purpose of to live, work, study or for leisure.
As an Irish citizen, you can access the benefits of Irish citizenship, such as being able to live and work in Ireland without a visa. Irish citizens can apply for an Irish passport, which offers many benefits, in terms of travel and access to the world. Within any of the EU member states, an Irish passport means you can live and work in any of the EU countries without visa or time restraints.
Power of the Irish passport
In 2025 the passportindex.org ranked the Irish passport joint third in the world for its “power of passport” status, which was based on its visa-free travel to 120 countries.
An Irish passport also means more appealing travel options worldwide. The 2024 Nomad Passport Index ranked the passport of Ireland as second in the world. The rankings, calculated based on each country’s government’s attitude to travel, to dual citizenship laws, global perception, international taxation laws, and personal freedom, found that the Irish passport affords its holders many advantages when traveling to countries to work and live.
The rankings established that the passport of Ireland offers very attractive travel prospects based on its strength to permit visa-free, visa on arrival, travel, as well as visa required to eTA (electronic travel authorization) countries.
In total, there are 120 countries that Ireland passport holders can enter without a visa, 47 countries that permit Ireland passport holders to enter by getting a visa on arrival, and 8 electronic travel authorization (eTA) destinations. Ireland passport holders can enter a total of 175 destinations, either without a visa, through a visa on arrival, or via an eTA. Aside from these 175 destinations, there are 75 countries where Ireland passport holders need a physical visa or an eVisa to enter.
In terms of taxation, Ireland was issued a score of 30, meaning that Irish passport holders have appealing tax incentives when residing and working in other countries.
In addition, within the Index, the Ireland Perception score calculation, which was based on the World Happiness Report, the Human Development Index, and other factors from experiences to establish how each country’s citizens are received and recognized, gave Ireland a Perception score of 50, meaning that Irish citizens have positive experiences and ecounter minimal hostility when in other countries around the world.
For the Ireland Dual Citizenship score calculation, Ireland scored 50, based on the fact that Irish citizens are permitted to hold other citizenships, which means they can retain their current citizenship status without having to relinquish or renounce it if they choose to apply for Irish citizenship.
To calculate the Ireland Freedom score, the index calculated data such as mandatory military service, government surveillance, and press freedom, in order to establish the personal freedom of citizens, travelers, and expats. In this section, Ireland scored 50, which was high and pointed to a fact that Ireland citizens have total freedom.
How do I obtain these benefits!?
You can become an Irish citizen by descent if one of your parents is or was an Irish citizen. If your parent was born in Ireland, you are automatically an Irish citizen.
You can also apply for Irish citizenship if one of your grandparents is/was an Irish citizen. These applications are made via the Foreign Births Register (FBR), and it is The Department of Foreign Affairs who is responsible for processing and managing these applications.
To claim Irish nationality by descent based on your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents you must gather the documents that prove your family lineage and direct line to your Irish ancestor.
You can also apply for Irish citizenship by descent through great-grandparents (by association), but in order to meet the criteria you will need to meet the residency requirement. In the absence of this, to make an application you must show that you have tangible and meaningful connections to Ireland, such as family there, business and other ties to the country. In these cases, each case is assessed by the Irish Minster for Justice, who has absolute discretion to grant or deny the claim.
This segment has highlighted the strength and benefits that having Irish citizenship and an Irish passport affords, in terms of being able to travel freely within the EU to work and live, and to travel to other countries around the world.
If you would like to know more about applying for Irish citizenship, you can contact us directly and one of our friendly experts will be in touch to respond to your queries.
