Stamp 4 refers to the stamp number, or

immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, ...

status, given to an individual with permission to reside in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. It is issued to people on work visas/work authorisations, to the spouse of an Irish citizen, to the spouse of an EU citizen (Stamp 4 EUFam), to refugees, to people with Irish Born Child residency and those with long-term residency status. Once a person has been granted Stamp 4 status by the Irish

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, he or she is to report to their local Garda National Immigration Bureau in order to receive the physical card, or "Certificate of Registration". The card shows the holder's Stamp 4 status, as well as their photograph and other personal details.

Entitlements

A holder of Stamp 4 status is entitled to work in Ireland without a work permit, establish and run a business, and access state funds and services. The status is valid for a given period of time and is renewable; if it or other qualifying statuses are held for over 8 years, the holder may apply to convert to stamp 5 which allows the same entitlements but with no time limit.

EU Directive 2004/38/EC

Family members of EEA nationals exercising Treaty rights in

in accordance with EU Directive 2004/38/EC, who are not themselves EEA nationals, are required to apply for a "

Residence Card of a family member of a Union citizen European Economic Area (EEA) citizens have the right of free movement and residence throughout the EEA. This right also extends to certain family members, even if they are not EEA citizens. A Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen ...

", as described in Article 10 of the Directive. In Ireland, applications for the Residence Card, are made on for
EUTR1
and sent to the EU Treaty Rights Section of the

. Article 10(1) of the Directive requires that such applications are processed within six months of submission. Once processed, a letter is sent to the applicant, instructing him or her to visit their local Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), in order to receive their Residence Card. The Residence Card comes in the form of a "Certificate of Registration" like any other issued by the GNIB, however a crucial distinction is made in that "Stamp 4 EUFam" is printed as the stamp number. This serves to confirm that the holder is a family member of an EEA national who is resident in Ireland in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC. The Residence Card is valid for five years.

Certificate of Registration

The Certificate of Registration issued by the Garda National Immigration Bureau in

is a "

", as evidenced by "4 EUFam" printed in the "Stamp No:" field. Although this Certificate of Registration is also a Residence Card for the purpose of EU Directive 2004/38/EC (Article 10), all non-EEA nationals resident in Ireland receive a similar card (Certificate of Registration), which displays their own stamp number, in place of "Stamp 4 EUFam". The stamp numbers are 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 3, 4, 4 EUFam, 5 and 6.

References

External links

Migrant Rights Centre Ireland

Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service
(within the Department of Justice) (Stamp 4 Summary).
Citizens Information website
(page specific to residence rights of EU nationals and their family members). {{Immigration to the Republic of Ireland Irish laws Identity documents National identification numbers Employment of foreign-born