There are no nationality restrictions: EU and non-EU buyers alike can purchase residential or commercial property freehold. Buyers need an Irish PPS (tax) number, and owning property does not by itself grant any residency right.
Before you buy in Ireland, always:
General guidance only — rules change; confirm the current position with a qualified local lawyer.
Our free ownership checker and the Overseas Property Playbook walk through how foreign ownership works step by step — the questions to ask and the traps to sidestep.
Budget a few percent in one-off costs: stamp duty of 1% up to EUR 1 million (2% on any excess, and higher on very expensive homes), plus solicitor's fees and registration; a purchase typically completes in a couple of months.
Dublin for amenities and connections, Cork and Galway for smaller vibrant cities, and West Cork and Kerry towns like Kinsale and Kenmare for scenic coastal quiet.
Ordinarily-resident retirees, including UK citizens under the Common Travel Area, can use the public HSE system, though many add private insurance (VHI, Laya, Irish Life) at roughly EUR 1,500-3,000 a year to cut waiting times. Non-EEA retirees on a Stamp 0 visa must hold private cover and cannot use public hospitals. Easy and familiar for British retirees, being English-speaking and friendly with driving on the left as in the UK, and the Common Travel Area gives broadly the same rights to live and settle.
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