Ireland CV Format 2026: Employment Permits, the Equality Acts, and What to Leave Off

Ireland is one of the few English-language markets where the rules that decide your application sit partly outside the CV. Two of them changed or matter more than most applicants realise: the salary floor for employment permits, which rose this year, and the Employment Equality Acts, which shape what a CV should contain in the first place. Both are checkable, and both are worth getting right before you send anything.

Why this matters now: the permit thresholds went up

On 1 March 2026 the minimum salaries for the two main permits rose by 7.66%, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The Critical Skills Employment Permit moved from €38,000 to €40,904, and the General Employment Permit from €34,000 to €36,605. The Department describes the plan as a gradual implementation through to 2030, so further annual increases should be expected.

For you as an applicant, the consequence is practical. An Irish employer can only sponsor you if the job pays at least the relevant threshold. A role advertised below it is effectively closed to anyone who needs a permit, however good your CV is. Check the salary first.

Quick facts

The Employment Equality Acts, and why they shape your CV

The Workplace Relations Commission lists nine grounds on which discrimination in employment is outlawed: gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, age, disability, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin), and membership of the Traveller community. The Acts cover access to employment, applicants for employment, and the publication of discriminatory job advertisements.

The law does not say “do not put a photo on your CV”. Our reading is simpler. A photo, a date of birth, a marital status line or a nationality field each hands the reader information about a protected ground before they have read a single achievement. Irish employers have good reason not to want it, and you have no reason to supply it. Leaving it off is the safe convention, and it costs you nothing.

The format Irish recruiters expect

Keep the header to contact details and the one line that answers the screening question for non-EEA applicants:

PRIYA NAIR
Dublin, Ireland | +353 8X XXX XXXX | you@email.com | linkedin.com/in/you

Right to work: Stamp 1G (full-time employment permitted, no permit required)

Then follow with a three to four line profile, your experience in reverse order with measurable results, education, and a skills section that mirrors the job description’s wording. A single-column layout without text boxes or tables for content keeps it readable by parsing software.

What your permission line should say

The wording matters because the three situations are very different for an employer, as the Irish immigration service explains:

• Stamp 4: you can take up employment without an employment permit. Say so plainly, for example “Stamp 4, no permit required”.
• Stamp 1G (graduate): you may work full-time in employment without a permit, but you may not be self-employed. Write “Stamp 1G, full-time employment permitted” and give the end date of your permission.
• Stamp 1: you may not start a job unless you or your employer has obtained an employment permit. Say that you would require one, and name the type if you know it.

If you are heading for a Critical Skills permit, the Department’s permit page sets out what an employer needs to know: no Labour Market Needs Test is required, either the employee or the employer can apply, the permit issues for a job offer of at least two years, and holders can apply directly to the Department of Justice for Stamp 4 without a renewal permit. The €40,904 threshold applies to the strategically important occupations that require a relevant degree, and the figure is €36,848 if your qualification was received within 12 months before you apply. Putting “Eligible for Critical Skills permit” on your CV is only worth doing if both the occupation and salary actually qualify.

Four things that get Irish applications rejected

1. Leaving your right to work unstated. If you are not an EEA national and the recruiter has to guess whether you need sponsorship, the simplest move for them is to pick someone whose position is clear.
2. Applying below the permit threshold. If you need a permit and the role pays under €36,605 (General) or €40,904 (Critical Skills), the employer generally cannot sponsor you. Check the salary band before spending time on the application.
3. Writing “requires sponsorship” when you do not. Holders of Stamp 4, and of Stamp 1G for full-time employment, can work without an employment permit. A line that implies sponsorship will filter you out of roles you are fully eligible for.
4. Including protected-ground details. A photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality field adds nothing to your case and puts information in front of the reader that Irish law treats as irrelevant to hiring.

If you are coming from another format

A UK CV is the closest match, and our UK CV versus US resume guide covers the shared conventions. A CV from a photo-and-personal-details market needs those fields removed, not just hidden. For the full rule set, see the Ireland CV format page, and for salary and sponsorship context across both markets read our Netherlands and Ireland visa and salary guide.

Bottom line

An Irish CV is short, clean and quiet about everything the Equality Acts protect. The part that moves the outcome is your permission line and your salary check, because they decide whether the employer is able to hire you at all. Do those two things first, then spend your time on the achievements.