Belgium or Ireland
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Belgium | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 51 210 | $ 73 970 |
| Citizenship | 5 years | 5 years |
| Partner can work | yes | yes |
| Parents | — | difficult |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | 5 | 5 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 1 764 | $ 2 969 |
| Basket | $ 45,5 | $ 44,6 |
| Life expectancy | 82.3 | 83.01 |
| Homicides/100k | 1.08 | 0.7 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 3.5 | 2.3 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Belgium — 54, Ireland — 25. Types present in both: work, study, family, startup, retirement, job seeking and working holiday. The set of types is identical — the difference is in how many routes there are and on what terms, not in the types themselves.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Belgium: fees range from 152 to 377 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 22; the lowest is 1,038 EUR a month. Routes with a published decision deadline: 39; the shortest is 15 days. Ireland: fees range from 60 to 1,000 EUR. Routes with no fee: 2. Routes stating an income threshold: 5; the lowest is 30,000 EUR a year. Routes with a published decision deadline: 3; the shortest is 56 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: both after 5 years. Citizenship: both after 5 years. Both allow a second citizenship.
Belgium in brief
Belgium is an EU country with a single labour migration procedure (single permit / EU Blue Card), but the criteria are split regionally between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels. Citizenship and permanent residence come after 5 years; dual citizenship is allowed. The main natural hazard is river flooding (Wallonia, July 2021).
Ireland in brief
An English-speaking EU country outside Schengen with a large technology sector (the European headquarters of Google, Meta and Stripe) and some of Europe's mildest citizenship requirements — no language exam, dual citizenship allowed. Held back by high rent, non-participation in the EU Blue Card and a high income threshold for parent reunification.
Other comparisons
More on each: Belgium · Ireland. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.