Ireland’s 2027 seasonal permit scheme: employer applications due by 12 December

Ireland has opened the employer-approval stage for its 2027 Seasonal Employment Permit scheme. Businesses in seasonal harvesting must apply for Approved Seasonal Employer status before they can seek permits for workers in the next picking season.

The deadline is 12 December 2026. Completed employer applications go to empu@enterprise.gov.ie, according to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment’s notice and application documents, published on 4 November.

For prospective workers, the important distinction is that this is an employer-registration step, not an invitation to submit an individual seasonal permit application now. The department says Seasonal Employment Permit applications will be invited from approved employers from 1 January 2027.

Two approvals, not one

The official application form explicitly separates Approved Seasonal Employer approval from individual permit decisions. Employer status lasts for one year. An employer being approved therefore does not, by itself, mean a worker has been granted permission to take up a job.

The form asks for the business’s workforce composition, proposed roles and dates, pay, work locations and recruitment supply chain. Employers must also explain accommodation, health insurance and training arrangements. The supporting-document checklist includes a recent Revenue statement and company details. These are employer requirements, not a list of documents that every jobseeker should email to the department.

• Following an existing application? Check Ireland’s current employment-permit queue dates

What the 2027 scheme covers

The employer guidance note describes a limited scheme covering general horticulture, with six approved employers and a maximum of 300 seasonal permits. It sets an April-to-November employment season, with permission lasting between three and seven months a year.

The guidance also requires recruitment from established partner countries. It does not name those countries in this note, so this announcement should not be treated as an offer open to every nationality. Employers need to follow the full departmental requirements, including the labour-market test and workforce-composition rule.

What to check next

Employers should use the current form and read the accompanying guidance before the 12 December deadline. Approved employers will be invited to an information webinar before submitting permit applications.

Workers considering an advertised seasonal role can use the two-stage process to ask clearer questions: is the business seeking employer approval, has that approval been granted, and what individual permission is still required? Neither the employer application nor a recruitment conversation is itself a work permit.

The email route announced here is specifically for Approved Seasonal Employer applications. It should not be assumed to replace the normal submission process for other employment permits or to announce that the Employment Permits Portal has reopened.