Recruitment Agencies

Competent Authority

The Workplace Relations Licensing Section of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is the competent authority for recruitment agencies in Ireland.

Licensing Procedures

In order to operate an Employment Agency in Ireland you must:

• Publish a Notice in a National daily Irish Newspaper stating your intention to apply for a Licence (A full list of acceptable newspapers is provided on the Application Form)
• Complete and return the application form - including the vetting invitation form and requested documentation.
• Pay the licence fee

Further information and application forms are available on the Workplace Relations, Employment Agencies Section.

Applications can be submitted by post, or by the use of the online licensing facility, Licences.ie

Timelines and Fees

The current fee for the Employment Agency Licence is €500. This fee is payable annually.

A new licence application takes, on average, 2 weeks to process. This is sometimes delayed depending on the Garda vetting process. Turn-around for licence renewals is usually less than 2 weeks.

Contact details

Licensing Section,
Workplace Relations Commission,
O’ Brien Road,
Carlow.
R93 E920
Tel. 059 917 8990 Lo-call. 0818 808090

Workplace Relations Contact Us form is available online here.

Email: customerservice@workplacerelations.ie 

_{The above is for general information purposes only. All further queries regarding this information should be directed to Workplace Relations Commission.}