Obtaining Special Permits and Licenses in Ireland

Types of special business licenses in Ireland

The Irish legislation is very strict with respect to certain commercial activities, which is why attention must be paid to special licenses or permits required when opening a company in the country. Even if all Irish companies must have business license, certain types of activities are required to apply for special licenses. Among these are restaurants, Irish IT companies, telecommunication companies and pharmaceutical companies. Among the special licenses and permits available in Ireland are:

• – the food premises license,
• – the gambling license,
• – the alcohol license,
• – the special restaurant or excise license,
• – the road occupation license,
• – oil and gas licenses,
• – the radio and television license.

For detailed information about obtaining a special license you may refer to our specialists in company formation in Ireland.

Obtaining special licenses in Ireland

Depending on the activity carried out a special license or permit must be obtained with the relevant authorities. However, in cases of restaurants the special or excise license must be obtained with an Irish district court dealing with the issuance of the following types of special permits:

• – liquor licenses,
• – restaurant certificates,
• – club licenses,
• – music and singing licenses for commercial sites in Ireland,

The same court will also renew these types of licenses. Irish companies obtaining special licenses issued by the district court must be submitted with the National Excise License Office.

Other authorities issuing special licenses are Coimisiún na Meán (which replaced the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland in March 2023) for radio, television and digital terrestrial television licenses and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), which issues betting licences since 2026 (remote betting from 1 July 2026; in-person betting from December 2026; gaming and lottery licences to follow in 2027–2028).

 Costs of special permits in Ireland

Irish companies requiring special licenses or permits in order to operate must take into account the costs these types of licenses incur. These costs depend on the type of activity carried out. Liquor licenses depend on the region where the restaurant is located in. Irish tobacco companies must obtain an annual retail licence from the HSE (since 2 February 2026: EUR 1,000 per premises for tobacco, EUR 800 for nicotine inhaling products; the Office of Tobacco Control's functions passed to the HSE in 2012) and are required to pay a fee for selling tobacco products. Gaming and lotteries licenses are also subject to certain fees which must be paid with the district court.

For details about licensing costs, please contact our local agents. In case your are interesed in opening a company in Ireland, for example setting up a limited company in Ireland, our agents are at your disposal.