Does the gap between IRP Stamps affect Recognized Days for Citizenship?

Hi everyone,

I have some questions regarding the “recognized days” calculation for Irish citizenship applications.

Here’s my situation: I arrived in Ireland on a Critical Skills Employment Permit in 2019. Below are the dates of my stamps:

Stamp Type	Start Date	End Date	Total Days
Stamp 1	23-Oct-2019	17-Sep-2020	331
Gap -> 20 days
Stamp 1	06-Oct-2020	03-Sep-2021	333
Gap -> 74 days
Stamp 4	15-Nov-2021	24-Sep-2023	679
Gap -> 60 days
Stamp 4	22-Nov-2023	29-Sep-2025	678

This adds up to 2021 days up to 29th September 2025, counting only the start and expiry dates on my IRP cards, without gaps.

But, I’m unsure about gaps between my stamps. For example, when renewing from Stamp 1 (03-Sep-2021) to Stamp 4 (15-Nov-2021), there was a 74-day gap while I was waiting for an interview appointment for the renewal. I live in Cork, where appointments must be scheduled by email, and delays can sometimes take months.

I have an email message showing that I requested an appointment in advance during this time. My question is:

Can these 74 days waiting for a renewal appointment count towards the recognized days calculation, or are only the periods covered by an active IRP counted?

I’ve searched the immigration website and this forum but couldn’t find an answer, possibly because I’m not using the right terms.

Thanks in advance

Hi @pinny,

Don't worry, the reckoning time is already accounted for the days you were present in the country. I suggest you check the dates on the back of your IRP. They’re all designed to overlap. For example, my Stamp 4 was expiring in December 2024, and I applied in October. As a result, I received my new IRP starting from October 2024, valid until December 2026.

You're not alone—I arrived in 2018, and the appointments back then were frustratingly delayed. Did your stamp expire entirely during that period before you got your new IRP? If that's the case, I recently read about a 6-month rule that applies. If you've already applied, you can stay in the country without it affecting your time. So, it's likely everyone has faced some gap at some point.

What I did was keep all my IRPs since after 2019, they stopped asking for them. I always had a scanned copy just in case. I compared the dates, and they all overlapped in my case. If you're unsure, I’d suggest submitting a query through the Immigration portal. But honestly, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.

Let me know if you need anything else!