Employment Agency Licensing Section
Legislative Basis | FAQ | Contact Details
- Procedure and Application Forms for New Licence (PDF, 146KB)
- Procedure and Application Forms for Renewal of Licence (PDF, 147KB)
Legislative Basis
The Employment Agency Act 1971 and Regulations made thereunder regulate the issuing of an employment agency licence.
Under the Employment Agency Act 1971 an Employment Agency must hold a licence if it is to carry on its business. This licence is renewed on a yearly basis at an annual fee of ¤500. An applicant for a licence must, in the opinion of the Minister, be a person of good character and repute. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation verifies this by means of two independent references vouching for the good character of the applicant and by means of a vetting report (police check) from the Gardai that there is nothing in their records that would render the applicant unsuitable to hold an employment agency licence.
If an employment agency has a premises in the state, it must obtain a licence and, in order to obtain a licence, the premises must confirm to the standards of accommodation prescribed by Regulations under the Employment Agency Act, 1971 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, Act 2005. Applicants are required to complete a self-certifying ‘Health & Safety Requirements Statement’ (included with the application form).
See “Procedure and Application Forms for New Licence” link above for a full list of documentation required to obtain a licence.
Fines
It is an offence under the Act for an employment agency to carry on business without an employment agency licence. Under section 10 (1) of the Employment Agency Act, 1971, as amended by section 19 of the Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003, a person guilty of an offence under the Act shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ¤2000 and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine not exceeding ¤1000 a day.
FAQs
How long does it take to process an application?
From receipt of a new licence application it takes, on average, four-to-five weeks to issue a licence. Our turn-around time in processing applications is dependent on the length of time that elapses before we receive the necessary report from the Garda Vetting Unit, so some applicants may experience delays beyond the four-to-five week guideline. Turn-around for licence renewals is usually less than two weeks.
For how long is an employment agency licence valid?
The Licence is valid for one year from the date of issue. Applications for the renewal of a Licence should be submitted four weeks before the expiry date of the Licence.
Can an employment agency trade whilst waiting for a Licence to be considered?
No, an employment agency must wait until it is legally licensed before trading commences.
For your information
Please note that the Employment Agency Section is not an employment or recruitment service and we therefore have no information about job vacancies. Queries in relation to job vacancies and submission of CVs should be directed to licensed employment agencies and notto the contact names listed above.
Last modified: 23/08/2011
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