First Time Buyer

A first time buyer is a person who has not previously purchased or built a house or apartment anywhere in the world and who is purchasing a house or apartment for use as their principal place of residence. Where there is more than one buyer, each of the buyers must be a first time buyer to obtain the stamp duty exemptionfor first time buyers. The benefit obtained where the first time buyer exemption applies is subject to clawback provisions.
First Time Buyer FAQ

Owner Occupier

An owner occupier is a person who purchases a new apartment or house for use as their principal place of residence (PPR) and no rent, other than rent obtained under the rent-a-room scheme, is derived from the property for a period of five years from the date of the current purchase. This relief is subject to clawback provisions.

Rates of
Duty for
Residential Property

The rates of duty applicable for residential property (whether new or second-hand) are as follows:

Table 1

Former Rates of Stamp Duty

N.B. The Rates above apply to the entire consideration or value of the property, e.g. :

(a) Where the consideration for a property is €350,000 (and the purchaser is not a first-time buyer) the stamp duty would be €21,000 (€350,000 @ 6%)

(b) Where the consideration for a property is €850,000 (and the purchaser is not a first time buyer) the stamp duty liability would be €76,500 (€850,000 @ 9%)

(c) Where the consideration for a property is €550,000 and the purchaser is a first time buyer the stamp duty exemption for FTB would apply and no stamp duty would be due.