Ireland Visitor Visa

** This includes the Bailiwick of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

What Are the Requirements for the Waiver Programme?

You do not need to submit any forms to be eligible for exemption; all you need is your national passport. It is important to remember, however, that you must still pass through customs and may need to provide the immigation officer with sufficient information to justify your visit. This includes your landing card and travel itinerary, as well as an invitation if you’re travelling for a conference or as part of an English language course.

If you fail to demonstrate your reason for travel or proof of sufficient funds to support your stay, it is within the rights of Irish immigration officials to refuse or grant only limited entry. To avoid disrupting your travel plans, it is important to plan ahead and have all your bases covered before finalising your trip.

As a general rule of thumb for all nationalities, we recommend that your passport be valid for at least 6 months past your proposed visiting dates and that it contain at least 1 blank page for stamping.

Although there are no hard and fast rules for how many visits you are allowed within the 90-day period (i.e., if you enter the country for a few weeks before travelling abroad and then enter again), your immigration officer will take note of the entry and exit stamps recorded in your passport and may ask you to justify your repeat journeys.

Does Ireland Require a Schengen Visa?

No, you do not need a Schengen travel permit to pass through border control. This country is not part of the Schengen Area and has different entry requirements; therefore an Irish visa is not a substitute for a Schengen visa and vice versa. Even if you are currently a holder of a valid Schengen entry permit, it will not be accepted at the Irish border.

Similarly, the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) travel waiver only grants entry to Schengen member countries. As this country is not party to this system, an ETIAS does not entitle you to enter without the proper travel pass.

Do the UK and Ireland Have a Visa Agreement?

Yes, certain agreements do exist between the 2 countries, in addition to the one mentioned above. Under the British-Irish travel scheme, a short-stay (90-day) Ireland visa for Indians living in India or for Chinese nationals living in China will be valid for travel to the UK within this period and vice versa.

For example, an individual applying for an Ireland visa from India who wishes to travel to both Dublin and Belfast may do so by applying for a 90-day Ireland visit visa. This will permit them to fly first to Dublin and then on to Belfast without having to request a separate travel pass.

Similarly, thanks to the short-stay travel waiver programme, certain UK visa holders can enter Ireland if they are holders of a valid UK short-stay (90-day) entry permit. This waiver is intended solely for citizens who have cleared immigration in the United Kingdom and lasts only as long as their UK travel pass.

Nationals from the following countries are eligible for this waiver:

• Bahrain
• Belarus
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• India
• Kazakhstan
• Kuwait
• Montenegro
• Oman
• People’s Republic of China
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Serbia
• Thailand
• The Russian Federation
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan

Ireland Visa Application Process

If you are not eligible for a waiver, you will have to complete the Republic of Ireland’s visa application form and submit some documentation to your nearest embassy or consulate.

The travel document is valid for visits of up to 90 days and, usually, for a Single Entry. That said, a Multiple Entry pass is available if you’ve visited Ireland twice in the past without overstaying your 90-day permitted period.

At this time, this country only offers a traditional travel pass through its embassies and consulates. You cannot purchase your entry permit on arrival at the airport.

The steps to apply for this travel document are as follows:

• Complete the form online.
• Pay the fee at the embassy or consulate (see our ‘What Are the Ireland Visa Fees?’ section below for more information).
• Compile all the documents, which include:
  • The signed online summary sheet.
  • 2 color photos (see the exact specifications at the end of this section).
  • Current passport with at least 1 blank page to affix your visa.
  • Any previous passports (copies of previous passports can be submitted if the originals are unavailable).
  • Application letter (a description of your planned visit, including your purpose of travel, dates and where you will stay).
  • A finance plan (proof that you have the finances to support yourself when in this country, e.g. up-to-date bank statements or the information of the third party who will help pay for your visit).
  • Proof that you will return home (this can be payslips from your current job, a letter from a school where you are currently enrolled or proof of family in your home country).

Once the online form is submitted, the system will automatically request that you submit your documentation to your nearest embassy, consulate or local Ireland visa office.

Your documents must be delivered in person or by post to the centre specified in the online application within 30 days of creating the online account. Applications will not be processed until all documents have been received.

The contact information of your nearest Irish embassy or consulate can be found on our Embassies of Ireland page. Alternatively, you may submit your documents to the Dublin, Ireland visa office by post or courier at the following address:

Department of Justice
Immigration Service Delivery
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
D02XK70

Additional offices are open in Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Beijing, London, Moscow, New Delhi and Ankara.

Note: To avoid any delays with the processing, make sure to meet the Ireland visa photo requirements, i.e. 2 photos no more than 6 months old with a minimum size of 35mm x 45mm and a maximum size of 38mm x 50mm. Each photo should be signed by the applicant and have the application transaction number written on the back.

What Are the Ireland Visa Fees?

The standard, non-refundable processing fees are as follows:

• Single Entry: 81 USD (60 EUR)
• Multiple Entry: 136 USD (100 EUR)
• Transit: 36 USD (25 EUR)

What Is the Ireland Visa Processing Time?

You can expect a decision about 8 weeks after submitting your documents. However, as Ireland visa rules dictate that all applications must be processed in the order in which they are received, the Ireland visa decision time can vary somewhat.

To avoid any problems with your travel arrangements, we recommend requesting your visa to Ireland approximately 3 months before you plan to visit.

How Can I Check My Ireland Visa Application Status?

If you send your application to an international office, embassy or consulate, you can track your Ireland visa by contacting that office directly. If you send your application to the Dublin office, decisions are posted on a weekly basis and can be viewed directly on the webpage.

Be sure to save the unique online application number generated when you submit your application, in order to search these reports for your decision.

In particular, if you’re looking for Irish visa decisions for India, these are announced every Tuesday evening and Friday morning on the official website via the New Delhi office.

If you’ve made your application through a VSF VAC (Visa Application Centre), the New Delhi office will make its decision then transmit this back to the VAC. As such, your documents will take a few days to arrive back at the VAC.

To search for your Irish visa decision, open the report with the correct date, then press CTRL+F and enter your 8-digital reference number.

Frequently Asked Travel Questions

Please find below more helpful information regarding this country and the travel documents you’ll need. If you have any questions that we haven’t answered here, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’d love to be of assistance!