US-Ireland Working Holiday Agreement
The US-Ireland Working Holiday Agreement (WHA) enables Irish and US citizens to work and travel in each other's countries for up to 12 months. To qualify for the programme, participants should have recently graduated (i.e. within the last 12 months), or be about to graduate, from university or a comparable post-secondary level educational institution.
Applications from US Citizens
The Consulate General of Ireland in New York accepts WHA applications from US citizens resident in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. We cannot accept WHA applications from persons resident outside those states.
Documentation required
You will need to submit the following to the Consulate:
- Printed, completed and signed US working holiday visa application form
- Original, valid United States passport;
- 2 recent identical passport photographs with your name on the reverse;
- Current Resumé (with references);
- Original bank statement showing that you have access to US$2000 plus a return ticket; or US$4000;
- Originals of any qualifications obtained or letter from school/college/university (where applicable)
- Fee of US$337 (plus US$13 mailing fee if you wish us to mail your documentation back to you).
Fees must be paid by money order or certified bank check and made payable to the Consulate General of Ireland. We do not accept credit/debit cards, personal checks or cash.
You may submit your application documentation to us in person or by post (mail). If you opt for the latter, we strongly recommend that you use registered (certified) mail or a reputable courier company. The Consulate cannot be held responsible for documentation lost in transit.
Please submit your documentation to:
Visa Office
Consulate General of Ireland
345 Park Avenue, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10154
Please note that the Visa Office is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 12 noon only.
When your application has been approved
We will contact you directly once a decision has been made on your application. If your documentation is satisfactory, the application will be approved in principle. The Working Holiday Authorisation will be issued following the submission by the applicant of:
- Return airline tickets;
- Certificate of medical/travel insurance valid for the duration of the trip (based on dates on tickets)
- Valid United States passport that is valid for the entirety of the trip to Ireland i.e. for a full year after their ticketed date of entry.
On arrival in Ireland
As soon as possible (normally within one week) after your arrival into Ireland, you must register with the Immigration Registration Officer at the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) offices in Dublin (see below) or contact the local Garda (Police) office where you intend residing. You will be issued with an immigration certificate of registration (GNIB Registration Card). A fee of Euro150 is charged per certificate of registration - payment can be made by a specific bank giro credit form which can be obtained at all registration offices or by credit/debit card at a number of Garda stations.
The Garda National Immigration Bureau is located at 13/14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.
Details of Irish Garda (Police) stations can be found at www.garda.ie.
Irish citizens
Irish citizens wishing to travel to the US under the scheme should visit the website of the US Embassy in Dublin for information on how to apply.
The US government has in place a two step application process for this scheme. Applicants must first apply to an authorised sponsoring organisation to be issued with a form DS-2019, and once that document has been issued they should apply to the US Embassy for the relevant visa. A full list of the authorised sponsoring organisations is available on the website of the US Embassy.
Some sponsoring organisations will specifically focus on the Irish scheme, such as the Irish International Immigrant Center in Boston.