Who needs a Visa?

Whether you need a visa to enter Ireland depends on what country you're from.

S.I. No 473 of 2014 groups countries into five different categories (schedules).

Please see Schedule 1, which is a list of countries that DO NOT NEED a visa. If your country is NOT listed you must apply for a visa before you travel to Ireland.

Note: A Schengen visa or UK visa is not valid for travel to Ireland. Note: For exceptions to this, please see Schedules 2, 3 and 4 below

Remember…

If you’re a citizen of a non-EEA country, whether you need a visa or not, you will be subject to immigration control when you enter Ireland.

Schedule 1 - Countries that do not need a visa

You DO NOT NEED an entry visa for Ireland if you are a passport holder of one of these countries:

Convention travel documents

If you hold Convention travel documents issued by an EEA state, please refer to Section 3. (b) (i) of S.I. No 473 of 2014 (short-stay visits only). 

Schedule 2 - Diplomatic Passport waiver programme

A holder of a diplomatic passport issued by a State or territorial entity specified below is not required to have a visa to enter Ireland

Schedule 3 - Visa waiver programme

If you’re a citizen of one of these countries and you meet Visa Waiver Programme requirements, you may be able to travel on to Ireland from the UK without the need to obtain a separate Irish visa.

If not, you’ll need to apply for an entry visa before you travel to Ireland.

NOTE: This also applies to nationals of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates who have entered the United Kingdom on foot of a C-visit Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW)

Schedule 4 - British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS)

United Kingdom visitors who are – nationals of a state or territorial entity specified in Schedule 4, AND holders of a visa issued by the competent authorities of the United Kingdom that is endorsed by those authorities with the letters “BIVS”

Schedule 5 - Transit Visas

If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you will need to apply for a transit visa:

  * Requirement for a transit visa waived for Ethiopian nationals transiting through the State via Dublin Airport to/from the USA and Canada.

How to Apply

Submitting your application

You need to:

1. Read all of the information on visas contained on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), including their comprehensive guide. Confirm the visa category relevant for your visit.

2. Complete and submit the online application form. Print (in portrait format), sign and date the Application Summary Sheet and include it with your application documents.

3. Gather your supporting documentation, passport photograph and fee:

• Refer to the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) and select the visa category you are applying for – you will need to read the whole page to ensure that you provide all required supporting documents with your application. 
• Type or write a letter explaining why you want to come to Ireland. Sign and date the letter and submit it with your documents. Your letter must include your full name and postal address, the reason you want to come to Ireland and the dates you plan to arrive and leave. Your letter must also include a commitment from you that you will:
  • Obey the conditions of your visa in full
  • Not use any publicly funded services in Ireland or become a burden on the Irish State
  • Leave Ireland before your immigration permission expires 
• Refer to tab 4, Visa Fees
• Refer to INIS Photo Requirements to ensure that you are providing two appropriate photos
• Enclose your current passport and any previous passports (or copies of previous passports if originals unavailable). 
• Should you require your passport for other travel during the application process (evidence required) and are requesting to submit it later in the process, please enclose a notarised copy of your entire current passport, all pages, with your application.

4. Once you have checked and compiled all of the above, submit your complete application to the address given by the system.

If you are resident in Canada, Jamaica or the Bahamas,you will be directed to submit your application to the Visa Officer, Embassy of Ireland, Suite 1105, (11th Floor), 130 Albert St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5G4. You can also submit your application in person during office hours.

Keep the reference number from your application and quote it in any correspondence with the Embassy about your application.

If your application is referred to INIS for a decision, you can check the INIS Visa Decision Weekly Listing using your reference number.

Remember…

Please note that if you provide false, fraudulent or misleading information or documentation, your application will be refused. You may also lose the right to appeal the decision. Any future applications made by you may also be refused.

If deemed necessary, additional documentation / information may be requested by the Deciding Officer upon detailed examination of the application.

Processing Times

The onus is on you, the applicant, to ensure that your fully complete application is submitted in sufficient time for a decision to be made before your date of travel. Please allow 8 weeks before the date you plan to travel.

While visa applications are considered in as speedy a manner as possible, processing may take longer at certain times of the year or depending on the complexity of the application.

The onus is on you, the applicant, to ensure that your application is fully complete before submitting it for consideration. You should note that if you submit an incomplete application, your application will be delayed and it may result in your application being refused.

You are advised not to purchase travel tickets before you know the outcome of your visa application. The Embassy cannot expedite applications where applicants have flight bookings before their visa is due to be finalised.

Please note that these are indicative processing times only.

Types of Visa and Documentation

What sort of Visa do I need?

The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) has a comprehensive guide that will assist you in checking whether you need an Irish visa and will help you make sure you have everything you need.

A comprehensive list of the different visa types that are available, and the documentation required in respect of each, is available from the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) website.

Type or write a letter explaining why you want to come to Ireland. Sign and date the letter and submit it with your documents. Your letter must include your full name and postal address, and the reason you want to come to Ireland and the dates you plan to arrive and leave. Your letter must also include a commitment from you that you will:

• Obey the conditions of your visa in full
• Not use any publicly funded services in Ireland or become a burden on the Irish State
• Leave Ireland before your immigration permission expires

Visa Fees

Return of passport and original documents:

Please include a prepaid self-addressed registered mail/courier/Xpresspost waybill/envelope

If you would prefer that the Embassy arrange shipping an additional fee applies. Please refer to the fee schedule below for your preferred method of shipping.

Fee payable by:

Canadian bank draft, money order, or certified cheque: payable to Embassy of Ireland in Canadian Dollars.

Euro not accepted, personal cheques are not accepted.

Credit card: please include the name on card, card number, and expiry date. Please do not include the three or four digit security code.

Debit cards are not accepted.

Standard non-refundable visa application processing fees:

Single Journey - $100.00
Multiple Journey - $165.00
Transit - $35

Visa fee exemptions

Some applicants are exempt from the requirement to pay the visa fee. Check whether the visa fee does not apply to you. You still need to inlcude the prepaid self-addressed registered mail/ courier/ Xpresspost waybill/envelope for the return of your documents.

Visa Appeals

My application has been refused

If your application has been refused and you still want to travel to Ireland, you can:

• Appeal the decision or
• Make a new application

If you decide to make a new application, your previous application history may be taken into account.

Appealing the decision

You'll be sent a letter outlining the reasons for refusal. If you believe the decision is wrong, you can make an appeal within two months of receiving the refusal notice.

How do I make an appeal?

Your appeal must be made in writing to the address specified in the letter you have received. Appeals may only be lodged by you (or your guardian if a minor) and must be signed by you. Faxed or emailed appeals will not be considered.

You should:

• Address each refusal reason in your appeal
• Supply clear and relevant evidence in your appeal to support your application
• Include any further information or documentation with your appeal letter
• Be aware that provision of the additional information/documentation doesn't guarantee approval

The review

The Appeals Officer will review your application, taking account of any additional information or documentation that you have supplied.

On examination and review the original decision may be reversed. The Appeals Officer will notify you in writing when the decision is made and in general, a decision should issue within 4-6 weeks.

Is there a charge?

There is no charge for lodging an appeal.

On Arrival in Ireland

Immigration control

An Irish visa is not an entry permission. It's a document giving you permission to present at a port of entry to ask to be admitted to Ireland.

All non-EEA citizens, whether they need a visa or not, will be subject to ordinary immigration controls at the port of entry.

Additional documents

As well as your visa, an Immigration Officer may ask to see additional information such as:

• Accommodation bookings
• Return flights
• Contacts in Ireland

Length of stay

The Immigration Officer at the port of entry will decide your length of stay by stamping your passport; which will reflect the purpose of your journey and the amount of time you are allowed to stay in the State.

The validity period shown on your visa indicates the dates between which you must travel to Ireland. These dates are NOT the dates between which you're permitted to remain in Ireland.

Staying over three months

If you need a visa to enter Ireland and you want to stay longer than 90 days, apply for a 'D' type visa before you travel. Permission to enter on the basis of a 'C' type visa will not give you permission to remain beyond a 90 day period.

Registration

If you're a non-EEA national and you want to stay longer than three months in Ireland, you must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau and apply for permission to remain in Ireland.

Conditions of your visa

Under Irish law, you're not allowed to engage in any activity or to remain in Ireland for any purpose other than that for which your visa or permission to remain was granted.

Overstaying your visa

If you stay in Ireland longer than your permission to remain permits, you could be liable for prosecution and/or deportation.

Change of activity

If you want to undertake any activity in Ireland other than that for which your visa was granted you must leave the country and apply for a new visa. You can’t return to Ireland while you're waiting for a decision on your new application.