- Information Note
- Supporting Documentation
- Payment Method
- Processing Times
- Checklist for Applicants
- Online Application Form
Information Note
During August and September visa applications may take longer to process than our advertised processing times due to the volume of applications being received and the resources available to process them. Therefore we strongly advise that you submit your application as far in advance of your proposed travel date as possible. DO NOT contact the visa office for status updates. You will be informed when a decision is made or by the courier in order for you to arrange collection of your passport.
YOU MUST SUBMIT A CLEAR COPY OF THE BIODATA PAGE OF YOUR PASSPORT AND COPIES OF ANY PREVIOUS IRISH VISAS ISSUED TO YOU. FAILURE TO SUBMIT THESE WILL RESULT IN YOUR APPLICATION BEING DELAYED.
WE STRONGLY ADVISE APPLICANTS NOT TO PAY FOR AIRLINE OR OTHER TRAVEL TICKETS WITHOUT HAVING BEEN ISSUED WITH A VISA. PRODUCTION OF A CONFIRMED TRAVEL BOOKING IS NOT REQUIRED FOR AN IRISH VISA APPLICATION.
The Irish Visa Office in Abu Dhabi is based at the Embassy of Ireland, Abu Dhabi, UAE. We can only accept visa applications which have been made on line. Applicants are reminded that completing the on-line application form is only the first step in the visa application process. An application can only be processed when the on-line form is completed AND the required supporting documentation, passport photograph and appropriate fee are received by the relevant office as indicated by the on-line system.
To launch an on-line application please visit the INIS website
It is no longer possible to apply using a downloaded/paper application form.
Information Note to assist applicants
An information note has been prepared to assist applicants. This is available in English, and also in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.
Submission of your Application
Since 8 December 2016 VFS Global are accepting visa applications on behalf of Embassy of Ireland, Abu Dhabi. VFS will lodge the visa applications with supporting documentation to the Embassy on behalf of the visa applicant, collect the visa fees in local currency in Kuwait and remit visa fees in AED to the Embassy. They will also return passports to applicants, upon their arrival back at their office.
VFS is located at the following address:
Level 30
Arraya Center
Near Courtyard Marriott
Alshuhada Street
Kuwait City
Kuwait
Business Hours: 0900 H to 1700 H
Application Submission: 0900 H to 1500 H
Passport Collection: 1600 H to 1700 H
Visa Fees
The fee for processing your visa application will be 25 KWD for a single entry visa. In circumstances where a multiple entry visa may be granted the fee will be 42 KWD.
Service charge to VFS will be 12 KWD.
Alternative Services:
If you do not wish to avail of the above service you should send your completed visa application, supporting documents and passport using any courier company "ONE WAY ONLY" to the Visa Office in Abu Dhabi.
Your passport will be returned by Aramex and they will pay the visa fee on your behalf upon collection of your passport from the Visa Office. You will be charged for the visa fee in addition to the courier charge. If you send your application/passport 'delivery and return' service we will return your passport using the same courier company. It is important that the courier company has the ability to pay the visa fee on your behalf. The visa office will not be responsible for any delay in returning your passport due to the inability of the courier company to pay the required visa fee at the appointed time of collection.
If you submit an application in person to the Visa Office in Abu Dhabi you should be aware that it is not possible to process an application on the same day or the next day. Applications take a minimum of 5-6 days to process. Please note that it is at the discretion of the visa office whether or not to accept a visa application submitted directly from an applicant who is not legally resident in the UAE.
Supporting documentation
PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS SECTION ON THIS WEBSITE SO THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF WHAT DOCUMENTS YOU NEED TO SUBMIT WITH YOUR VISA APPLICATION.
Applications received without the necessary supporting documents or information will delay the processing of your application or may result in it being refused.
You must also ensure that ‘all’ the required supporting documentation accompanies your visa application otherwise your visa application cannot be processed or will be delayed. It is your responsibility to ensure you have sent our Visa Office all the necessary documents in order for a decision to be made. You will find the list of supporting documentation required for the main types of visas on the INIS website.
Payment Method
The Irish Visa Office cannot accept personal cheques, foreign currency or postal orders. The visa fees must be paid in UAE Dirhams directly to the Abu Dhabi Visa Office. Without receiving the visa fee we cannot process your application.
Paying by Bank Transfer
If you are not using a courier such as Aramex or DHL who can pay the visa fee for you it is possible to pay the visa fee directly to the Visa Office’s bank account. The method of payment will be by bank transfer and evidence of transfer of the payment will be required to be provided with your papers to be sent by courier or alternative secure mail to the Embassy of Ireland Abu Dhabi.
The fee for processing your visa application will be 270 AED for a single entry visa. In circumstances where a multiple entry visa may be granted the fee will be 450 AED. A transit visa will cost 110 AED. You can pay the fee in your local currency at the relevant AED exchange rates. You should refer to www.inis.gov.ie for information as to when a multiple entry visa may be granted. The details can be found on the site at the section dealing with visa fees. This section of the site also provides details as to when a fee may not be required.
The visa fees mentioned above must be paid in full – depending on the visa being sought. These fees are required to undertake an examination of the application. Any commission charges payable to your bank or the receiving bank in Abu Dhabi cannot be deducted from the visa fee. If there are charges from the sending and receiving bank you must provide sufficient funds to cover these costs. You should check these costs with your bank and cover the cost of the sending and receiving bank. It will not be possible to examine applications where the correct fee has not been provided. Deductions cannot be made from the visa fee amount for commission charges of the banks.
You must enclose a confirmation of payment. When making the payment to the bank you should also indicate your name or your AVATS reference number on the lodgment slip. This is to ensure we are easily able to match your application to the fees received in our bank account. Only when you have checked the requirements for the visa you are seeking and have all of the necessary papers should you send the application for assessment.
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED WITHOUT A RECEIPT OF PAYMENT WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL THE VISA OFFICE HAS EVIDENCE OF THE FEES HAVING BEEN PAID FOR THAT APPLICATION TO THE BANK A/C.
The bank account details are as follows:
Name of holder: Embassy of Ireland, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Account number: 6202417770
Bank: National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Main Branch, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Swiftcode: NBADAEAA
IBAN No: AE220350000006202417770
Processing Times
IMPORTANT: Regardless of indicative processing times below you ‘should’ always apply for your visa well in advance and allow at least 3 weeks for your application to be processed.
DO NOT ASK THAT A DECISION IS MADE SOONER THAN THIS AS YOUR REQUEST WILL BE REFUSED.
Provided that all the required documents have been supplied and are in order, Short Stay C type visas are generally processed within 4-10 working days from the time the application ‘is received’ by courier at the INIS Visa Office in Abu Dhabi. Processing may take longer at certain times of the year or depending on the complexity of the application.
Provided that all the required documents have been supplied and are in order, Long Stay D type visas may take longer to process and you should allow at least 10-15 working days for these visas to be processed, including time allowed for a courier to send and return the visa applications/ passports. Processing may take longer at certain times of the year or depending on the complexity of the application.
Provided that all the required documents have been supplied and are in order, Residency Long Stay D type visas (Join Family of Irish/EU Spouse or Parent) you should allow 15-20 working days for such visas to be processed, including time allowed for a courier to send and return the visa applications/passports. Processing may take longer at certain times of the year or depending on the complexity of the application.
You should allow extra time to allow for a courier to send your application and to return your passport/visa. We recommend you allow a ‘minimum’ of 3-5 working days for this. The visa office cannot be held responsible for delays in applications being received or passports returned due to couriers.
Please note that these are indicative processing times only. Applications are dealt with in the order they are received and can take longer than the stated timeframes below depending on the volume of applications being received, the time of year (especially peak periods) or the level of complexity of a particular visa application. The onus is on ‘you’ the applicant, to ensure that your full and complete application is submitted in sufficient time for a decision to be made before your travel date.
Applicants from Kuwait should send their applications to:
Embassy of Ireland,
Irish Visa Office
Al Yasat Street off 6th Street
Al Bateen
P.O. Box 61581
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
Using a courier to send you application and make the visa application fee payment
Once your application has been decided the Visa Office will immediately arrange to return your passport. The visa application fee will be paid by ARAMEX on your behalf. You must pay the visa application fee/s to the courier company upon return of your passport as well as the cost of returning your passport. Please refer to the relevant page on this website for visa fees.
Under no circumstances will the Visa Office be responsible for payment of any courier charges in order to return your passport. There are no exceptions to this policy. You may be charged in your local currency for the relevant application fee. The Visa Office has no responsibility or involvement in any commission charges or exchange rates that apply that the courier company may apply.
If you do not wish your visa application fee to be paid by a courier company you must clearly state this in your application and also include a ‘receipt’ showing that you have paid the relevant visa fee to our Visa Bank Account (details below). If this information is not on your application we ‘will assume’ that you wish the visa application fee to be paid by the courier company on your behalf. Please note that payment by bank transfer will take longer than payment using a courier company.
If you opt to use a courier company such as Aramex to pay the visa fee on your behalf you must pay this fee to the courier company ‘even’ where your application has been refused. The visa application fee is for processing the application and is not a fee for issuing a visa. The fee applies regardless of the decision on your application and will be applied once we receive your application.
Original Documents: If you wish to have original documents returned you should state this in your application and also provide photocopies of the originals. We can return original documents via the courier when your passport is being returned to you. However, you should state what documents you wish returned. Otherwise it will be your responsibility to arrange for a courier to collect documents held at our visa office.
Weekly Decision Reports
Every Thursday, a report detailing all decisions made in the previous week at the Visa Office Abu Dhabi is posted to the Weekly Decision Reports page. Please use your unique online application number to search these reports for your decision.
Visa Appeals
How to appeal a visa refusal? Please check Tab 7 on the Visa for Ireland page.
Checklist for Applicants
If you wish to travel to Ireland or pass through an Irish port in order to travel to another state you may need an Irish visa.
You may need a visa to travel to Ireland even if you live in Ireland.
A visa is a paper document affixed to a page of the holder's passport. It permits a person to travel to Ireland during the validity period stated on the visa. It does not guarantee entry to the State. An Immigration Officer at the port of entry has the authority to grant or deny admission, and to decide the duration of a person’s stay in the State.
What do I need to know?
Read the Checklist to find out if you need an Irish visa and about applying for a visa on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Services website.