Visas for Ireland

If you want to enter Ireland, you may need a visa.

The Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC is responsible for visa applications from those resident in Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands - Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands (US), Virgin Islands (British), Aruba, Grenada and Guam.

Fees

Standard non-refundable visa application processing fees are:

• Good for a single journey in transit through the State: $34
• Good for a single journey to the State: $81
• Good for multiple entries to the State: $136
• Working Holiday Authorisation: $339

If you wish to have your visa sent to you by FedEx instead of picking it up at the Embassy please include an additional $10 for domestic overnight FedEx charges and $20 for international FedEx charges (to the islands).

All visa and courier fees must be submitted in the form of a money order/bank draft/cashier's check in US dollars payable to “The Department of Foreign Affairs – Ireland” and included with your application materials.

Cash or credit cards are not acceptable.

Application Process

Full information on visa requirements, types and the application process can be found on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS), which is primarily responsible for dealing with immigration and visa matters.

Supporting documentation

All applications must include required documentation listed in the "Guide to Supporting Documentation" specific to each visa category on the INIS website.

No fee required

Some applicants don't have to pay a fee for their visa. To confirm whether or not citizens from your country must pay a visa fee, please check the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).

Processing time

The Embassy of Ireland's average processing time for a visa application is 8 weeks, provided the application and all supporting documents are correctly completed and in order when received. Please note that processing time can be longer if documentation supplied is incomplete or requires follow-up with the applicant. Visa applications in certain circumstances may have to be referred to Ireland for a decision on whether a visa can be granted. If this is the case, processing time is considerably longer, up to six months. If the visa is required urgently, please advise the Embassy as soon as the application has been submitted. Please see the Embassy’s contact details and opening hours.

Remember...

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