Application Requirements for Irish Visit Visa

If you are a visa-required national and intend travelling to Ireland for a short period of times (less than 3 months) you should submit the following documents with your visa application.

Personal Documents and Fee

Passport, valid for 6 months after your intended date of departure from the State. Please include 2 photocopies of the passport bio page. If you have held a previous passport, you must submit your previous passport with your application.
Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our How to Apply page for details.
A signed letter of application outlining the nature and duration of your visit to Ireland and including contact details.
2 passport sized colour photos taken in the past six months that meet our specifications.
Original Hukou along with English translation and photocopies of both.
If you are married or have children under age eighteen, and your spouse or children are remaining at home, you should submit your marriage certificate and birth certificates for the children.
Details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland or any other EU State should be provided.

For applicants under 18 years of age:

An original Birth Certificate must be submitted in all cases.
If applicant travelling alone or without both parents/guardians, signed consent from parents/guardians accompanied by copies of the consenting parent(s)/guardian(s) passport which clearly show their signatures. If the parents/guardians do not currently hold a passport, the signed consent must be notarised.

Please follow these links for information on Visa Fees & VFS service charge and payment methods.

Please follow the link to find the application centre most convenient to you - information on Visa Application Centres.

Financial Documents

Evidence of sufficient finds for your trip. This should be in the form of an original bank savings certificate, bank deposit book or bank statement covering at least 6 months prior to the date of visa application.
A detailed statement of your contact/host's bank account or equivalent document for the six-month period immediately prior to your visa application showing sufficient funds to support your stay.

Other documents

A letter from your host or sponsor in Ireland stating that they will support and accommodate you during your visit and evidence that they are in a position to do so. This letter should include contact details for the reference, proposed dates for your stay and details of where you will be staying. See below for information on writing a letter of invitation.
Evidence that you are obliged to return to your country of residence. If you are employed you should provide a letter from your employer granting leave of absence and stating the duration of your employment, your position and salary. This letter should be on official company headed paper and give full details for verification purposes. These must include a full postal address, name of contact, their position in the company, telephone number (landline) and email address where relevant. (Email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted). Website address should also be included, if applicable.
If you are in full time study you should provide a letter from your school or college giving details of your course and specifying the date on which your course of study re-commences. If you are not in employment or are retired you should provide information regarding your social and economic ties to China.
CHN Undertaking letter confirming that he/she will observe the conditions of their visa, that they will not become a burden on the state and that they will leave Ireland on the expiration of their permission to remain. If you applied for a Multi-Entry visa, in the statement, the following should be included as well: I understand that with a multiple-entry visa any one visit cannot exceed 90 days and I cannot stay in Ireland more than 180 days in total in one year. That year begins the day I first enter Ireland on this multiple-entry visa.
Notarised certificate confirming kinship with reference in Ireland if applicable.
Full details of the applicants family (parents, spouse, children and siblings).

WRITING A LETTER OF INVITATION

If you are living in Ireland and you wish to invite someone to visit you, you must write a letter of invitation.

The letter should contain the following information:

If the applicant is not related to you then please state briefly how the applicant is known to you including details of when, where and how often you have met. This should be supported with copies of your passport showing evidence that you have visited China.
Give details of any time the applicant has visited you before.
Please state briefly what you understand to be the applicant's purpose of journey to Ireland and the duration of stay.
That you are aware a visit visa allows the invitee to visit Ireland for a maximum of 90 days, that a visit visa cannot be extended in Ireland and that you will ensure the invitee returns to China before their permission to remain in Ireland expires. You understand that with a multiple-entry visa any one visit cannot exceed 90 days and applicant cannot stay in Ireland more than 180 days in total in one year. that year begins the day I first enter Ireland on this multiple-entry visa.
Whether the applicant be staying with you for the duration of stay.
Whether you will be supporting the applicant financially.
That you are satisfied that you have the sufficient financial resources to support the applicant if the need arises.
Contact details for you in Ireland.

Other documents from your host/sponsor in Ireland which you should supply where applicable:

A copy of the bio-page of your passport if you are an Irish national or an EU national
If you are not an Irish/EU national please supply evidence of your current status in the State in the form of a full copy of your passport, Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) registration card and current work permit, if applicable.
Documentary evidence to show that the applicant is related to you
Copy of marriage certificate
Evidence of application for permission to marry from Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages if applicable
Names of all dependents (including non-relatives) currently residing in the State whom you are financially responsible for.

Send your letter to the person you are inviting to Ireland, they must then submit the letter with their visa application.

If you are accompanying your employer to Ireland for a visit please note in order for your application to be considered you should be in their employment for at least one year.

Notes

Please note that any document submitted in Chinese must be accompanied by an official English translation.

You are required to provide a copy of all original documents.

All employment letters submitted should be on official company headed paper and give full contact details for verification purposes. These must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in company, telephone number (landline) and email address where relevant. (Email addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted). Website address should also be included, if applicable.

If you have children (under 18 years) who do not hold Irish passports, and therefore require a visa, a separate application must be submitted, along with a birth certificate, for each child.

If you wish a child (under 18 years) from a previous marriage or relationship to travel with you, a Court Order bestowing sole custody of this child must be shown.

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You are not entitled to work in Ireland and you must intend to leave after a maximum of 90 days stay. It is not possible to change your status while in Ireland.

We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible however, please allow 10 working days for your application to be processed.

If you are visiting Ireland as part of a tourist group with an authorised tourist agent please see the section on Approved Destination Status (ADS) Tourist Visas.

As a visitor, you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without working in Ireland. It is acceptable for support and accommodation to be provided by relatives or friends in Ireland but not from public funds.

Before you complete your visa application please thoroughly read the information contained in General Information for all Visa types.

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Consulate General of Ireland, Shanghai