If you want to enter Ireland, you may need a visa. We will guide you through the application process. Many common questions are answered in Top Visa Questions
Each application and supporting documentation, must firstly be submitted to your nearest Visa Application Centre.
In Ireland, the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) is primarily responsible for dealing with immigration and visa matters.
Irish Visa Applications from Libyan Nationals
Minister’s Decision on Review
Following a further periodic review in December 2017 of the restrictions on consideration of Irish visa applications from Libyan nationals, in place since August 2014, the Minister for Justice and Equality decided that the restrictions should remain in place for a further six months. All relevant considerations including the security situation in Libya and the potential economic impact of the restrictions were taken into account in the decision.
The restrictions are as follows:
1. Beef Industry
Applications will be accepted only from persons with previous good travel history to Ireland, the UK or Schengen countries and known to and sponsored by An Bord Bia and/or the Department of Agriculture and Food. Evidence of the sponsorship should be provided as part of the application.
2. Oil Industry
Full details of the travel arrangements out and back into Libya should be provided with the application. These applications will be subject to stringent security checks.
Consideration of visa applications for accompanying family members is suspended.
3. Air Industry
Consideration of visa applications for the purpose of training in the air industry is suspended.
4. All other applications, including other student applications
Applications for visas for all other purposes, including other forms of study or training, continue to be subject to the existing suspension of consideration of applications.
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.
Turkish passport holders require a visa to enter Ireland.
Whether you need a visa to enter Ireland depends on what country you're from.
The website of the Irish naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) lists the countries whose nationals are visa required.
Please note that there are certain limited cases where a visa is not required. Further information on these categories is available from the INIS website.
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).
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.
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.
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Bahrain |
Montenegro |
Serbia |
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Belarus |
Oman |
Thailand |
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Bosnia and Herzegovina |
People’s Republic of China |
Turkey |
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India |
Qatar |
Ukraine |
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Kazakhstan |
Russian Federation |
Uzbekistan |
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Kuwait |
Saudi Arabia |
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NOTE: This applies also to nationals of Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates who have entered the United Kingdom on foot of a C-visit Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW).
United Kingdom visitors who are - nationals of a state or 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".
If you are a citizen of one of these countries, you will need to apply for a transit visa.
Please refer to the following link for more information: Transit Visas
All visa applications are now made on-line using the AVATS on-line facility. Applicants are reminded that completing the on-line application form is only the first step in the visa application process. The Embassy has appointed Visa Facilitation Services Ltd (VFS) to accept applications at their offices within Turkey and on its behalf.
Each on-line application form, required supporting documentation, passport photographs and appropriate fee must be submitted to the nearest VIsa Application Centre (VFS). Please visit this site for information about the location of VFS Ireland offices and their contact details.
Please click here for further information on making an online application.
Email: info.irelandtr@vfshelpline.com
Telephone: 0212 373 5802
INFORMATION NOTE TO ASSIST APPLICANTS
An information note has been prepared to assist applicants completing the application form. This is available:
Note:
The granting of an Irish visa is only a form of pre-entry clearance. It does not grant permission to enter Ireland and Immigration Officers have the authority to grant or deny admission. Visa holders are subject to normal immigration control at the point of entry and should always carry with them the originals or copies of the documents submitted with their visa applications for possible inspection by an Immirgation Officer at the port of entry.
A visa holder who remains in Ireland longer than the permitted period and/or who submits false or misleading information in support of his/her application may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.
The granting of a visa is not a mere formality. As a result, the Embassy will not be held responsible for any cancelled or unused travel tickets in the event of a visa application not being processed by an applicant's intended date of travel or where an application has been rejected by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. As a result, we advise all visa applicants NOT to purchase or book travel tickets until their visa application has been approved, issued and received.
The following checklists outline the requirements of the most common types of visa applications.
Short Stay
Long Stay
A comprehensive list of the different visa types that are available, and the documentation required in respect of each, is available from the INIS website.
For ease of reference, separate links for some of the most common visa types are set out below.
Our targets for processing a Join Family visa are as follows.
If your sponsor in Ireland is an Irish citizen
We aim to process your application within 6 months after we receive all your necessary documents.
If your sponsor in Ireland is entitled to immediate family reunification
We aim to process your application within 6 months after we receive all your necessary documents.
All other sponsors
We aim to process your application within 12 months after we receive all your necessary documents.
These longer time periods reflect the detailed review we must do for every application. Times may increase if we need more documents from you, or if a detailed assessment of family rights under the Irish Constitution or the European Convention on Human Rights is required.
Note: These time periods are for guidance only and may change for your application. There is no guarantee that any individual application will be successful.
If you are a Visa-required national and you would like to visit Ireland for a short period (90 days or less) you will find useful guidelines and details of requirements for Visit/Holiday Visa applications from INIS.
For further information on tourism in Ireland please visit the website of Tourism Ireland.
Please refer to INIS for details and comprehensive information regarding these types of applications.
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a business meeting you will find useful guidelines and details of requirements for Business Visa applications on INIS.
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a conference, you will find useful guidelines and details for Conference Visa applications on INIS.
If you are a Visa-required national and you wish o set up a business in Ireland, you will require a Business Permission from the Department of Justice and Equality, prior to applying for your visa. Find more information on the INIS website.
If you require an entry visa for Ireland and would like to study here, you will find useful guidelines and details of requirements for Study Visa applications on INIS.
The Embassy of Ireland in Turkey operates a scheme for Turkish students who wish to attend short English language courses in Ireland. There are two schemes; one for Turkish Third level-university Students and one for Turkish junior students.
For further information on studying in Ireland:
Standard non-refundable visa application processing fees are:
| Good for a single journey to the State | 60 EUR |
| Good for multiple entries to the State | 100 EUR |
Please note VFS charge a processing fee on top of the statutory visa fee.
Some applicants don't have to pay a fee for their visa. These include visa-required spouses and certain family members of EEA citizens (including Irish nationals). You must provide proof of the relationship with the application.
In addition, applicants from the countries listed below don't have to pay a fee:
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Kyrgyzstan | Sri Lanka |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Montenegro | Tunisia |
| Ecuador | Morocco | Uganda |
| Indonesia | Peru | Zambia |
| Jamaica | Republic of Macedonia | |
| Kosovo | Serbia |
You may also have to pay communications charges.
Your appeal must be made in writing to the address specified in the letter you have received. Faxed or emailed appeals will not be considered.
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 a decision is made and in general, once the application of appeal has been received at the Embassy, a decision should issue within 8 weeks.
There is no charge for making an appeal.
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.
As well as your visa, an Immigration Officer may ask to see additional information such as:
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.
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.
If you're an 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.
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.
If you stay in Ireland linger than your permission to remain permits, you could be liable for prosecution and/or deportation.
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.
