Visas for Ireland

You need to check if you need an Irish visa on the website of the Irish Immigration Service.

Please note that Ireland is not party to the Schengen Agreement, and a Schengen visa or residence permit does not entitle you to travel to Ireland without a visa.

Unless you qualify for the short stay visa waiver programme or have a visa issued as part of the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS), a valid UK visa does not entitle you to travel to Ireland without a visa.

Information on types of visas and required documentation can be found on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).

• Fill in the online visa application form
• Print it
• Sign it
• Keep your 8 digit visa reference number (located on the first page of the summary sheet)

Next:

You must submit the following documents in person to your nearest Visa Facilitation Services Global (VFS) Office:

• visa application
• supporting documentation
• photographs
• fee
• passport

All documents must be:

• original
• legible
• verifiable
• in English or Irish, or translated with a certified translation
• not in envelopes or folders

You must also submit photocopies of all documents including every page of your passport. Ensure you separate original documents from photocopied documents. Application decisions and original documentation will be returned to you. You must submit a prepaid envelope along with your application. You can get a prepaid envelope at the Visa Facilitation Services Global (VFS) office.

Fingerprints are taken for applicants aged 5 years and over. The Visa Facilitation Services Global (VFS) Office sends your application to the Embassy Visa Office. We process it and decide whether or not to issue your visa.

Further information on what to expect on arrival in Ireland can be found on the website of the Irish Immigration Service.

The Embassy applies a zero tolerance policy with respect to fraudulent applications.

An application containing a deception such as a forged document, a document containing false information or information withheld from an application (such as a previous visa refusal) may result in your application being refused without the prospect of appeal.

If the application was submitted as part of a group, all applications in that group maybe refused without appeal. Where applications are rejected on the grounds of a deception, a 5-year ban may also be applied.

I understand that any false or misleading information, or false supporting documentation may result in the refusal of my application may be refused and I may be prevented from making further visa applications for a period of up to 5 years.

An appeal, against the decision to refuse to grant the visa sought, may not be permitted.

For applications submitted in Nigeria and Ghana through the VFS offices, visa fees are payable in the local currency equivalent of €60 euro for a single entry visa or €100 euro for a multi-entry visa. In the case of applications sent to us by courier from Senegal and the Ivory Coast, contact us for details on how to pay the fee.

• Visa fees are non-refundable
• VFS charges its own visa processing fee in addition to the amounts indicated above