Travelling as part of a School Tour

Non-EU/EEA school pupils who are resident in an EU/EEA State and wish to travel to another EU/EEA State as part of a group school excursion may be exempt from the requirement to be in possession of a visa.

This exemption arises from the implementation of the European Council Decision (94/795/JHA) on a joint action adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3(2)(b) of the Treaty on European Union concerning travel facilities for school pupils from non-EU Member Countries resident in a member state. Please note that an upper age limit does not apply, provided the pupil is part of a school group.

If the school is based outside of Ireland and the pupil is travelling to Ireland, please contact the relevant Immigration Authority of that EU/EEA state to authorise the trip before travelling to Ireland. This authorisation can then be presented to the Irish Immigration Officer on arrival to Ireland.

Any such queries should be directed to the Immigration Authority of the relevant EU/EEA state. The Irish Immigration Authorities cannot assist with such queries.

For schools based in Ireland to avail of this visa exemption, the head of the school (typically the school principal’s office) must complete and submit an application form and submit it online via the Customer Service Portal.

Instruction on how to categorise and submit such a request can be found here: Submitting Registration or Renewal Queries

In order to process the request, the following documents will be required to be included:

1. A completed application form (in editable .pdf format) which is stamped by the school principal’s office.
2. A scan/picture of the relevant applicant’s (pupil’s) passport.
3. A scan/picture of the teacher’s passport and work ID that will be accompanying them during travel.
4. A letter, on official headed paper from the school stating that the named applicant(s) are travelling as part of a school trip.

Important notes:

• Applications can only be submitted by the school principal’s office (not by parents or guardians).
• Applications should be submitted as early as possible prior to travel to allow for sufficient processing time. Applications submitted with under 30 days’ notice of the planned travel date may not be completed in time.
• The completed Visa Waiver form must be provided as a scanned .pdf file. A picture will not suffice.