In This Section
Introduction
If you wish to attend a short course of study of 90 days or less and if you are from a visa required country you will need to apply for a short stay ‘C’ visit (Study) visa.
You must make your visa application from the country where you are ordinarily resident, i.e. the country where you live. Requests to make a visa application from any other country (e.g. a country that you are visiting while on holiday) will not be accepted.
About this visa
A short stay ‘C’ visit (Study) visa allows you to travel to Ireland for up to 90 days for:
This visa does not allow you to:
Who needs to apply
How to apply
You must apply for a visa from your home country or a country where you are a legal resident. Prepare your application 3 months before you travel.
Your application has 3 parts:
We will give information about where to send your documents. We provide this after you create your visa application.
If your application is successful, we will place an Irish visa into your passport/travel document. We will then return this to you. Generally, you can expect a decision about 8 weeks after we receive your documents.
Special visa programmes
Travel to Ireland on a school group trip from EU/EEA or Switzerland
You may not need an Irish visa if you are a school student and you want to come here as part of a school group trip. This applies to those who are legally resident in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland.
Read how this works under the School student visa waiver decision.
Travel to Ireland using a UK visa
You may be able to visit Ireland without applying for a separate Irish visa, if you have an eligible UK (short stay) visitor visa and you are a citizen of an approved country.
Read how this works under the Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme.
Travel between Ireland and UK for certain Chinese and Indian nationals
You may be able to visit Ireland and the United Kingdom using a single Irish or UK visa if you travel using a Chinese or Indian passport.
Read how this works under the British-Irish Visa Scheme.
Create your visa application online
AVATS is the online visa application system. To apply for a visa, answer all questions in AVATS fully and honestly.
Short stay visit (tourist) visa
To visit Ireland for tourism or study for less than 90 days, select the following options in AVATS:
Application Form
When finished, you will see a web page with important summary information. This includes your:
Pay the visa application fee
Payment methods and currency options may differ between offices. Contact your application office to find out how to pay. Some applicants are exempt and do not pay visa fees. Current fees are:
Extra charges may apply for some applications. For example, consular fees. The visa fee covers the administrative cost of processing your application. This will not be refunded if you withdraw your application or if we refuse your application.
Document guidance
You must send the documents listed below to your application office. You must do this within 30 days of creating an application via AVATS. We will not process your application until we receive everything.
Prepare your documents carefully. They contain information we need to make a decision about you. It is your responsibility to provide the necessary information that will enable us to grant you a visa.
Documents must be original
We do not accept photocopies (except where stated).
Letters must be original
Letters from (For example, companies, universities, schools, colleges) must be on official headed paper. These must show the organisation’s:
Documents must be translated & certified
You must provide a full and certified translation into the English or Irish language of any documents not in English or Irish. Send us both the original documents and the certified translations.
Read a longer description about how to make a certified translation of a document.
“Any State issued official documents, such as Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, Divorce Certificates that were issued by a State outside of the EEA or Switzerland, must be attested/apostilled as genuine by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the State that issued the document, in order that it can be accepted as evidence for Irish visa purposes. Such documents are required to be translated into English or Irish, if necessary. Translations done outside the EEA or Switzerland must also be attested/apostilled as genuine, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country in which the translation occurs. Send us both the original documents and the certified translations. Translations done in the EEA or Switzerland do not need to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Any State issued official documents, such as Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Death Certificates, Divorce Certificates that were issued by a State within the EEA or Switzerland do not require to be attested as genuine from Member States. A translation of these documents is not required where a multilingual standard form (MSF) is also provided. Such MSF forms are available from Member States on request. If an MSF is not provided by you then those documents are required to be translated into English or Irish, if necessary in order that it can be accepted as evidence for Irish visa purposes. Translations done outside the EEA or Switzerland must also be attested/apostilled as genuine, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the country in which the translation occurs. Translations done in the EEA or Switzerland do not need to be attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will also accept the Extract of a European marriage certificate, issued in accordance with the “Convention on the issue of multilingual extracts from civil status records“, as proof of a marriage within the EEA or Switzerland. Send us both the original documents and the certified translations.”
Return of documents
We will return marriage, birth and death certificates to you after we process your application. If there are other documents you want returned, type or write a list of the documents you want and then:
We may refuse your application if you do not submit all documents. Even if you submit everything required, there is no guarantee that we will grant you a visa.
Documents required
(i) Application Form sheets
Print, sign and date the Application Form sheets (from AVATS). You must include them with your application documents.
(ii) Application letter
Type or write a letter explaining why you want to come to Ireland. Sign and date the letter and submit it with your documents.
Your letter must include your full name and postal address, and the:
Your letter must also include a commitment from you that you will:
(iii) Holiday, vacation or study plan
Type or write a description of your planned holiday, vacation or study trip to Ireland. Please include details of where you will stay.
Accommodation
Include printed reservation confirmations (emails or letters) of your accommodation from:
Reservation confirmations must show the dates you intend to stay at each place.
Study
If you plan to study during your stay, include information about your study plan, such as:
Travel & medical insurance
If we approve your visa application, you must get travel/medical insurance before you travel. You will not be able to enter Ireland without it.
In some cases, we may ask you to submit proof that you have travel/medical insurance before we grant a visa.
(iv) Proof of fee payment (where relevant)
In some circumstances, you may have to include proof that you have paid the visa application fee. Contact your application office to find out if you need to provide proof and what to include.
If you are exempt from the visa fee, you may have to include documents that prove you are exempt. Contact your application office about proof of exemption. Proof of payment/exemption may differ between offices. Extra charges may also apply for some applications. For example, consular fees.
(v) Passport
Type or write a letter that describes your travel plan to and from Ireland if you intend to:
The letter must also state if you need or do not need visas for those countries. Include the letter with your application.
If relevant, apply for those countries’ visas before you apply for an Irish visa. We may refuse your application for a visa if your passport does not contain the expected visas.
If you do not get the expected visas before you apply for an Irish visa, explain why in your letter. The visa officer will include those reasons when reviewing your application.
If you are not a citizen of the country you are applying from you must submit proof you have permission to be in the country you are applying from. If you are not a citizen you must submit proof you have permission to be in the country. For example, a photocopy of your residence card.
You must also show you have at least 3 months’ permission to remain in that country after the date you plan to leave Ireland.
(vi) Photographs
Include 2 passport-sized colour photographs of the visa applicant. On the back of each photo:
(vii) Finance plan
You must show that you have enough finance (money) to support yourself in Ireland.
If you are paying for your own visit include an up-to-date bank statement with your documents. The bank statement must:
If you submit a bank statement from a savings and deposit account, you must include an original letter from your bank (on headed paper). This must confirm you can withdraw money from it.
You must also include a written explanation of any large movements of money in or out of your account, if appropriate.
If a friend or family member in Ireland is helping to pay for your visit type or write an estimate of how much your friend/family member will spend (in Euro) and what they will pay for (if appropriate). For example, the cost of airline tickets.
Your friend/family member must also show that they can afford these costs. This applies to any friends/family members who will help to pay for your vacation, including Irish citizens.
To do so, you must ask them to send you the following original documents and include them with your application:
You must also include your own personal bank statement, following the same rules as described above.
If someone else (a third party) is helping to pay for your visit type or write a description that explains how and why your visit is being paid for by a third party. You must also include the third party’s:
You must also include:
(viii) Proof you will return home
You must include proof that you will leave Ireland when your visit ends.
To do so, you must show that you have a strong obligation to return home (For example – to your country of residence) for economic, social or family reasons.
Work
If you have a job at home, you must show that you have an obligation to return to it. To do so, you should provide:
Education or study
If you are a student at home, you must show that you have an obligation to return to continue your studies. To do so, you should provide a letter from your school or college that states:
The letter should also state that your school/college expects you return to your studies after your vacation or study trip to Ireland.
Family
If you have a family at home, you must prove that you will return to them. To do so, type or write a description of your family including:
If you are married and your spouse is not coming to Ireland with you, you should include your original Marriage Certificate with your application.
If you have children aged under 18 and they are not coming to Ireland with you, you should include their original Birth Certificates with your application.
Property
If you own or rent property in your country of residence, type or write a description of it. You should include this with your application.
You should also include other documents as proof. For example, your original tenancy/rental agreement or property title deed.
(ix) Visa refusals
If you were ever refused a visa by any country, type or write a description about it. You must also include the original letter sent to you by the authorities that refused your application.
Applications for young people (aged under 18)
A parent or legal guardian should make a visa application for a young person (aged under 18). The process follows the same steps described above with some extra conditions (as below) to protect the young person’s safety.
Click here for extra conditions for young people aged under 18
Submit your documents
Make sure that you have prepared all your application documents. Put them into a strong padded envelope and send them to your application office. If you are making a visa application for yourself and another person, you may send them together. To send together:
After you apply
When we receive your application, we will check that you have included:
When reviewing your application we may contact you to ask for more information or documents. We may also:
Biometric information
In some cases, you may need to provide biometric information as part of your application.
Contact your application office (as listed on your Application Form sheet). They will confirm if you need to provide biometric information and how to do so.
Visa decisions
We process visa applications in the order we receive them. Processing times differ between application offices and application types. This may also vary during the year. For example, during holiday periods.
In general, you can expect a decision for a short stay visit (tourist) visa about 8 weeks after we receive your documents.
Check your visa decision
Dublin visa Office
If you sent your application to the Dublin Visa Office, new visa decisions and waiting times are published every Tuesday.
All other offices
If you sent your application to an international Visa Office, Irish Embassy or Consulate, contact that office for an update on your application.
If we approve your application
We will place an Irish visa into a blank page of your passport/travel document. We will return your passport/travel document and certain original documents by post. For example, marriage, birth or death certificates and other documents listed by you. You can also arrange for collection at an international Visa Office, Irish Embassy or Consulate.
Visas for young people (aged under 18)
An Irish visa issued to a young person aged under 18 will show if they are travelling alone (unaccompanied) or with an adult (accompanied).
If we refuse your application
We will send you a ‘letter of refusal’ that explains why your application was not approved.
We will return your passport/travel document and certain original documents by post. For example, marriage, birth or death certificates and other documents listed by you. You can also arrange for collection at an international Visa Office, Irish Embassy or Consulate.
Appeal a visa decision
There is no appeal mechanism for short stay visa refusals of this nature. If you have been refused a short stay visa and it is still your intention to travel to Ireland in the future, you will need to make a new visa application. In any such new application, please carefully follow the published guidelines for that category of visas and pay close attention to the refusal reasons set out in the decision letter you received on your previous application.
When you travel
An Irish visa allows you to travel to Ireland. It does not give you permission to enter the country.
We can refuse you entry even if you have a visa.
Border control
When you arrive at border control, you must prove to the immigration officer that you have a valid reason for entering Ireland.
To do so you will need your passport, visa and other documents. For example, you should bring copies of documents from your application with you when you travel.
Read a longer description about what to expect at border control.
If you cannot satisfy the immigration officer of your reasons for coming, you will not be able to enter Ireland. If you receive permission to enter, the officer will place a ‘landing stamp’ in your passport. The landing stamp shows the reason for your visit (For example – tourism) and how long you can stay, up to a maximum of 90 days.
Leaving Ireland & returning home
The period of time you are able to stay in Ireland is visible on the landing stamp in your passport. You must leave the country before your permission expires. It is against the law to remain here without permission.
Extend a stay for unforeseen circumstances
In rare and exceptional circumstances, you may apply to extend your permission to stay in Ireland.
To apply for an extension, the circumstances of your visit must change in an unforeseen way after you arrive in the country. We will not grant an extension for any non-emergency or foreseeable reason. For example, for additional tourism. You must be in Ireland to apply and submit an application before your existing permission expires.