In This Section
Introduction
A short stay conference/event visa allows you to travel to Ireland for up to 90 days to attend a conference, symposium or other event, subject to conditions described below.
All short stay visas are also called ‘C’ visas.
About this visa
A short stay ‘C’ conference/event visa allows you to travel to Ireland for up to 90 days to attend a conference, symposium or other event, for example for business or academic reasons.
This visa does not allow you to:
- Work in any way (paid or unpaid)
- Rely on Irish public services, for example public hospitals.
Read the general assessment criteria for all short stay ‘C’ visas.
Who needs to apply?
You need a visa to come to Ireland if you travel using a passport issued by a country that is visa required or using a convention travel document issued by certain countries. Each traveller must apply for a separate visa.
A visa application for a young person (aged under 18) should be made by their parent or legal guardian. Extra conditions for young people also apply.
You should not purchase travel tickets before you receive a decision on your visa application.
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:
- Create a visa application online
- Pay the visa application fee
- Send your passport & other documents for processing.
Note: In some cases, you may also need to provide biometric information.
You will be given information about where to send your documents after you create your visa application.
If your application is successful, an Irish visa will be placed into your passport/travel document and returned to you. In general, you can expect a decision about 8 weeks after we receive your documents.
Special visa programmes
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.
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.
Create your visa application online
Answer all questions in AVATS fully and honestly.
Short stay Conference/Event visa
To come to Ireland for up to 90 days to attend a Conference/Event, select the following options in AVATS:
Visa type: ‘Short Stay (C)’
Reason for travel: ‘Conference/Event’
Journey type: ‘single’ or ‘multiple’ (as appropriate for you)
Note: Multiple entry visas are approved in limited circumstances only.
Application summary
When finished, you will be shown a web page with important summary information, including your:
Visa Application Transaction Number: Keep a note of this number. You will need it to check progress on your application or when contacting us
Application summary sheets: Print, sign and date these sheets and send them to your application office (as below), along with your passport and other documents
- Application office: Send your application to the office address shown on your summary sheet. Your application office may be the Dublin visa office, an international visa office or an Irish Embassy or Consulate worldwide, depending on where you apply from. (In some cases, your application office may send your application to a different office for a visa decision.)
Fees
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:
€60: Single entry – Short stay ‘C’ visa
€100: Multiple entry – Short stay ‘C’ visa
Extra charges may apply for some applications, for example consular fees.
The visa fee covers the administrative cost of processing your application. It will not be refunded if your application is withdrawn or refused.
Documents Required
Guidance on documentation
You must send the documents listed above to your application office within 30 days of creating an application via AVATS. Your application will not be processed until everything is received.
Prepare your documents carefully. They contain information we need to make a decision about you. It is your responsibility to satisfy us that a visa should be granted.
Letters from companies, universities, schools, colleges and so on, must be on official headed paper so they can be verified, and show the organisation’s:
- Full name
- Full postal address
- Telephone number (fixed line – not mobile/cell phone)
- Website address
- Email address (Yahoo and Hotmail email addresses are not accepted)
- A contact person’s name and title/position
- Written signature of an authorised representative (electronic signature is not accepted).
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.
We will return marriage, birth and death certificates to you after your application is processed.
If there are other documents you want returned, type or write a list of the documents you want and:
- Include the list with your visa application
- Include the original documents from the list (we will return these after processing)
- Include a photocopy of each document (we will keep these).
“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.”
Your application may be refused if you do not submit all documents. Even if you submit everything required, there is no guarantee that a visa will be granted.
Send your documents
When you are satisfied that you have prepared 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:
Place each person’s application documents into separate envelopes
Write the name and Visa Application Transaction Number of each applicant on each envelope
Place each envelope into a larger envelope and send it to the application office.
Be sure to pay the correct postage for large packages.
After you apply
When we receive your application, we will check that you have included:
Signed and dated Application Summary Sheets
Proof of payment of the visa application fee (if applicable)
All other documents listed above.
When reviewing your application we may contact you to ask for more information or documents. We may also:
Send your passport or travel document for official authentication
Contact An Garda Síochána (Irish police) for information about you
Contact government departments or other agencies for information about you, for example INTERPOL.
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 summary sheet) to find out if you need to provide biometric information and how to do so.
Visa decisions
Visa applications are processed in the order they are received. Processing times differ between application offices and application types and may also vary during the year, for example, at holiday periods.
In general, you can expect a decision for a short stay ‘C’ exam visa about 8 weeks after your documents are received.
Note: Your application may take longer if documents are missing, need to be verified or because of personal circumstances, for example if you have a criminal conviction.
Where to check your Visa decision
Dublin visa office: If your application was sent to the Dublin visa office, new visa decisions and waiting times are published every Tuesday
All other offices: If you send your application to an international visa office, Irish Embassy or Consulate, contact that office for an update on your application.
If your visa is approved
An Irish visa will be placed into a blank page of your passport or travel document. Your passport or travel document and certain original documents (for example: marriage, birth or death certificates and other documents listed by you) will be returned to you by post or arranged for collection at an international visa office, Irish Embassy or Consulate.
If your visa is refused
You will be sent a ‘letter of refusal’ that explains why your application was not approved. Your passport or travel document and certain original documents (for example marriage, birth or death certificates and other documents listed by you) will be returned to you by post or arranged for collection at an international visa office, Irish Embassy or Consulate.
Appeal a visa decision
You can appeal a negative visa decision at no cost. To do so, you must submit an appeal within 2 months of the date on your letter of refusal.
When you travel
An Irish visa allows you to travel to Ireland. It does not give you permission to enter the country. You can be refused entry even if you have a visa.
Border Control
When you arrive at border control, you must prove that you have a valid reason for entering Ireland to the immigration officer. 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. Click here for suggested documents to present at border control. If you cannot satisfy the immigration officer, you will not be allowed into Ireland.
If you are given permission to enter, the officer will place a ‘landing stamp’ in your passport. The landing stamp shows the reason for your visit (for example, business, work) and how long you can stay, up to a maximum of 90 days.
Leaving Ireland and returning home
The time period you are permitted to stay in Ireland is shown 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 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 unexpected way after you arrive in Ireland.
An extension will not be granted to attend a meeting or event or any non-emergency or probable reason. You must be in Ireland to apply and submit an application before your existing permission expires.
Visas for people aged under 18
A Conference/Event visa application for a young person (aged under 18) should be made by their parent or legal guardian. The process follows the same steps described above with some extra conditions (as below) to protect the young person’s safety.