Irish Tourist Visa
As with tourist visas in many destinations, Irish visit visas are often referred to variously as a tourist visa, travel visa or entry visa, however, the terminology applies to the same type of visa for Ireland designed for those wishing to visit Ireland on a temporary basis only.
The growth in immigration to Ireland seen in recent years has been driven largely by rapid economic growth in the country, however the high quality of life in the Republic and its relatively liberal immigration services mean that immigrating to Ireland remains a popular option for many economic migrants. Unlike many other popular destinations Irish immigration visas have relatively few categories and are, to an extent, less complicated than the processes encountered by those who wish to apply for a UK visa, Australian visa, Canadian visa, or most notably a US visa.
However, ensuring that you obtain the right visa for your needs is an essential consideration whether you intend to apply for an Irish visitor visa for tourism or visiting friends and family, or a longer term work or business visa solution leading to permanent residence in Ireland or a grant of Irish citizenship. As a specialist Irish immigration consultancy, Global Visas can help you to assess your eligibility and determine the most appropriate visa service for your relocation to Ireland. Visas can be managed and monitored throughout the application process and a Global visas immigration consultant will be able to respond to any queries you may have. Our team of immigration lawyers and migration consultants can provide specialist immigration lawyer advice at every stage to ensure that you embark upon the best immigration service for you allowing you to relocate to Ireland as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Benefits
In Ireland, visas for tourists offer similar benefits to the equivalent travel documents in other countries such as the UK, Australia and the US. Irish visitor visas allow their holders to enter the country and to stay for the purposes of tourism or visiting friends and family for a period of up to 90 days. Irish visas of this kind are specifically intended as a temporary immigration service, and therefore working in Ireland is not permitted. Unlike Irish work permits or Irish Green cards, which provide for those migrating to Ireland on a long-term basis, applicants with travel visas are not entitled to work in Ireland during their stay and must return on or before the expiry of the grant of leave.
Eligibility
In Ireland, immigration on a temporary basis through an Irish tourist visa requires applicants to fulfil the following requirements:
- Applicants must be able to provide a current and valid passport with at least six months of validity after the date you intend to leave Ireland.
- The purpose of the visit must be substantiated by either a letter of reference or documentary evidence of a hotel booking which provides details of the dates that the applicant will be in Ireland.
- Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence that it is their intention to return to their country of residence. This may be provided by a range of documentary evidence to show employment or family commitments in the country of residence.
- Evidence must be provided to show that the applicant is able to fully support him or herself throughout the duration of their stay in Ireland. Alternatively in cases where a candidate is staying in Ireland with friends or family it is permissible to submit a letter from the host, which claims full financial responsibility for the candidate. In these circumstances, it will be necessary to prove that the host has sufficient funds to do this.
Spouse Immigration and Dependent Immigration
In Ireland, visit visa applications are designed specifically for those who intend to enter the country for a short period and return to their country of residence at the expiry of their Irish visa. With this in mind, unlike an Irish work permit or an Irish Green Card, Irish tourist visas do not specifically provide for the spouse or dependent children of a successful applicant to migrate to Ireland with them.
Additional information - Changing Status
In Ireland, visitor visa applicants may change their visa status if they secure a work permit sponsorship from an Irish based company. If a candidate secures a job offer and a work permit application is submitted on their behalf by the Irish employer, the candidate may theoretically remain in Ireland on their existing grant of leave then continue to reside in Ireland once the working permit is granted. In practice however, processing applications for Irish work permits can be a long one and it is likely that the process will exceed the 90-day grant of the entry visa. In these circumstances, a candidate would need to return to their country or residence before re-entering Ireland with the permit to work.
