Do I Need A Visa For Ireland If I Have Indefinite Leave To Remain
Do I need a visa for Ireland if I have Indefinite Leave to Remain? This is a question countless British citizens have asked themselves when their time in the U.K has finally come to an end and they are left with no other choice but to resettle in another country. While plenty of individuals choose to move countries, there are still those that don’t want to uproot themselves and stay put in Britain.
One of the most frequently asked questions people have is: do I need a visa to visit Ireland if I already have indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. There are many different types of visa and I want to answer this question by discussing which type of visa you need, depending on your circumstances.
Do I Need A Visa For Ireland If I Have Indefinite Leave To Remain
Introduction
If you are travelling to Ireland and you are not a citizen of the UK or a country in the European Economic Area (the EU plus Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein), you may need to apply for a visa.
An Irish visa is a certificate placed on your passport or travel document that allows you to travel to Ireland. You still have to present your passport and documents to immigration control when you arrive at the airport or port, and an immigration officer may still refuse you entry to Ireland.
If you are travelling with children, you have to apply for a visa for your children too.
You may also have to register with immigration authorities.
Ukrainian citizens
From 25 February 2022, citizens of Ukraine do not need a visa to travel to Ireland. Read information for people who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.
Do I need a visa?
You do not need a visa to land in Ireland if you:
- Are a citizen of the EU or the EEA (the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein)
- Hold a travel document issued by an EEA member country. The travel document must have been issued under Article 28 of the Geneva Convention 1951 (refugees) or the New York Convention of 1951 (stateless persons).
- Have a residence card issued by an EEA country because you are the family member of an EEA citizen.
- Are a citizen of a country listed in the table below.
| Andorra | Honduras | Samoa |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Hong Kong (Special Admin. Region) | San Marino |
| Argentina | Israel | Seychelles |
| Australia | Japan | Singapore |
| Bahamas | Kiribati | Solomon Islands |
| Barbados | Lesotho | South Africa |
| Belize | Macau (Special Admin. Region) | South Korea |
| Botswana | Malaysia | Swaziland (Eswatini) |
| Bolivia | Maldives | Switzerland |
| Brazil | Mexico | Taiwan |
| Brunei | Monaco | Tonga |
| Canada | Nauru | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Chile | New Zealand | Tuvalu |
| Costa Rica | Nicaragua | Ukraine |
| Dominica | Panama | United Arab Emirates |
| El Salvador | Paraguay | United Kingdom (see note below) |
| Fiji | Saint Kitts & Nevis | United States of America |
| Grenada | Saint Lucia | Uruguay |
| Guatemala | Saint Vincent & the Grenadines | Vanuatu |
| Guyana | Vatican City |
Note Visa free travel also applies to the following types of British nationality:
- British national (overseas)
- British overseas territories citizen (previously called ‘British dependent territories citizenship)
- British overseas citizen
Visa free travel does not apply to people who have a British passport as a ‘British protected person’.
If you are moving to Ireland to live with your Irish partner, a spouse or partner who holds a Critical Skills Employment Permit, or your UK spouse or partner, you have to apply for preclearance even if you are from one of the countries listed above (this does not apply to citizens of Switzerland or the UK). See ‘Do I need preclearance’ below.
If you have a short stay visa for the UK and are an Indian or Chinese citizen, you can travel to Ireland without a visa. See ‘Visa waivers for UK visa holders’ below.
Family members of EU citizens
If you are coming to Ireland to join or accompany your EEA family member, you must apply for a visa if you are from a country that is not in the list above. If you are already living in another EEA country and have a residence card because you are an EEA family member, you do not need a visa to travel to Ireland.
If you plan to stay in Ireland for more than 3 months you must apply for residence after your arrival.
Types of visa
The type of visa you need depends on the purpose and length of your stay in Ireland.
Short stay visas
If you want to come to Ireland for less than 3 months, you should apply for a short stay ‘C’ visa. You should apply for this type of visa if you want to come to Ireland as a tourist or to visit someone, for a business meeting, or to attend a short course.
You cannot stay for longer than 3 months on a ‘C’ visa. You must leave Ireland and apply for another visa if you want to return.
Long stay visas
If you want to come to Ireland for more than 3 months, for example to study, for work or to settle permanently in Ireland with family members who live in Ireland, then you can apply for a long stay ‘D’ visa.
If you are granted a long stay ‘D’ visa and wish to remain in the State for longer than 3 months you must register and get an Irish Residence Permit (IRP).
You can read more information about different types of visa available on the ISD website.
Re-entry visas
The first visa issued to you is valid for a single entry to the State. If you wish to leave the State for a short period of time you may need to apply for a re-entry visa – including travel to Northern Ireland.
If you have a valid Irish Residence Permit (IRP) you do not need a re-entry visa when traveling to and from Ireland.
Non-EEA nationals aged under 16 do not have to register for an IRP and do not need a re-entry visa to travel to and from Ireland. They must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who has legal permission to live in Ireland.
Transit visas
If you are travelling through Ireland on your way to another country, you may need a transit visa when arriving in Ireland on their way to another country. A transit visa does not permit you to leave the port or airport. If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you will need a valid Irish transit visa when landing in the State:
| Afghanistan | Iran |
| Albania | Iraq |
| Cuba | Lebanon |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Moldova |
| Eritrea | Nigeria |
| Ethiopia | Somalia |
| Georgia | Sri Lanka |
| Ghana | |
Visa waivers for UK visa holders
The Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme allows nationals of a number of Eastern European, Middle Eastern and Asian countries who have a short-term UK visa, to come to Ireland without the need for a separate Irish visa. The countries included in the scheme are:
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- China
- Colombia
- India
- Indonesia
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
Citizens of India and China, who have a short stay UK visa can travel to Ireland under the British Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS) without a separate Irish visa. You can also use your Irish visa to travel to the UK. Your visa must be endorsed with ‘BIVS’.
