WORKING IN IRELAND

If you are a national of a country which is not a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and you wish to work in Ireland, you will require authorisation to do so.

For most types of employment, a non-EEA national requires a Work Permit. For full information on work permits please visit the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment’s website.

A visa-required national can apply with his/her Work Permit for an "Employment" visa through their local Irish Embassy or Consulate

WORKING HOLIDAYS

Ireland offers young people from Australia, New Zealand Hong Kong, Canada and Japan the chance to work casually to enable them to spend an extended holiday in Ireland. The Working Holiday Authorisation (WHA) can only be issued once and may not be renewed.

Australian citizens can apply in the Embassy of Ireland in Canberra, or through the Visa Office in Dublin.  An information leaflet and application form for Working Holiday Visas is available here (PDF 1098kb).

New Zealand citizens must apply through the Honorary Consul General of Ireland in Auckland. The application form may be downloaded from the website of the Honorary Consulate General.

Canadian citizens should contact SWAP (Student Work Abroad Programme, Ca) which administers the programme on behalf of the Irish Embassy in Ottawa. Information and application forms are available from the SWAP website.

WHAs for Hong Kong are issued on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ireland by the Honorary Consul of Ireland, Hong Kong. Only one hundred authorizations will be issued in one year running from March 1st to February 29th.

Japanese citizens should apply to the Embassy of Ireland in Tokyo.

Applicants for working holiday authorisations should note that all non-EU/EEA citizens who intend to remain in Ireland for more than 90 days must pay a fee  of €100  for the issue of a garda (police) registration card in Ireland.

Note for Hong Kong Applicants:

For information, please contact the Honorary Consulate of Ireland in Hong Kong:

Honorary Consulate of Ireland
6th Floor Chung Nam Building
1 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong

Hours of business: Monday to Friday 10.00 - 12:00, 14:00 – 16:30

Tel: (852) 25274897
Fax: (852) 25201833

Applications by HK passport holders may be lodged in the Honorary Consulate of Ireland, Hong Kong and will be forwarded for decision to the Embassy of Ireland Visa Office, Beijing.

After arriving in Ireland
An individual who holds a valid visa does not necessarily have permission to stay in Ireland. The date of validity shown on the visa indicates only the date before which it must be presented to an Immigration Officer. The length of stay is decided by an Immigration Officer at the port of entry and will reflect the purpose of your journey. Irish law does not provide for a permanent residence visa.

Notwithstanding the issue of a WHA, applicants will be subject to normal immigration control at point of entry. All non EU nationals who wish to stay longer than 3 months in Ireland must register with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

A visa applicant who submitted false or misleading information in support of his/her application may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

You are not permitted under Irish law to involve yourself in any other activity or to remain in the State for any purpose other than that for which the visa was specifically granted.

A person wishing to undertake any activity in Ireland other than that for which his/her visa was granted must leave the State and apply for a new visa. The applicant may not return to Ireland while awaiting a decision on his/her new application

A visa holder who remains in the State longer than the permitted period may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

What to do if your visa application is refused:

If your application has been refused and you still wish to travel to Ireland you may either appeal the decision or make a new application.

If you decide to make a new application your previous immigration history will be taken into account.

If you believe that the decision made was incorrect you should appeal this decision to the Appeals Officer.

In some cases not all aspects of an application will have been checked before arriving at the initial decision. During the appeal process the entire application will be re-examined in full.

You will receive a detailed list of the reasons why your application was refused when you are notified of the decision. You should address each refusal reason in your appeal. Supply good, clear, relevant evidence in your appeal to address any deficiencies in your initial application.

The appeal must be lodged within twenty-eight days of the date of notification of the initial decision. There is no processing fee for an appeal.

For further information on finding work in Ireland, please visit the FÁS website, www.fas.ie

 For further information about tourism in Ireland, please visit www.ireland.ie

STUDYING IN IRELAND

If you require an entry visa for Ireland and would like to study here, you will need to present the following with your Visa Application:

• Copies of your educational qualifications.
• Letter of acceptance from a recognised school/college/university confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study. The course of study must be full time and have a minimum of 15 hours per week study time.
• Evidence that the fees have been paid in full.
• Evidence that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself for at least the initial part of your stay.

Citizens of countries which are not a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) who are registered as full time students with the Garda National Immigration Bureau are permitted to work part-time (up to a maximum of 20 hours a week) to support themselves.

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here (PDF 665kb).

TRAVELLING TO IRELAND AS A TOURIST

If you are a Visa-required national and you would like to visit Ireland for a short period (less than 3 months) you should present the following documents with your visa application:

•  A letter from a reference in Ireland inviting you to Ireland. This letter should include contact details for the reference, proposed dates for your stay and details of where you will be staying.
  OR
  Confirmation of a hotel booking containing the dates of your proposed stay.
• Evidence that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself during your stay in Ireland. This should be in the form of a bank/building society statement or equivalent document.
  OR
  A Letter from your Reference in Ireland undertaking to support you financially during your stay in Ireland. The Reference may be requested to show that they have sufficient funds to do this (e.g. a bank statement).
• Evidence that you are obliged to return to your country of residence. This can take the form of a letter from your employer detailing when you are expected to return to work or a letter from a college specifying the date on which your course of study re-commences. If you do not work or study a letter from a person in authority may be sufficient.

Please note that the above documents MUST be presented with your application.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Foreign Affairs or any Irish Embassy or Consulate may ask for further documentation at any stage.

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here (PDF 665kb).

TRAVELLING TO IRELAND ON BUSINESS

Business Meeting
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a business meeting you should present the following with your Visa Application:

• Letter of Invitation from Irish company in question detailing what you will be doing on your proposed stay in Ireland and how long you will be staying.
• Confirmation of where you will be staying during your proposed stay.
• Confirmation of who will be responsible for your expenses during your stay. If it is yourself or your company, evidence may be requested.

Conference
If you are a Visa-required national and coming to Ireland for a conference you should present the following with your Visa Application.

• Letter from the conference host detailing the nature and duration of your proposed stay in Ireland.
• Confirmation of where you will be staying during your proposed stay.
• Confirmation of who will be responsible for your expenses during your stay. If it is yourself or your company, evidence may be requested 

Starting a Business in Ireland
If you are a Non EEA national and you wish to set up business in Ireland, you will require Business Permission from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. For more information please consult this Business Permission information leaflet (PDF 16kb).

The Visa Application form can be downloaded here (PDF 665kb).

Where can I make a Visa Application?

Visa applications should be made to the Irish Embassy or Consulate in or accredited to the country in which you normally reside. If there is no Irish Embassy or Consulate in your country of permanent residence or home State, you may make the application at your nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate or direct to:

The Visa Section
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
13/14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2

Tel: +353-1-6167700

Important: Apply for your visa well in advance and allow 6-8 weeks for your application to be processed if you are applying from abroad.

Visa application

Applicants abroad should contact the Embassy or Consulate to which they submitted their application.

You can contact the Visa helpline, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform between 10 am and 12.30 pm from Monday to Friday.

Their telephone line is 00 353 1 616 7700.
If you live in Ireland you can call LoCall 1890 551 500.
Their e-mail address is visamail@justice.ie

If my application has been turned down, how do I appeal the decision?

All appeals must be made in writing to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. E-mails or faxed appeals cannott be excepted. Appeals should be sent by post to Visa Appeals Officer, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.

Please note that the Visa Office in the Department of Foreign Affairs cannot reverse a decision made by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.

Visa application forms

Please click on your choice below to download the relevant form.

General Visa (PDF 665kb)
Re-entry Visa (PDF 361kb) 
Study in Ireland Visa (PDF 665kb) 
Tourist in Ireland Visa (PDF 665kb)
Business in Ireland Visa (PDF 665kb) 
Working Holiday Authorisations for Australian Citizens (PDF 1098kb)

If you wish to travel to Ireland for any other reason please contact your local Irish Embassy or Consulate

Visa Fees

From the 1 March 2004 standard non-refundable Visa Application Processing Fees apply as follows:

Single Journey	€60
Multiple Journey	€100
Transit	€25

Communications charges may also be levied in some cases and information in this regard, and on the fee in your local currency, is available from your local Embassy or Consulate.

Some applicants are not required to pay a fee. This includes Visa required spouses and certain family members of EEA citizens (including Irish nationals) provided that proof of the relationship is provided with the application. In addition applicants from some countries are not required to pay a fee. As this changes from time to time information in this regard should be sought from your local Embassy of Consulate or by calling the Immigration and Citizenship Office Helpline on 353 1 616 7700.