People from certain countries need a valid Irish entry visa before arriving in the State, whether by air, sea or land. An Irish visa is a certificate placed on your passport or travel document to indicate that you are authorised to land in the State subject to any other conditions of landing being fulfilled. This means that you will still be subject to immigration control at the point of entry to the State even if you have a visa. You may also need to register with the immigration authorities.

People from a small number of countries also need a transit visa when arriving in Ireland on their way to another country - see below. A transit visa does not permit you to leave the port or airport.

The list of countries whose citizens do not require a visa to enter Ireland is defined in the Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2011 (SI 146 of 2011).

Visa Waiver Programme: A new holiday and other short-stay Visa Waiver Programme (pdf) has been set up for 16 countries whose nationals currently require a visa to visit Ireland. This Programme which started on 1 July 2011 allows nationals of countries such as India, China and the Russian Federation, who have a short-term UK visa to come to Ireland without the need for a separate Irish visa. The Programme will end on 31 October 2016 and, since 1 November 2012, nationals of Bosnia and Herzegovina are included in the scheme.

Do I need an entry visa?

You do not need a visa to land in Ireland if you are a citizen of one of the countries listed below (includes EEA member states). The members of the EEA are the 27 countries of the European Union (EU), together with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

If you are not a citizen of one of the countries listed above, you will need a visa when you travel to Ireland. See “How to apply” below for more information.

If you are coming to Ireland from another EU country as a dependant of an EU national, and you are not a citizen of the EEA or of one of the countries listed above, you will need a visa when you first travel to Ireland. If you plan to stay for more than 3 months, you should register with the immigration authorities and apply for a residence card. If you receive a residence card, you will not need a re-entry visa for travel into Ireland in future.

Who else can land in Ireland without a visa?

You do not need a visa to land in Ireland if:

• You hold a valid travel document issued by one of the following countries in accordance with Article 28 of the Geneva Convention: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, or Switzerland.
• You hold either a valid residence card 4 EU FAM or a valid permanent residence card 4 EU FAM issued by the Garda National Immigration Bureau under theEuropean Communities (Free Movement of Persons) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 (SI 656 of 2006).
• You are a family member of an EU citizen and you hold a document called "Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen" as referred to in article 10 of Directive 2004/38/EC (pdf).

Do I need a transit visa?

If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, you will need a valid Irish transit visa when landing in the State:

Do I need a re-entry visa?

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 must apply for a re-entry visa. This includes travel to Northern Ireland when you will need a re-entry visa to re-enter the State. Before you can get a re-entry visa you must be registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).

If you apply for a single-journey visa, this will only be valid for one entry to the State within 90 days from the date of issue. If you apply for a multi-entry visa it will be valid from the date of issue until the expiry date on your GNIB card, or the expiry date of your passport, whichever is earliest. This will allow you to leave and re-enter the State any number of times while your visa is valid.

Where can I get more information?

There is more information on the different types of visas as well as on employment permits, tourist visas, business visas and student visas. Detailed information on the application procedures is available on the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) - see 'How to apply' below. It is advisable to consult this website before applying for your visa, to make sure that you have the most up-to-date information. There are also lists of frequently asked questions about visas.