Volunteering from Abroad

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Here at Charleville Castle, we embrace culture and really enjoy having an international pool of friends where we can celebrate each others cultures and learn from each other.  

If you are considering coming to volunteer in Charleville Castle and you are coming from a country outside the EU, there may be some Visa requirements.  

Please take the time to look below to see what might be required.

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Visa requirements for entering Ireland

 

Information

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.

Countries whose citizens are not required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa
Andorra Guatemala Poland
Antigua & Barbuda Guyana Portugal
Argentina Honduras Romania
Australia Hong Kong (Special Admin. Region)
See additional information
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Austria Hungary Saint Lucia
Bahamas Iceland Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
Barbados Israel Samoa
Belgium Italy San Marino
Belize Japan Seychelles
Bolivia Kiribati Singapore
Botswana Latvia Slovak Republic
Brazil Lesotho Slovenia
Brunei Liechtenstein Solomon Islands
Bulgaria Lithuania South Africa
Canada Luxembourg South Korea
Chile Macau (Special Admin. Region) Spain
Costa Rica Malawi Swaziland
Croatia Malaysia Sweden
Cyprus Maldives Switzerland
Czech Republic Malta Taiwan
Denmark Tonga
Dominica Mexico Trinidad & Tobago
El Salvador Monaco Tuvalu
Estonia Nauru United Kingdom & Colonies
Fiji Netherlands United States of America
Finland New Zealand Uruguay
France Nicaragua Vanuatu
Germany Norway Vatican City
Greece Panama Venezuela
Grenada Paraguay

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:

Countries that require an Irish transit visa
Afghanistan Iraq
Albania Lebanon
Cuba Moldova
Democratic Republic of the Congo Nigeria
Eritrea Somalia
Ethiopia Sri Lanka
Ghana Zimbabwe
Iran

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 visasbusiness 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.

Rates

The standard non-refundable visa application processing fees are:

Single-journey visa €60
Multiple-journey visa €100
Transit visa €25


There may also be communications charges in some cases. Information about these charges, and on the fee in your local currency, is available from your local Irish embassy or consulate.

Who does not pay the fee?

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, you should check with your local Irish embassy or consulate, or with the Visa Office - see 'Where to apply'.   

It was announced on 12 March 2012 as part of the Short-stay Visa Waiver Programme that nationals of the countries covered by the Programme who are long-term legal residents of the UK or the Schengen area will not have to pay the visa fee. This waiver is to be reviewed after 6 months.

How to apply

Visas

You must apply for a visa online unless you are resident in Ireland and applying for a re-entry visa - see below. There is information on how to complete an online application in English (pdf) as well as in Arabic (pdf), Chinese (pdf), Russian (pdf), French (pdf), Turkish (pdf) and Urdu (pdf).

You should apply at least 8 weeks before you plan to come to Ireland. Details of what documents you will need and the photographic requirements are on the INIS website.

Appeals: If you are refused a visa you can appeal the decision by writing to the Visa Appeals Officer at the INIS Visa Section - see 'Where to apply' below.

Biometric data: The Irish Government has started collecting biometric data from certain visa applicants. From March 2010 all visa applicants aged 6 years and over residing in Nigeria must provide fingerprints. You can find information about biometric data in this list of frequently asked questions on the INIS website.

Re-entry visas

Before making any travel arrangements you must apply to the Visa Office of INIS using the re-entry visa application form (pdf).

Where to apply

Irish embassies and consulates

Visa Office

Department of Justice and Equality
Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service 
13-14 Burgh Quay 
Dublin 2 
Ireland 

Homepage: http://www.inis.gov.ie/ 
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