Short stay visas policy - Immigration Service Delivery

In This Section

Short stay visas (less than 3 months)
Policy for consideration of short stay ‘C’ visas
Assessment criteria

History of serious crime/immigration abuses
Submission of false/misleading information/documentation
Summary

Short stay visas (less than 3 months)

Before making an application for a short stay ‘C’ visa please ensure that you are familiar with the policy that underpins consideration of applications for short stay visas.

Policy for consideration of short stay ‘C’ visas

All applicants for a short stay ‘C’ visa (whether for a single entry or multiple entries) must show that they have sufficiently strong family, social or economic ties to their country of residence to assure the visa officer that the projected stay in Ireland will be temporary, and in accordance with the duration and conditions of the permission granted by the immigration authorities on arrival in Ireland. The maximum stay allowed under a short stay ‘C’ visa is 90 days.

The responsibility for demonstrating substantial ties to a country other than Ireland rests with you. The burden of proof in all cases is on you to satisfy the visa officer. The visa officer may verify any evidence submitted in support of your application.

There is no right to a visa nor is there one set of documents or circumstances of application that will guarantee the approval of an application. However, the documents normally required in support of an application are set out in the ‘Guide to Supporting Documentation’ for each type of short stay ‘C’ visa.

Assessment criteria

In assessing an application, a visa officer may look at the following issues:

That you will leave Ireland at the end of your visit
That you, or relatives or friends in Ireland who are sponsoring your visit, have enough money to support and accommodate you, without you working or accessing public funds
That you have proof of return or onward travel arrangements
That you will not breach the Common Travel Area by seeking to enter the UK via Ireland without a valid UK visa
Your immigration history in relation to Ireland, the UK, the Schengen Zone and other countries; and
Any other issue which the visa officer deems relevant.

History of serious crime/immigration abuses

If you have a history of serious crimes or a history of serious breaches of Irish or UK immigration law these can, of themselves, be reasons for refusal of a visa.

Submission of false/misleading information/documentation

Important: Do not include false or misleading information or documents in your application. If you do, your application may be refused. In some circumstances, you may not be allowed to appeal the visa decision and may be blocked from getting an Irish visa for 5 years. This is standard practice in many countries.

Summary

In summary, you will need to show clearly, the following:

That you will leave Ireland before your visa/permission to remain expires
That you have sufficient resources to look after yourself while you are here
That you are of good character and have told the truth in your application and have not left out anything important; and
That you are not using a visa to Ireland as a way of getting around lawful entry to the UK or the rest of the EU.