Single/Multiple Visas

If you are travelling to Ireland 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. The type of visa you need depends on the purpose and length of your stay in Ireland.

A single entry visa permits you to travel to Ireland on one occasion between the dates of validity indicated on your visa.

A multiple entry visa permits you to travel to Ireland on a number of occasions during the dates shown on your visa, for short trips only.

It is not permitted to use this category of visa to bypass immigration rules governing residency in the State. For example, it is not possible to remain in Ireland for a period of 90 days and then seek to re-enter the country for a further period of up to 90 days. Any abuse of this may result in you being refused entry at the port of entry or future visa applications being refused.

If you are applying for a short stay ‘C’ visa you may apply for either a single or a multiple entry visa. The policy considerations underpinning decisions on applications for multiple entry visas are explained below to assist you in deciding whether to apply for a single or multiple entry visa.

If you wish to apply for a multiple entry visa, you must indicate this on your application and pay the visa fee for a multiple entry visa. The granting of a multiple entry visa is at the discretion of the Visa Officer.

If you apply for a multiple journey visa but are granted a single journey visa the difference in the visa fee will not be refunded to you under any circumstances.

The Immigration officer at the port of entry will determine, on each occasion, whether you may enter and the duration of your permission to remain.

Multiple entry visas are usually only issued to an applicant who has shown a compliant travel history.

If you have had 2 previous Irish visas and have observed the conditions of these visas (for example – you did not overstay or work illegally) you may apply for a visa for multiple journeys.

A multiple entry visa may be approved in certain circumstances if you have no travel history to Ireland, for example if:

You can make an application for a long stay ‘D’ visa for a stay in Ireland of more than 3 months for example, for the purpose of study or work or joining a family member (or moving with a family member) to live in Ireland.

If the visa is approved, you will be required to register your permission with a Registration Office after you enter Ireland in order to get an Irish Residence Permit card. If you plan to leave Ireland for a short period and then come back again, you must:

If you plan to leave Ireland and return within a few months of your arrival we recommend that you apply for a multi entry visa.  This will eliminate the need to apply for another visa from abroad, in the event of your IRP card not being received prior to your departure.

You can make an application for a long stay ‘D’ visa for a stay in Ireland of more than 3 months, for example for the purpose of study or joining a family member (or moving with a family member) to live in Ireland.

If you travel to Ireland and you plan to leave Ireland for a short period and then come back again, you must have a valid visa. If you have been issued with a single entry visa you will need to:

One of the requirements for the grant of a re-entry visa is that, where your parent or guardian is a non EEA national, the parent or guardian must include their current Irish Residence Permit (or GNIB card) as part of your re-entry visa application – (see https://www.irishimmigration.ie/ and Re-entry Visa for further details on how to apply for a Re-entry Visa).  If your parents are moving to Ireland with you, they would need to register their permission with a Registration Office after they enter Ireland in order to get an Irish Residence Permit.

This may take some time and would prevent a re-entry visa being issued to you until they get the IRP card. If you plan to leave Ireland and return within a few months of your arrival, we recommend that you apply for a multi entry visa when applying for a visa to come to Ireland in order to avoid the need to apply for another visa.

If you wish to travel to Northern Ireland you will require a visa issued by the United Kingdom.

If you are travelling to the Republic of Ireland and you intend to visit Northern Ireland and return to the Republic, you must obtain a multiple entry Irish visa and a UK visa.

If your main destination is Northern Ireland but you arrive in, and depart from the Republic of Ireland, you must first obtain a UK visa, and then a multiple entry Irish visa.

Northern Ireland consists of the following counties: