Giving your details on AVATS for a visa/preclearance application

This is a guide to giving your details for a visa or preclearance application to travel to Ireland on www.visas.inis.gov.ie.  “Applicant” is the person who is applying for a visa or preclearance.  Where the applicant is under 18 years of age, the application details must be completed by the applicant’s parent (or legal guardian).  This will be the same person who will sign the Application Form which is produced by the system when the details have been completed.  “you” and “your” are used in this page to mean the applicant.

Before you give your details for your application you should read the information, relevant to the application you wish make, on our website – irishimmigration.ie.

Our website gives a comprehensive list of supporting documentation you will need and a Deciding Officer may request additional documents where necessary. If you are applying to one of our Visa Offices in Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Ankara, Beijing, London, Moscow, or New Delhi you are advised to also check their websites for details of any further documentation which may be needed by those offices. Contact details can be found on www.dfa.ie.

Please ensure you have all your supporting documentation ready for submission prior to giving your details online.

The online visa application facility can be found at the following link: https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx.

The visa application facility is only available is only available in English and all questions must be answered in English. You can only use standard English language characters and any accented letters or non-English characters (e.g. ñ, ÿ, Ø, ç, ß) are not accepted. The following are accepted: á; é; í; ó; ú; Á; É; Í; Ó; and Ú. Some help tips are available when you are giving the details which will explain what information is needed.

Once you visit https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx you are presented with a “Welcome” message and you must click “Continue” (highlighted by the red box in the below image) in order to move to the next screen.

After clicking “Continue” you will be brought to an information page. Please read this page carefully and visit the links provided on this page. Before you can begin to give your details, you must have read our Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Statement. You will need to confirm having read the documentation, by ticking the box, before you can start to complete your details. After you have read and understood the “Privacy Notice” tick the box (highlighted by the blue box in the below image) and then clicking “AVATS Online Application Form” (highlighted by the green box in the below image).

Please be aware that if you give false, fraudulent, or misleading information or documentation:

After each page of details provided you can advance to the next screen by clicking “Save And Continue” (highlighted by the green box in the below image). You can go back to the previous page by clicking “Back” (highlighted by the orange box in the below image). These will be on the top and bottom of each screen.

You will not be able to move from a page until you have provided an answer to each required question on the current page. You will not be able to move from a page if the information you have provided is invalid, for example invalid characters, or a date in the future which must be in the past. If you have not given details for any needed answer, a message will appear at the top of the screen. You need to scroll down the screen to complete the missing details (or to see details which are not permitted by the system).

Information which must be given by you is indicated by a red asterisk (*). In this document we will assume that all information is needed unless it is stated to be optional.

The first question is your nationality. Pick the country for which you hold a passport. If you have dual nationality you should pick the country which issued the passport on which you intend to travel. If you have a Travel Document issued under the 1951 Convention (refugee) you should pick “Stateless”.

The answer to this question will decide the types of applications that the system will make available to you in the ‘Reason for Travel’ question.

If the nationality is not a visa-required nationality then you will be offered the preclearance application categories to pick from (visa application categories will not be offered to you).

If the nationality is transit-visa-required nationality then you will be offered all visa application categories to pick from (preclearance application categories will not be offered to you).

If the nationality is visa-required and not transit-visa-required then you will be offered all visa application categories to pick from, except for transit visa (preclearance application categories will not be offered to you).

You then need to pick the ‘Reason for Travel’. The choice you make will decide the questions which you will need to answer throughout the remainder of the process so it is important that you pick the correct reason from the list. Bear in mind that the nationality you picked in the first question will have narrowed down the type of application offered to you for this answer.

If your reason for travel is not shown in this list you should pick “Other”. “Other” is not offered to those nationalities who are not visa-required as every occasion where preclearance is needed is included in the list.

Your answer to the ‘Reason for Travel’ question will, sometimes, decide what type of application you will be applying for. The system will, in those cases, pick that answer for you and you will not be able to change that answer. Some examples:

If you picked a ‘Reason for Travel’ which can be either long-stay or short-stay (for example ‘Employment’) then you need to pick the type of visa you are applying for – “Short Stay (C)” or “Long Stay (D)”.

A Short Stay (C) application is for a proposed stay in Ireland of 90 days or less.

A Long Stay (D) is for a proposed stay of more than 90 days. The exception to this is a visa application under the ‘Free Movement Directive’ which are all “Short Stay (C)” including where you intend to stay in Ireland for longer than 90 days.

All preclearance applications are Long Stay (D).

The next question you will be asked is ‘Journey Type’. Pick “Single” or “Multiple” as appropriate.

A Single Journey visa will allow you to travel to Ireland only one time while the visa is valid.

A Multiple Journey visa will allow you to travel to Ireland a number of times while the visa is valid.

The application fee for “Multiple” is higher than for “Single”. If you apply for “Multiple” and we grant a “Single” then we will not refund the difference in the application fees. Further information on Single and Multi-entry visas is available by visiting

For preclearance applicants, a “Multiple” gives no advantage to the applicant. For this reason, the system picks “Single” for all preclearance applications to avoid the higher application fee for “Multiple”.

This answer is optional and you may give additional relevant information. Giving additional relevant information is very important if you pick “Other” as the ‘Reason for Travel’.

Pick the Type of Passport you will use (most people will hold a National Passport) and give the Passport Number.

Give the dates on which you intend to enter into and leave from Ireland. If you are applying for a long-term visa or preclearance, you may leave the ‘To’ answer blank. Leaving the ‘To’ answer blank will also apply where the application is being made under the ‘Free Movement Directive’ (Reason for Travel” – “Family member of EU/EEA/Swiss cit….”) and the intention is to stay in Ireland for more than 90 days. Applicants for all other ‘Short stay C’ must enter their proposed date of leaving Ireland in this answer (for a multi-entry application you should enter the intended date of leaving Ireland on your first trip).

Next you must enter your Surname (family name), Forename, and any other name(s) (e.g. maiden name or name at birth). These will be as they appear on your passport. If you only have a surname or first name on your passport then, as you must give an answer to each of these questions, give “.” as the reply to the appropriate question which would otherwise be blank and not permitted by the system.

Your Date of Birth must be in the format ddmmyyyy – e.g. 07091982 – 7th September 1982.

Pick your gender by clicking the appropriate choice.

Pick your Country of Birth from the list.

For current location you pick the country where you are currently living. “Ireland” is not on the list. A visa or preclearance is needed to travel to Ireland and you cannot make that application when you are already in Ireland.

Your full address is needed (a Post Office Box address is not accepted). Your current address is needed here and you may use up to 4 lines to enter details.

Give a telephone number at which the Deciding Officer can contact you during daytime working hours, and your email address.

You will then be presented with a new page with your unique application number. This application number will be eight digits long and will be in red e.g. 98765432 (see example highlighted by green box in Image 4). Make a note of this number as you will need it. Once you have this number you can save your details and return to complete your details within 30 days. You can also continue giving your details.

The remaining questions that you will be asked will depend on the answer you have given to the ‘Reason for travel’ near the start of giving your details. The remaining questions will, in general, relate to your past immigration history, your current occupation (if any), details of your host/family member in Ireland, your personal status and family details. Some questions are compulsory and you will not be able to continue giving the details until you have answered these questions.

Many questions will give you the choice of answering ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. When you pick one of these choices, further questions may be asked of you. You will not be able to see these further questions until you have answered the relevant question. It is very important that you always pick the correct answer as an incorrect answer may mean that you miss out on giving vital information. The missing out on giving this information could:

The following covers the questions that relate to most applications.

This question is posed in the middle of the Immigration History and Criminal record section and is out of the sequence you may find it when giving your details. You may have to give your biometric information – your fingerprints and live capture facial image (in other words a digital photograph) – as part of the application process. The giving of biometric information depends on the country where you are currently living and you will not be asked this question if the country you have given earlier in the form is not a country where biometric information is needed for an Irish visa application.

“Are you exempt from the requirement to provide biometrics?” Pick “Yes” or “No” as appropriate.

If you pick “Yes” you will be asked for the basis of the exemption and pick the one which applies to you.

An incorrect claim to be exempt from giving biometric information (see list below) may result in:

1. Children under five years of age on the date of the giving of their application details.

2. Heads of State and the members of their family forming part of their household whether travelling officially or privately and private servants and officials included in the delegations of such visitors. Members of their household include spouse, civil partner, children under 18 years of age.

3. Heads of Government and Government Ministers of states recognised by Ireland, members of their family forming part of their household, and officials in the delegation travelling to the State for an official purpose. Members of their household include spouse, civil partner, and children under 18 years of age.

4. Diplomats, administrative, technical and service staff and career consular officers, and members of their family forming part of their household, who are accredited to Ireland. Members of their household include spouse, civil partner, children under 18 years of age, and dependent children up to the age of 25 years who are in full-time education.

5. Diplomats transiting through the State to or from a country where they are accredited. Members of their family forming part of their household are also exempt. Members of their household include spouse, civil partner, and children under 18 years.

6. Diplomatic couriers travelling to the State or transiting the State.

7. Diplomats travelling to the State in their official capacity as part of the official party or delegation of serving Government Ministers (or equivalent) are exempt where their applications are accompanied by a note verbale from the sending authority (i.e. the relevant government department setting out the details of the nature of the visit and who is travelling) and an invitation letter from the inviting department in Ireland.

8. (a) Employees of intergovernmental organisations based, or with offices, in Ireland who have been recruited overseas,
(b) representatives and officials of intergovernmental organisations travelling to Ireland in their official capacity on the official business of that organisation.

The applications must be accompanied by a note from the intergovernmental organisation setting out the details and nature of the visit and an invitation letter from the inviting organisation in Ireland. Members of their family forming part of their household are exempt. Members of their household include spouse, civil partner, children under 18 years of age. Other people forming part of the official party or delegation of an employee of an intergovernmental organisation e.g. civil servants, secretaries and interpreters are also exempt.

9. Airline crew members who arrive as crew members of an aircraft and are under engagement to leave within 7 days either on the same aircraft or another.

10. Applicants for whom it is physically impossible to provide biometrics (e.g. Emergency “stretcher” cases).

Pick the number of years and months you have been living in country where you are now living.

Pick “Yes” or “No”, as appropriate, if you have permission to return to that country (or not) after your stay in Ireland.

The biometric questions, where the applications current location indicates a possible giving of biometric details, are now asked (see above).

The next questions asks if you have ever applied for an Irish visa or preclearance.

If you have been granted a visa or preclearance you need to give:

If you have been refused a visa or preclearance you need to give:

The next question asks if you have ever been to Ireland before. If you have ever entered Ireland at any time in the past, either legally or illegally, you must answer ‘Yes’ to this question.

If you answer ‘Yes’ to this question then you be asked to give the purpose of your previous trip. Reference numbers (which are optional) which may have been issued to you during your stay:

If your previous time in Ireland was for a short stay then you most likely will not have any of these numbers and these answers may be left blank.

The next question asks if you have family members living in Ireland – this includes extended family members such as aunts; uncles; cousins; grandchildren; grandparents; and in-laws. Any former spouse or step-family members are to be included by you

If you answer ‘Yes’ to this question then you will need to give the family member’s:

The space on the form is limited to one person and you should give the details of your main family contact in Ireland. If you have more than one family member living in Ireland, you should list them on a separate sheet and submit that list with your supporting documentation.

The Department of Justice Reference Number begins with ‘69/’. Family members who have been in Ireland for a number of years may have this number. This answer may be left blank if the number was not issued to the family member (that number is no longer being issued and does not appear on an Irish Residence Permit).

You will then be asked if you have ever been refused permission to enter Ireland. Have you ever arrived at a Port of Entry to Ireland and been refused entry by an Irish Immigration Officer? This will include any time you were refused entry to Ireland by an Irish Immigration Officer after travelling to Ireland with a visa, without a visa, with preclearance, or without preclearance.

Have you ever been deported from Ireland, or received notification that you are subject to Deportation?

Have you ever been refused a visa for a country, other than Ireland?

Have you ever been refused entry to, deported from, or otherwise asked to leave a country other than Ireland?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of these 4 questions, you must give details, including the country concerned, dates and the reason.

The final question in this section asks if you have any criminal convictions. If you answer ‘Yes’, you must then answer further questions on the conviction:

You need to type the country or organisation which issued your Passport or Travel Document. You must give the date of issue and date of expiry of the passport or Travel Document.

If you had a previous passport (including one issued by another country or organisation) you must tick ‘No’ in answer to the question ‘is this your first passport’. You will then be asked for the details of your previous passport(s).

The next question asks if you will be travelling with any other person, such as a business colleague, family member, or as part of a group.

If you answer ‘Yes’ you will be asked to give the name of the person(s) and state their relationship (if any) to you.

If you are part of a group, please give the name of the group leader.

The space on the form is limited to four people. If there is more than four people in the group, you should list them on a separate sheet and submit that list with your supporting documentation.

If you have no personal contact or host in Ireland, you must give the name and address of the accommodation at which you will stay during your visit. If you have no accommodation arranged at the time of answering the question then enter “Not arranged”.

If you are travelling on business, or to a conference or event, you must give the business address of your Irish-based host/organiser and a daytime telephone number at which they can be contacted.

If you are coming to Ireland to work or study you must give the business address of your Irish-based employer/college, and a daytime telephone number at which they can be contacted.

If you are visiting/joining family or friends, you should give their home address and a daytime telephone number at which they can be contacted.

Please then indicate if your host/contact is personally known to you. If you answer ‘Yes’, you will need to give their:

The Department of Justice Reference Number begins with ‘69/’. People who have been in Ireland for a number of years may have such a number. This answer may be left blank if the person was not issued with it (that number is no longer being issued and does not appear on an Irish Residence Permit).

If you answer ‘No’, please give the surname and forename of the person you have had contact with in the company/college/organisation.

Pick your current family status – Single, Married, Widowed, Divorced, Separated, have an Unmarried Partner, or are in a Civil Partnership.

If you have a spouse or partner, please give their:

Note: If other family members, including children, are travelling to Ireland and are visa-required or preclearance-required then they must make a separate application and pay a separate application fee (if one is payable).

Pick whether your spouse/partner is male or female, and pick the country in which they currently live.

Next, pick the number of dependent children you have and give their surname, forename, date of birth, gender, and nationality.

Please indicate whether the child is travelling on your passport or if they have their own.

The space on the form is limited to six dependent children. If you have more than six dependent children, please give their details on a separate sheet and include with your supporting documentation.

Note: If you are not applying for an Employment visa or for a Study visa you can skip down to the section headed “Assistance with this Form”

If you have given ”Employment” as your ‘reason for travel’ you will be asked about your proposed employment in Ireland.

If you are applying for a visa to work in Ireland, you must:

You must now enter the reference number of your Employment Permit or Atypical Working Authorisation. If you are applying for a Van der Elst visa, you will not have an Employment Permit or Atypical Workling Authorisation and you should give “N/A” as a reference number.

You then need to give the name and address of the employer for which you will be working.

Please give a contact name, telephone number, and email address for someone within that employer that the Visa Officer can contact during daytime working hours.

If you have given ”Study” as your ‘reason for travel’ you will be asked about the course you prospose to study in Ireland and the evidence of your ability to speak English.

If you wish to apply for a visa to study in Ireland you must first have been accepted on a course of study. Please see our Student Visa Guidelines on www.irishimmigration.ie and satisfy yourself that you can give all of the needed documentation and information before completing your details.

On screen, you must:

You must then state if you have studied in Ireland before. If you answer ‘Yes’ you will need to give:

The next question is ‘Do you speak English’. If you answer ‘Yes’, you will be asked to give details of any internationally recognised English Language qualifications you hold. Please visit https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-study-in-ireland/english-language-requirements-for-study-visas/ for the minimum level of English Language needed to get a visa to study in Ireland. No other standard is accepted for Irish visa purposes.

You then need to give details of your educational qualifications to date. This refers to both second and third level education. You must enter:

Any gaps between your last period of education and this application must be accounted for.

If you have ever been employed, please give details:

You must give details of what financial support you will have while in Ireland. Do you plan:

If your choice is ‘Sponsor’, you must give:

If you have more than one sponsor, you must give the same details as above on a separate sheet and submit with your supporting documentation.

You may give details of any other funds which you wish to have considered.

This is the last question on the form. If you received assistance from an agent or agency in completing your details you must give:

When you have completed all questions you will be presented with a Declaration which you must read. If you agree with the content of this Declaration you need to tick the box (highlighted by the grey box in the below image) to confirm this.

By scrolling down the screen (starting with the details highlighted by the green box in the below image), you will see all of the information you have entered. You are advised to print this and check it for any errors (see the link highlighted by the red box in the below image). It is important that the information you provide is correct.

If you need to make any changes to the information you have given you can do so by using the ‘Back’ button to navigate to the relevant question.

You then need to click on the ‘Save and Continue’ button to navigate back to the final screen.

When you are satisfied that all your details have been entered correctly, please confirm this by clicking on the “Submit” button (highlighted by the red box in the below image). You will need to scroll to the top or bottom of the screen to be able to see the “Submit” button. Once you click “Submit” it is not possible to make any changes to the details you have given.

Next, click on the ‘View and Print Application Form’ button (highlighted by the red box in the below image). This will open the Application Form to allow you to print it. Do not be alarmed by the words “NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL” on the Application Form. These are there to help customers to know that this is an application form and it is not a visa or preclearance. It does not in any way indicate that the person will not be able to travel should the application be successful.

The Application Form will contain some of the details you have given and the steps which you now need to take to submit your application.

You must sign the Declaration on the Application Form before submitting the application.

Note: Only the person making the application can sign this Declaration. If the applicant is under the age of 18 years, one of their parents or their legal guardian should sign on their behalf.

Visit the website shown on your Application Form for details on how to submit your application, supporting documentation, and the application fee (if one is payable).

These should be submitted to the relevant Irish Embassy, Consulate, Visa Office, or Visa Application Centre without delay. These will accept preclearance applications as well as visa applications.

You may need to make an appointment to attend in person and that information will be available on the website.