Tourist visa for Ireland: documents, fees and steps

Documents requested

• Valid passportCurrent passport, valid for at least 6 months after the date you intend to leave Ireland.
• Two colour passport photographsConditions and details

  Two colour passport photographs of the applicant, in accordance with visa photograph rules. On the back of each photograph: your signature (in your own handwriting and language) and the AVATS application transaction number.
• AVATS application summary form, printed, signed and datedConditions and details

  Print, sign and date the summary form produced by AVATS. It must be accompanied by the fee, if due, and the supporting documents; without these documents, the application may be refused for insufficient documentation.
• Signed and dated application letterConditions and details

  Letter explaining why you wish to come to Ireland, with your full name and postal address, the planned arrival and departure dates, the place(s) of accommodation and who will pay for the stay. If you are visiting friends or family, it also states their names and addresses, your relationship with them and evidence of it, as well as the names and addresses of your family members living in Ireland or in another EU or EEA country, or in Switzerland. It also contains your commitment to comply with the visa conditions, not to use public services and to leave Ireland before your authorisation expires.
• Description of the stay and accommodation confirmationsConditions and details

  Written description of the planned stay in Ireland, with the places where you will stay, and printed confirmations (emails or letters) of each accommodation: hotel, guesthouse, hostel, rental, campsite, shared or free accommodation, or other. The confirmations must state the dates of stay at each place.
• Proof of sufficient means: recent bank statementConditions and details

  You must show that you have sufficient means for your stay; no minimum amount is set, the visa officer judges according to your situation. If you are financing the trip yourself, attach an up-to-date original bank statement on the bank's headed paper (a statement printed from the internet must be certified by the bank), showing your name and address, the account number and type, and the transactions of the last 6 months. For a savings account, add an original letter from the bank confirming that you can withdraw the money, and explain in writing any significant transaction.
• Evidence of your ties in your country of residenceConditions and details

  Verifiable documents showing strong family, social or economic ties with your country of residence, to convince the visa officer that you will leave Ireland no later than the planned date. This evidence is your responsibility; the documents specific to employment, studies, family and property are described separately.

Depending on your situation

• Photocopy of every page of all your previous passportsTo be provided when these passports are available. The page states that the application will be delayed if copies of all previous passports are not attached.
• Letter describing the route to and from Ireland, if travelling through another countryConditions and details

  To be provided if you are travelling to Ireland from a country that is neither your country of origin nor a country where you legally reside, or if you are leaving Ireland to another country. The letter states whether or not you need a visa for those countries. Where applicable, obtain those visas before applying for the Irish visa, or explain in the letter why you do not have them: the application may be refused if the passport does not contain the expected visas.
• Proof of your right to reside in the country from which you are applyingConditions and details

  If you are not a citizen of the country from which you are applying, attach proof that you have the right to reside there, for example a photocopy of your residence permit. This right must cover at least 3 months after the planned date of departure from Ireland.
• Invitation letter from each friend or family member you are visitingConditions and details

  If you are visiting friends or family in Ireland: a signed and dated letter from each host with a different address, stating the reason for the invitation, the dates of the visit and how they know you, with a legible colour photocopy of their identity card or passport, and a statement on the visa conditions. If they are accommodating you, the letter states this along with the dates and full address (including Eircode). If they are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, it includes a copy of their Irish residence permit and current permission stamp. If they are contributing to the costs, it specifies in figures what they will pay and is accompanied by evidence of their means.
• Study programme during the stayConditions and details

  If you plan to study during your stay: name, address, telephone, website and email address of the institution, and proof of your enrolment in the course, for example an email or confirmation letter.
• Proof of payment of the visa fee or of the exemptionConditions and details

  In some cases, the submission office asks for proof of payment of the fee, or proof of the exemption if you are exempt. Check with your submission office: requirements differ between offices.
• Financial documents of the friend or relative contributing to the costsConditions and details

  If a friend or family member in Ireland is contributing to the costs: written estimate, in euros, of what they will pay, and original documents proving that they can afford it, including if they are an Irish citizen: an up-to-date bank statement according to the same rules and, if they are employed, their last 3 payslips, their latest tax document and a letter from their employer confirming their employment.
• Medical or travel insuranceConditions and details

  Proof of insurance does not have to be attached to the application, but the visa officer may request it before deciding. If the visa is granted, you must take out the insurance before travelling and be able to present it to the immigration officer on arrival: without it, entry will not be possible.
• Last three original payslips and letter from the employerConditions and details

  If you are employed: your last 3 original payslips and a letter from your employer stating your length of service, the dates of your leave, the planned date of your return and your annual salary.
• Letter from your educational institutionConditions and details

  If you are studying in your country: a letter from your school or university stating your course, how long you have been enrolled there, the years remaining and the dates of your visit to Ireland, including the date classes resume.
• Previous visa refusal letters and removal documentsConditions and details

  If a visa or prior authorisation has previously been refused to you by any country whatsoever, declare it and attach the original refusal letter. If you have been expelled, refused entry or required to leave a country (including for overstaying), attach the original documents from the authorities concerned and a full explanation. Failure to declare a previous refusal results in refusal of the application.
• Certified translations into English or IrishAny document written in a language other than English or Irish must be accompanied by a complete and certified translation; send the original and the translation.
• Legalised or apostilled civil status documentsConditions and details

  Official documents issued by a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, such as birth, marriage, death or divorce certificates, must be legalised or apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country, and translated if necessary. Those issued in the EU, EEA or Switzerland do not have to be; a translation is not required if a standard multilingual form is attached.