Students from the EU/EEA do not require a student visa to study in Ireland.

Please check this list to see if you need a visa: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/visa-required-countries 

If you wish to study in Ireland for less than three months you should apply for a 'C study visa'. If your course lasts longer than three months, you should apply for a 'D study visa'. 

Students who do not require an entry visa to enter Ireland (that is, if they are an EU/EEA national or from a country listed above) do not need to apply for a student visa before traveling, but should still have all documentation relating to their studies on their person when coming through immigration. In other words, they should carry their offer letter and receipt from the school ready for inspection at immigration including proof of adequate medical insurance. Later they must bring this documentation to the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) when they receive their visa locally.

Since early 2008, application for visas from supported countries can be made online at: https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie/avats/OnlineHome.aspx. This website also contains comprehensive guide to completing a visa application in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.

Applications forms from unsupported countries can be downloaded from the following link New Visa Application Form  and sent to the Irish embassy or consulate in or accredited to the country in which you normally live.

If there is no Irish Embassy or Consulate in your country, send your visa application to your nearest Irish embassy or consulate or to the Visa Office, Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.

The following information outlines the minimum documentation you must submit with your application. Please read carefully.

The Application Form should be submitted along with ALL supporting documentation. Original documents are required and must be in ENGLISH or accompanied by a notarised translation of same. All documents must be clearly legible. The Visa Officer will need to easily identify what they are and to whom they refer.

From the 14th July, 2008, all student visa applications should contain a copy of an Electronic Transfer of Funds from the applicant to the bank of the college, showing details of beneficiary's name, address, bank details and the same details for sender. The GNIB expects that the fees would be returned if the visa is refused.

Any unsigned declarations, false information, forged or fraudulent documentation will result in the refusal of your application and no appeal will be permitted.

The onus is on you, the applicant, to satisfy the Visa Officer that a visa should be granted.

The granting of a Student Visa does not entitle you to have any person, whether related to you or not, to join or visit you in Ireland.

In applying for a Student Visa you must be able to show that:

1. You are enrolled on a privately funded course involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime tuition each week
2. You have paid the full fees to the college
3. You have immediate access to at least €7,000. This is the estimated cost of living in Ireland for a student for one academic year.
4. You must also demonstrate that you or your sponsor has ready access to an amount of at least €7,000 for each subsequent year of your studies, in addition to the course fees for each of those years.
5. You have private medical insurance.
6. You can account for any gaps in your educational history.
7. Your intention is to return to your country of permanent residence following completion of your studies in Ireland

There now follows an explanation of what will be accepted as evidence for the above requirements. Please ensure you read this carefully and submit ALL documents with your application. Again, it is important that these are original, clearly legible documents, in English, or accompanied by a notarised translation.

They should clearly indicate what they are and to whom they refer.

Evidence of Course

1. A Letter of Acceptance from the college, confirming you have been accepted and enrolled on a course of full-time education, involving a minimum of 15 hours organised daytime tuition each week.
2. This letter should specify the course you will be studying.
3. It should also confirm the amount of fees payable for your course, and that this amount has been paid.
4. If the college has taken out medical insurance on your behalf, details of this must be contained in this letter of acceptance.

NOTE: The educational and other credentials of a college will be taken into consideration by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in reaching a decision on a visa application. Recognition by the Department of Education and Science through ACELS meets these criteria in the case of English language schools.

Please refer to the list of courses recognised by the Department of Education and Science on its website: www.education.ie.

Evidence of Finances 

You must show you have sufficient funds to support your stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.

1. If you are being sponsored by another person or persons, you must list each person and give clear details of their relationship to you. All evidence provided must be clearly identifiable as to whom it relates
2. Give clear details of the financial support they will be giving you for the duration of your stay in Ireland
3. Their bank account must show a good credit record for a minimum of six months immediately prior to making your application
4. As you will be required to have a minimum of €7,000 available to you during the first year of your studies, your sponsor will need to show that this amount is available to support you AND that they have enough funds to maintain themselves and other family members
5. Any lump sum lodgements made during the immediate three months prior to your application must be fully explained, with supporting evidence provided
6. For example - if such a lump sum lodgement has come from the proceeds of a sale of property or encashment of Savings Certificates, Fixed Rate Deposit accounts, or any similar type sources, then clear evidence of this must be provided
7. Where no evidence is provided your application will be refused
8. You must also demonstrate that you or your sponsor will have ready access to an amount of at least €7,000 for each subsequent year of your studies, in addition to the course fees for each of those years
9. Evidence accepted will include a letter from your sponsor’s employer confirming employment details, plus 4 recent payslips. This letter should include contact details for the employer, including name, address, and phone number (landline, not mobile)
10. If your sponsor is involved in business, evidence of this must be provided, such as a Certificate of Registration from the authorities in your country
11. All financial documentation should clearly indicate what it is and to whom it relates
12. All bank statements should include the name and address of the account holder and the account number
13. They should also include full contact details of the bank – name, full address of branch where account is held, telephone number (landline, not mobile), e-mail and website addresses (where available)
14. Where this information is not normally available on a bank statement, it should be accompanied by a letter from the bank, on official bank stationery, giving these details. Where a bank statement or a letter from the bank is submitted giving only a mobile phone number, post box number as address, or an email address of Yahoo, Hotmail etc., this will not be considered as evidence of finances, and may in fact raise an issue of credibility over the whole application.
15. The statement should cover a six-month period immediately prior to your application, and show all transactions that have taken place during this time
16. Handwritten entries or details on bank statements will not be accepted
17. Any documents not in English must be translated

Medical Insurance

1. Private medical insurance cover is required
2. Your college may arrange this on your behalf. If so, details of this must be included in your Letter of Acceptance from the college
3. If it is not arranged by the college, you must organise this yourself and provide evidence with your application

Educational and Employment History

1. You must provide full details of your previous education on the application form
2. You must submit all exam results obtained, along with your qualification certificates
3. You must provide information to account for any gaps between your last period of full time education and your application to study in Ireland
4. If any such gap in education has been filled by periods of employment, you must give full details of your employment history
5. If your employment history or educational background have no obvious connection to the course you now wish to pursue, you must give a full explanation of why you are now embarking on a change of career

Immigration History

1. You must provide full details of all visa applications you have made for any country, including Ireland
2. If you have ever been refused a visa for any country, you must submit the original letter of refusal that issued to you by the Authorities of that State
3. If you have ever been in Ireland before, whether legally or illegally, you must give details of your time here
4. Failure to disclose any of the above details will result in your current application being refused

Passport

1. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the expected completion of your studies in Ireland
2. If you hold any previous passport, you should also submit this with your application

Decisions

1. The processing times for Student Visa Applications vary depending on the volume of applications lodged, and the time it takes for an application to reach the Visa section in Dublin from the Embassy in which it was lodged
2. You should allow as much time as possible when applying for a visa but a minimum time of 8 weeks is recommended
3. The Visa Section will endeavour to have your application assessed as soon as possible
4. Visa decisions are published weekly on the website, on the page called – Visa Decisions
   
   You can check a decision by entering the Visa Reference Number that issues to you

Right of Appeal

1. If you are refused a visa you may appeal this decision within 2 months
2. Appeals must be submitted in writing to: 
   
   The Visa Appeals Officer, 
   
   Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, 
   
   13-14 Burgh Quay, 
   
   Dublin 2.
3. If you applied to the Visa Office in Beijing, Moscow or New Delhi, you should submit your appeal to the relevant office
4. Your appeal should fully address all the reasons for which your application was refused. Any additional supporting documentation should be submitted with your appeal for consideration
5. You must quote your Visa Reference Number on your appeal, along with your name and nationality
6. There is no fee payable for appealing a visa refusal decision
7. There will be no appeal allowed if you are found to have given false or misleading information in any part of your application, or submitted false, forged or fraudulent documentation.

Visa Required Students (please see this list:  http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/visa-required-countries )

If your application for a visa has been approved, the Embassy to which you applied will affix a visa to your passport  

The dates entered on your visa indicate the dates between which you may seek to enter the State

It is important to note that a visa is a form of pre-entry clearance to the State only, and does not guarantee that you will be permitted to enter or remain in the State

Immigration Officers at the point of entry are entitled to question any person on arrival. If they are not satisfied with the bona-fides of any person, or their reasons for wishing to enter the State, they have the right to deny entry to any such person, despite the fact they hold a valid visa

It is recommended that you have supporting documentation related to your course of study with you to present to the Immigration Officer on disembarkation from your flight, including proof of medical insurance.

Non-Visa Required Students:

An immigration officer at border control will stamp your passport and then add a date to the stamp.

You must visit a registration office in person before this date to:

• Apply for permission to stay here, i.e. to study
• Register your details with immigration

Students should have all documentation pertaining to their studies on their person upon arrival and ready for inspection, including: school letter and accommodation details, evidence of medical insurance, and evidence of finances.

Citizens from countries outside the EU/EEA (that is, the 27 EU member states and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) who are registered as full-time students with the Garda Síochána are permitted to work part-time in Ireland (up to a maximum of 20 hours a week and full-time during specified vacation periods) to support themselves. Vacation periods are: June, July, August and September, and Dec 15th - Jan 15th. 

Casual employment is defined as up to a maximum of 20 hours part time work per week, or full time work during normal college vacation periods. Such work should not interfere with your course attendance, as failure to provide evidence of a satisfactory attendance record will result in refusal of any extension to your permission to remain.

The entitlement to casual employment will cease on completion of your college course.

The stamp placed in your passport by GNIB will indicate whether or not you are permitted to take up casual employment

If you are in doubt about this you should check with GNIB before you accept any job offer.

Any breach of your visa conditions will lead to a review of your case and possible removal from the State.

If you wish to study in Ireland for less than three months you should apply for a 'C study visa'. If your course lasts longer than three months, you should apply for a 'D study visa'.

Please note it is not possible to extend a C visa in Ireland. D visa holders need to register with the GNIB. School staff will help book an appointment and advise re: necessary documentation.

D Visa holders need to register with the GNIB. School staff will help book an appointment and advise re: necessary documentation.

As a school committed to your success we take all of our students’ attendance very seriously. Students are expected to attend 100% of their classes, minimum attendance is 85%. The GNIB  and INIS require all visa students to attend their courses. Students with a record lower than 85% may have problems with a future visa extension / renewal.

All students must bring:

• Your password
• School letters/documentation (available from reception)
• Proof that you have private medical insurance

If you did not need a visa to come to Ireland, you must also prove that you can support yourself financially after you arrive here. You do this by showing you have direct access to:

• €3,000, if you are staying for more than 6 months (see note 4 below)
• €500 per month or €3,000 (in total) if you are staying 6 months or less

In order to meet meet these requirements we recommend  students travel with a pre-paid debit card and a statement showing the balance in Euros, or a recent bank statement in their name showing a balance in euros. Please see more about financial requirements here. 

The initial visa issued to you will be valid for a single entry to the State.

If you have a valid reason for leaving the State for a short period of time you must apply, in advance of making any arrangements, for a Re-entry visa.

You must be able to prove you will be continuing with your studies on your return to the State.

Before a re-entry visa can be issued, you must be registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

For information on how and where you can apply for a Re-entry visa please see Re-entry Visas.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa (where relevant) for the country you intend travelling to.

NOTE: A visa must be obtained from the UK authorities prior to travelling to Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland consists of Counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone).

Any person who wishes to pursue a course of study in Ireland must be enrolled at a private fee-paying school or college.

The requirements outlined above will apply for all students.

Parental consent from both parents (where applicable) is required.

The granting of a visa to a person under the age of 18 years for the purpose of study does not give any entitlement to any other family member to accompany or join the student in the State.

Details of the person in whose care the minor shall be must be provided with the application.

The provisions of Part IVB of the Children Act 2001 will apply when examining such applications.

Still struggling to obtain a visa for Ireland? Another alternative if you're having visa problems, is to try learning English with online courses from Kaplan International instead.