The visa policy of Ireland is set by the Government of Ireland and determines visa requirements for foreign citizens. If someone other than a European Union, EFTA or Common Travel Area citizen seeks entry to Ireland, they must be a national of a visa-exempt country or have a valid Irish visa issued by one of the Irish diplomatic missions around the world.
Although Ireland is a member of the European Union, it is not part of the Schengen Area and therefore sets its own visa policy. Ireland also operates the Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man which specifies open borders between the countries and territories. Established in 1923, it permits British and Irish citizens freedom of movement around the Common Travel Area and to cross its borders with minimal or no identity documents.
The visa policy of Ireland is similar to the visa policy of the Schengen Area. It grants visa-free entry to all Schengen Annex II nationalities, except for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Dominica, Georgia, Honduras, Kosovo, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Ireland also grants visa-free entry to some additional countries – Belize, Fiji, Guyana, and Maldives.
History Ireland's visa policy has been amended since its inception through primary legislation and statutory instruments. The Aliens Act of 1935 confers the power of deportation and the power of immigration control to the Minister for Justice of the Irish Free State. On 12 April 1935, the Irish Free State exempted citizens of the United Kingdom, Canada, Commonwealth of Australia, Dominion of New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Dominion of Newfoundland and British India from the Aliens Act and therefore did not recognise those citizens as aliens. The 1946 Aliens Order required all aliens to present a passport to an immigration control officer for inspection within 24 hours if not arriving from Great Britain or Northern Ireland. The maximum stay for aliens was one month.
During the 1940s and 1950s, Ireland had concluded bilateral visa exemption agreements with countries of Western Europe.
In 1962, Ireland changed the definition of alien and now included those countries named above, with the exception of those born in Great Britain or Northern Ireland. The 1962 Aliens Amendment Order exempted citizens of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, West Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States from visas for three months. It also gave special provisions to citizens of the British Commonwealth, whereby they were exempted by the Aliens Order of 1946, although they might be refused leave to land unless they complied with certain conditions. A 1966 amendment gave rights of admission to those states of the British Commonwealth, which was later revoked in 1972. In 1972, aliens were required to seek work permits from the Minister for Labour to work in the state. In 1975, Ireland published its first list of visa-exempt nationalities and also removed the special provisions from Commonwealth citizens under Irish law. In 1999 there was the first development of a comprehensive list of countries which required visas.
On 29 March 1988, the first Irish transit visa requirement was announced for Iran. Requirements for transit visas were announced for Poland, Bulgaria and Sri Lanka on 26 February 1988, for Moldova (3 February 1993), Cuba (1 November 1994), Iraq (19 July 1996). On 8 October 1996, Irish transit visa requirements were extended and included the countries currently listed as of January 2018, with the addition of Nigeria, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Zaire. Zimbabwe was added on 8 November 2002, as were Georgia and Ukraine (9 June 2017).
In terms of visa exemptions, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were exempted on 30 April 1996, followed by Hong Kong (25 June 1997), Brunei (17 February 1997), Croatia (26 January 1999). On 13 February 2001, Ireland exempted the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Guyana, Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Macau was exempted on 27 April 2002, Slovakia (18 December 2003), Bulgaria and Romania (18 December 2006), Taiwan (1 July 2009), United Arab Emirates (31 January 2018) and Ukraine (25 February 2022).
In terms of countries removed from the list of visa-free nationalities, Sierra Leone was removed on 4 October 1994, and Kenya was removed on 15 March 1996. On 3 April 1996, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius (all three later restored), Tanzania and Zambia were removed, followed by Ecuador (29 August 1997) and Slovakia (14 October 1998, later restored). Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Nigeria and Pakistan (1 January 1988); Turkey (19 November 1989); Uganda (12 August 1993); Bolivia (later restored), Colombia, Peru and Tunisia (1 April 1990) were all removed, as were Gambia (June 2001), Jamaica (18 December 2003), Mauritius (1 January 2010), Venezuela (29 April 2014) and Malawi (12 November 2015).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, visa-free travel from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Guyana, Paraguay, South Africa and Uruguay was suspended from 28 January to 16 June 2021, and visa-free travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa was suspended from 27 November to 22 December 2021.
Bolivia was removed from the list of visa-free nationalities on 12 September 2023; Dominica, Honduras and Vanuatu were removed on 7 March 2024, followed by Botswana and South Africa on 10 July 2024. Eswatini, Lesotho and Nauru were removed on 10 March 2025. Trinidad and Tobago was removed on 12 May 2025. Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia were removed on 15 June 2026.
Visa policy map
Visa exemption Citizens of the following countries and territories can enter Ireland a visa:
As of right British citizens under the Common Travel Area arrangement All European Union citizens Citizens of EFTA member states
Visa-exempt Holders of a Residence Card of a family member of a Union citizen
The following persons do not require an entry visa and are granted permission to enter for three months when they arrive in Ireland: British Overseas Territories citizens British National (Overseas) British Overseas citizens Holders of a United Nations laissez-passer Holders of an Interpol Travel Document Citizens of the following countries and territories holding valid passports can visit Ireland up to 90 days (unless otherwise noted):
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Date of visa changesUnknown: Bahamas, Belize, Maldives, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands and Tonga Australian, Barbadian, British, Canadian, Grenadian, Malaysian, New Zealander and Singaporean citizens have never needed a visa to gain access to Ireland 1 April 1947/1 May 1948: Belgium 1 April 1947: Sweden 1 May 1947: France 15 May 1947: Denmark and Netherlands 20 June 1947: Switzerland 1 January 1948: Norway 1 January 1949: Luxembourg 1 June 1949: Iceland 25 December 1949: Italy 15 July 1954: Monaco 1 February 1955: Finland 15 August 1955: Portugal 20 October 1955: Turkey (cancelled in 1989) 15 June 1956: Greece 17 April 1959: Spain 1 August 1975: Andorra, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay and Vatican City (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay were suspended on 28 January 2021 and resumed on 16 June 2021) 31 January 1986: Israel and Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe was cancelled in 2002) 12 July 1989: South Korea 12 June 1990: East Germany (as Germany from 3 October 1990) 17 September 1990: Czechoslovakia (as Czech Republic and Slovakia from 1 January 1993) and Hungary 20 November 1992: Poland 14 April 1993: Slovenia 1 May 1996: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 17 February 1997: Brunei 1 July 1997: Hong Kong 31 January 1999: Croatia 1 March 2001: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia (resumed), Dominica, Fiji (resumed), Gambia (resumed), Guyana (resumed), Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius (resumed), Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu (Gambia was cancelled on 8 June 2001; Guyana was suspended on 28 January 2021 and resumed on 16 June 2021) 27 April 2002: Macao 18 December 2003: Slovakia (resumed) 1 August 2005: El Salvador, Paraguay and Tuvalu (all were resumed; Paraguay was suspended on 28 January 2021 and resumed again on 16 June 2021) 1 January 2007: Bulgaria and Romania 1 July 2009: Taiwan 31 January 2018: United Arab Emirates 25 February 2022: Ukraine
Cancelled:
Sri Lanka: 31 May 1985 Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Nigeria and Pakistan: 1 January 1988 Turkey: 19 November 1989Was applied under visa exemption agreement from 20 October 1955 Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Tunisia: 1 April 1990 (Bolivia was resumed in 2001) Yugoslavia: 6 November 1992 Uganda: 12 August 1993 Sierra Leone: 5 October 1994 Gambia: 28 November 1995 (was resumed on 1 March 2001 and cancelled on 8 June 2001) Kenya: 15 March 1996 Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Tanzania and Zambia: 4 April 1996 (Fiji, Guyana and Mauritius were resumed in 2001; Guyana was suspended on 28 January 2021 and resumed again on 16 June 2021) Ecuador: 30 August 1997 Slovakia: 19 October 1998 (was resumed in 2003) El Salvador, Paraguay, Tuvalu and Zimbabwe: 8 November 2002 (El Salvador, Paraguay and Tuvalu were resumed in 2005; Paraguay was suspended on 28 January 2021 and resumed again on 16 June 2021) Jamaica: 18 December 2003 Mauritius: 1 January 2010 Venezuela: 24 June 2014 Malawi: 30 November 2015 Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Guyana, Paraguay, South Africa and Uruguay: suspended from 28 January to 16 June 2021 Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and South Africa: suspended from 27 November to 22 December 2021 Bolivia: 12 September 2023 Dominica, Honduras and Vanuatu: 7 March 2024 Botswana and South Africa: 10 July 2024 Eswatini, Lesotho and Nauru: 10 March 2025 Trinidad and Tobago: 12 May 2025 Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia: 15 June 2026
Short stay visa waiver programme The Irish short stay visa waiver programme was introduced in July 2011 and allows citizens of the countries below to enter Ireland if they are holders of a valid UK 'C' visa (short stay visa), have cleared immigration in the United Kingdom and have been granted leave for up to 180 days in the UK. They can enter Ireland visa-free for up to 90 days or until the end of their current permission to remain in the UK, whichever is shorter. They may enter Ireland from a country other than the UK as long as both their visa and their permission to remain in the UK have not expired. The scheme is not applicable to those who travel to the UK without a visa, are "visitors in transit", "visitors seeking to enter for the purpose of marriage or to enter a civil partnership", or long term visitors.
The scheme was initially set to run until 31 October 2012 but was later extended to 31 October 2016, then to 31 October 2021, then again to 31 October 2026.
Citizens of the above countries who hold a UK or Schengen long-term visa or residence permit still need to apply for an Irish visa, but will have the application fee waived.
British-Irish Visa Scheme