Visa Requirements for Irish Citizens
Visa requirements for Irish citizens are specific entry rules and regulations that apply to all Irish citizens traveling abroad.
These regulatory conditions determine whether Irish citizens need a visa to visit a selected foreign country.
Fortunately for Irish citizens, their passport allows them to visit dozens of countries without a visa, using an electronic travel permit or applying for a visa on arrival. Nearly 200 destinations welcome Irish citizens without the need to apply for a regular embassy visa. This makes foreign travel extremely accessible and puts the Irish passport 6th best for overall freedom of travel. Traveling on an Irish passport allows you to spend a lot of time abroad. The exact length of stay allowed depends on the chosen destination. The most popular options are one month, three months or six months. However, some countries only allow entry for 7 days and some accept a stay of 1 year.
Although Irish citizens can benefit from visa-free access to over a hundred locations, there are still quite a few locations that require a visa.
This can be done electronically using the very accessible eVisa system, either at the airport upon arrival or several weeks in advance through the embassy. The Electronic Travel Authorization allows Irish citizens to obtain the necessary visa completely online, without having to visit the embassy!
VoA is available at the airport or at any land border crossing. Finally, the regular embassy visa can be the most difficult to get. However, this type of travel permit can serve as a short-term and long-term visa allowing its holder to engage in various activities and even live abroad.
Electronic visa for Irish citizens
The electronic travel authorization system is the simplest visa option for travel.
The eVisa can be obtained online after meeting the basic visa requirements.
Additionally, the approved document will be sent to the applicant's email address in PDF format.
Once Irish citizens have obtained an electronic travel permit, they can use it for leisure, business or transit purposes.
List of countries issuing electronic visas for Irish citizens
- Angola
- Ascension Island
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Benin
- Cambodia
- Ivory Coast
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Myanmar
- Oman
- Papua New Guinea
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Suriname
- Tanzania
- Vietnam
- Zimbabwe
There are over 30 territories that welcome all Irish citizens with an approved eVisa.
This means that Irish citizens can easily obtain the necessary travel authorization online, without the need for time-consuming visits to the embassy and without the need to collect too many documents to confirm the purpose of their trip expected departure.
Most of the time, approved e-visas allow Irish citizens to stay in a selected country for one or three months within a defined period of validity.
Some destinations also allow stays of 16 days or two months; it all depends on the specific place you plan to visit. The most convenient aspect of eVisas for Irish citizens is that the approved document only acts as a regular visa.
However, it is possible to get it without a tedious trip to the embassy.
eVisa can be used in a very flexible way, including for leisure, business and public transport purposes.
All Irish citizens can go on holiday, relax, explore tourist attractions abroad or visit friends and family living abroad.
Additionally, all business uses are also possible, allowing Irish passport holders to travel on business, negotiate future contracts, close deals or seek new employment opportunities.
Finally, e-visas also allow the holder to make a transit trip once they reach their final destination.
Visa on Arrival
A visa on arrival is a travel permit whose main characteristic is the place of collection.
VoA, as the name suggests, can be obtained upon arrival at the airport or at any land/sea border crossing point.
List of countries that issue Visas on Arrival for Irish citizens
- Angola
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi* (Irish citizens have to hold an entry authorization letter from the authorities to get a VoA)
- Cambodia
- Comoros
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Guinea-Bissau
- Iran
- Iraq* (Sulaimaniyah and Erbil airports only, 15 days, extension)
- Iraqi Kurdistan
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mauritania
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- New Zealand* (Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay, under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement)
- Niue
- Pakistan (VoA for business purposes only)
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Sri Lanka
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- United Arab Emirates
- Zimbabwe
More than 50 countries allow Irish passport holders to obtain the necessary visa on arrival.
This solution can be both practical and impractical. Irish travelers who decide to apply for a visa after arriving in a selected country do not need to prepare in advance of their intended trip. However, getting a VoA can be stressful because you’re not sure if you’ll be able to continue your journey.
To get a visa on arrival, simply go to the nearest border control point and request the VoA application form.
Fill it out carefully, provide all the necessary information and check that everything is correct.
If necessary, cover the costs and wait for the documents to be approved. There are a few additional things to keep in mind regarding visas on arrival.
More importantly, many destinations that offer VoA also offer an eVisa option for Irish passport holders. Check if the place you want to visit offers an eVisa as this is a safer way to travel. With your e-visa approved before you travel, you can be sure to enter the country you want to visit.
Additionally, VoA often involves long lines at the airport and can prolong unpleasant parts of the trip.
Prepare your trip with an approved eVisa whenever possible to make your trip smoother and easier!
Embassy Visa
An embassy visa for Irish citizens is a document that allows its holder to cross the borders of a foreign country for which it is issued.
This type of visa can only be issued after visiting the embassy and going through a formal visa application process, which may sometimes require attending a visa interview with a consular officer.
List of countries that require Irish citizens to obtain an Embassy visa
- Abkhazia
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Artsakh
- Bhutan
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- The Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Republic of the Congo
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Cuba
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Ghana
- Iraq
- North Korea
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mali
- Nauru
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Sudan
- Syria
- Turkmenistan
- Yemen
Nearly 30 destinations require Irish citizens to apply for an embassy visa before traveling to their territory.
Countries are the least known or least visited places.
Such a small number of countries requiring frequent visas is what makes Irish citizens rank so highly in the overall travel and movement freedom rankings. Applying for an embassy visa is a bit more complicated than applying for an electronic visa or visa on arrival.
First of all, it is important to check current visa requirements by contacting the embassy.
Next, all applicants must prepare the necessary documents and fill out the application form. Once done, go to the embassy and apply. Some countries may require you to attend a visa interview or provide additional supporting documents to confirm your purpose of stay. Approved visas are usually stamped in the applicant’s passport.
Fortunately, Irish citizens do not often need to apply for an embassy visa.
Dozens of countries exempt them from that obligation, thereby facilitating their travel. However, if you are planning to visit a country that requires a traditional visa, it is essential to remember that pre-application preparations must be done at least several weeks before the process begins.
This way, you will have a better chance of getting your documents approved as quickly as possible or at least in time for your planned trip.
Visa-free countries
Visa exemption is currently offered by many countries to all Irish citizens with a valid passport in hand.
Being visa-free means you can travel freely between Ireland and any selected visa-free entry country without the need to issue any travel authorization documents.
Over one hundred destinations offer visa-free entry to all Irish citizens, making the Irish passport an extremely powerful document. All you need to cross the borders of any of the countries listed above without a visa is your valid Irish passport.
Plan your trip, book plane tickets or prepare for a car trip, pack your luggage and present your passport upon arrival. The authorities of the country you are visiting will check that your travel documents are valid. Once you enter your chosen visa-free destination, you will be able to enjoy all recreational, business or even transit-related activities.
Go on vacation, explore foreign countries, learn about their history and culture, meet new people, learn about local customs, make an important deal or simply transit through any country.
any country without a visa!
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kiribati
- South Korea
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lesotho
- Malaysia
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Singapore
- South Africa
- Thailand
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
