Ireland short stay visa for Indian passport holders

Any Indian passport holder with a passport valid 6 months beyond the departure date can apply. The officer assesses the purpose, your finances, your ties to India and your immigration history. Tourists show an itinerary and bookings; family visitors attach the host's letter, their Irish Residence Permit or passport and proof of the relationship; business visitors attach the Irish company's invitation and the Indian employer's letter; conference delegates the registration. Ireland does not publish a daily funds figure, but officers expect 6 months of statements with a steady balance that covers the trip without a sudden deposit.

The Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme matters for Indian travellers: if you hold a UK short stay visit visa (not a transit or long-stay permission) and have been admitted to the UK on it for up to 180 days, you may enter Ireland without an Irish visa for up to 90 days or until your UK permission ends, whichever is first, until 31 October 2026. The British-Irish Visa Scheme goes further: a UK or Irish visa endorsed BIVS allows travel to both countries on one document, and Indian applicants can request it in either application.

Ireland is outside Schengen, so days in Ireland do not count against the Schengen 90-in-180 limit, and an Irish visa does not allow entry to Northern Ireland or Great Britain, which need UK permission. From 1 June 2026 a refused short stay visa cannot be appealed; the only remedy is a fresh application addressing the refusal reasons.

Fees are set by the Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) orders and have been EUR 60 and EUR 100 for over a decade. Vistolane charges the fee at the official rate, books VFS and shows its service separately.

1. 1

   Decide whether you need an Irish visa

   Travelling on a qualifying UK visit visa? Use the waiver. Otherwise complete the AVATS online form and print the summary.

2. 2

   Gather documents

   Passport, photos, letter of application, bookings or host's letter, 6 months of statements, employer letter, tax returns, ties evidence.

3. 3

   Lodge at VFS Global Ireland

   Within 30 days of the AVATS form: biometrics, passport, documents, EUR 60 or EUR 100 fee and the VFS fee.

4. 4

   Decision in about 8 weeks

   The New Delhi visa office may request more documents by email; track the reference on irishimmigration.ie.

5. 5

   Collect the passport and travel

   Carry the host's letter, bookings and funds for Dublin border control; the visa does not cover the UK.

Indian families visiting relatives in Dublin, Cork and Galway for summer should lodge in March; Christmas visitors by early October.

Dublin Airport immigration officers decide the length of stay, usually the dates requested up to 90 days, and stamp the passport; keep the host's letter, bookings, return ticket and funds to hand. Visitors may not work or register with immigration, and a C visa cannot be extended or converted in Ireland except in rare cases; students, workers and family members apply from India for D visas covered on the other Ireland route pages.

Travelling between Ireland and Northern Ireland crosses into the UK, which needs separate UK permission for Indian nationals; the Common Travel Area applies to Irish and British citizens, not to visa nationals. Overstays are recorded and weigh on future Irish and UK applications.

• Irish Immigration Service: visiting Ireland (short stay C visas) ↗
• Irish Immigration Service: Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme ↗
• Irish Immigration Service: preclearance and entry visa fees ↗
• VFS Global Ireland (India): centres, biometrics and processing ↗