IrelandVisits and short stays

Ireland family and friends visit visa

Short stay 'C' visa – visit family or friends

In short

To visit relatives or friends in Ireland for up to 90 days, visa-required nationals apply for the short stay 'C' visa with the reason 'Visit family/friend'. On top of the usual visit documents you need a signed invitation from each host, a copy of the host’s passport (and Irish Residence Permit if not an EU citizen) and evidence of how you know each other.

Apply on AVATS – Automated Visa Application and Tracking System checked 23 October 2026

Key facts

Maximum stay
Up to 90 days; the immigration officer at the border writes the permitted date on the landing stamp and may give less.
Validity
Single or multiple entry. Multiple-entry visas are issued only in limited cases, usually to applicants with a good record of earlier travel to Ireland.
Fee
€60Single entry €60, multiple entry €100 (ISD fee table, page updated 25 February 2025). Not refunded on refusal or withdrawal. A visa application centre, where used, charges its own service fee on top, even for fee-exempt applicants.
Funds required
€0 for the stayNo minimum is set. If the host pays, their own finances are assessed instead of or alongside yours.
Processing time
Decisions are made in date order; the general guide is about 8 weeks from the date the visa office receives the file, longer if documents are missing or need checking.
Work
No work, paid or unpaid, including helping with childcare in the host’s home.
Family
Every traveller, including each child, needs an individual application; Ireland issues no family or group visas.
Path to permanent residence
No. To live with a family member in Ireland you need a long-stay join family visa, not a visit visa.
Where to apply
Online on AVATS from the country where you legally live, then documents to the Irish embassy, consulate or visa office named on your AVATS summary, or the visa application centre it uses.

Who this visa is for

Use this category when the main purpose of your trip is to see relatives or friends who live in Ireland, whether or not you stay in their home. It does not lead to residence: a spouse, partner or child who wants to live with the sponsor must apply under the family reunification rules instead.

The invitation and the host’s papers

Visa office checklists ask for the invitation even if you will not stay with the host. It must be an original, recent, signed letter giving the host’s address, how you are related or acquainted, whether you will stay with them (with a current utility bill in their name if so) and their commitment that you will respect the visa conditions. Each host at a different address writes a separate letter.

Attach a colour copy of the host’s passport photo page and signature; a host who is not an EU citizen also attaches their Irish Residence Permit and current permission stamp. Your own letter must list every family member living in Ireland, even those you will not visit, and any relatives in other EU or EEA countries.

Required documents

Identity

  • Passport valid for at least 6 months after the intended arrival date, with at least two blank pages, plus copies of every stamped or visa page and of all previous passports
  • Two colour photos, 35x45 mm, not older than 6 months, with your name and AVATS transaction number on the back

Money

  • Bank statements for the last 6 months; savings accounts only with a bank letter confirming you can withdraw; large recent deposits explained

Work

  • Proof of occupation: employer letter on letterhead, last 3 payslips and official social insurance or employment records; company registration and tax documents for business owners; pension proof for retirees; enrolment letter for students

Family

  • Civil status documents showing your family situation, such as birth and marriage certificates or a family register extract where your country issues one
  • Original signed invitation letter from each host in Ireland, with address, relationship, accommodation details and the host’s undertaking
  • Copy of the host’s passport photo page and signature; for non-EU hosts, their IRP card and current immigration stamp
  • Evidence of the relationship: birth or marriage certificates for relatives; letters, emails, photos or earlier visits for friends

Insurance

  • Travel health insurance covering emergency care, hospital treatment and repatriation for the whole stay

Other

  • AVATS application summary sheet, printed, signed and dated
  • Signed application letter in English: purpose, dates, where you stay, who pays, family members in Ireland, the UK or the EU, and your undertaking to respect the visa conditions and leave on time
  • Statement of your migration history and the original letter of any previous visa refusal by any country, with translation

Supporting documents (where they apply)

Money

  • If the host pays: host’s 6-month bank statement, 3 payslips, Revenue employment detail summary and employer letter

Other

  • If you stay with the host: a current utility bill in the host’s name at that address

Who pays for the visit

If you pay yourself, 6 months of bank statements are enough as a starting point. If the host contributes, they provide a cost estimate in euro and proof they can afford it: a 6-month bank statement, 3 recent payslips, an employment detail summary from Revenue and an employer letter. This applies to Irish citizen hosts too.

Applying

Choose reason for travel “Visit family/friend” in AVATS, then submit the signed summary, the documents and the fee to the Irish embassy, consulate or visa office named on your AVATS summary, or the visa application centre it uses. Spouses and children of Irish citizens are exempt from the visa fee when they prove the relationship, and qualifying family members of EU citizens travelling with or joining them are also exempt.

  1. Create the application on AVATS and choose the 'C' short-stay type with reason for travel 'Visit family/friend'; note the Visa Application Transaction Number.
  2. Print, sign and date the summary sheets; the summary names the Irish embassy, consulate or visa office that handles your file.
  3. Collect originals in the order of the checklist of the office handling your file and have every document not in English translated, with the translator’s name, signature, date and contact details.
  4. Submit the file and pay the visa fee as the summary instructs, directly to the office or through the visa application centre it uses, which may add its own service fee.
  5. Do not buy non-refundable tickets; check the published visa decisions with your transaction number.
  6. Collect your passport as instructed and carry copies of your supporting documents to the border, where an immigration officer decides on entry and stamps the permitted stay.

At the border and during the stay

A visa only allows you to travel; the immigration officer decides on entry and stamps the date by which you must leave. Ireland does not stamp passports on exit, so keep boarding passes as proof. Travel or medical insurance does not have to be filed with every application, but you must show it on arrival if asked.

Visitor permission can be extended only after an unforeseen change of circumstances, such as being medically unfit to travel; a request beyond 90 days goes to Immigration Service Delivery and, if approved, a €300 registration fee applies.

Refusals and reapplying

From 1 June 2026 a refused short-stay visa can no longer be appealed; the only appeals still possible in the short-stay category are those of family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens under the Free Movement Directive. The refusal letter lists the reasons, and a new AVATS application with a new fee is the way forward.

Hiding an earlier refusal from any country leads to refusal, and false or misleading documents can result in a ban on applying for an Irish visa for up to 5 years.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an invitation if I stay in a hotel?

Usually yes. Visa office checklists ask for the invitation and the host’s documents whenever you visit family or friends, even if you book a hotel.

My child lives in Ireland on a work permit. Can they invite me?

Yes. They attach their passport copy, IRP card and current permission stamp to the invitation; if they pay for you, they also prove their income.

Is the visa free for the parent of an Irish citizen?

No. The Irish citizen fee exemption covers spouses, widows or widowers and children under 18; parents pay the normal fee unless another exemption applies.

Can I visit Ireland with my UK visa instead?

If your nationality is on the Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme list and you hold a UK short-stay visitor visa (not a transit or marriage visa, and not a UK ETA), you must first land in the UK and be admitted; you may then visit Ireland for up to 90 days or the time left on your UK permission, whichever is shorter.

Official sources

Summarised from the official sources above. Rules, fees and processing times change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before you apply.

Other visa types for Ireland

Visits and short stays

  • Tourist visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days; the immigration officer at the border writes the permitted date on the landing stamp and may give less.
  • Transit visa Maximum stay: No stay: a transit visa only allows passage through an Irish airport or seaport to another country.
  • Medical treatment visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days; the immigration officer at the border writes the permitted date on the landing stamp and may give less.
  • Culture, sports and events visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days; the immigration officer at the border writes the permitted date on the landing stamp and may give less.

Business and self-employment

  • Business visa Maximum stay: Up to 90 days; the immigration officer at the border writes the permitted date on the landing stamp and may give less.
  • Entrepreneur and start-up visa Maximum stay: 2 years at first, renewed for 3 years, then in 5-year instalments.

Study and training

  • Student visa Maximum stay: Permission follows the course; the total time on student permission is capped at 7 years (8 years including the graduate stage for level 9 graduates).
  • Language course visa Maximum stay: Up to 8 months of permission per course; at most three courses, two years in total, after which only a higher education programme can be continued.
  • Researcher visa Maximum stay: As long as the hosting agreement and the registered permission run.
  • Internship and trainee visa Maximum stay: Unpaid: up to 90 days, with no extension. Paid via Internship Employment Permit: up to 12 months. Paid via AWS: up to 12 months.

Work

  • Work visa Maximum stay: Initial permit up to 2 years, renewable for up to 3 more years; after 5 years a permit is generally no longer needed.
  • Skilled worker visa Maximum stay: Issued for 2 years; it is not renewed but replaced by Stamp 4 permission from the Department of Justice.
  • Intra-company transfer visa Maximum stay: Up to 24 months initially, extendable to a maximum stay of 5 years; trainees up to 12 months.
  • Job seeker visa Maximum stay: 12 months for level 8; up to 24 months (12 + 12) for level 9 and above, within the 7-year (level 8) or 8-year (level 9+) limit on student permission.

Family

Residence

  • Retirement visa Maximum stay: Temporary permission renewed on a TPER renewal form while you remain financially independent.
  • Residence permit Maximum stay: The IRP card is valid for the period of the permission granted (for example one academic year on Stamp 2, two years on Stamp 4).
  • Permanent residence Maximum stay: Stamp 4 usually 2 years at a time; Long Term Residency 5 years; Stamp 5 valid until your passport expires.

Protection

  • Asylum and international protection Maximum stay: While the application and any appeal are pending you may stay as an applicant; recognised refugees and subsidiary protection holders receive a residence permission.

Ireland visa guide