Ireland student visa (long stay D study visa)

Your programme must appear on the Interim List of Eligible Programmes (ILEP) or the TrustEd Ireland providers list, be full-time and run in the daytime; part-time and distance courses never qualify. Higher education programmes at NFQ levels 6 to 10, professional awards, foundation programmes and English courses of at least 25 weeks are listed.

For degree-level courses ISD’s minimum is, for example, IELTS Academic 5.0, TOEFL iBT 61, Duolingo 75 or PTE Academic 30; foundation and second-level courses accept IELTS 4.0. The certificate must be issued within 2 years of the course start, and your college may set a higher standard.

Study checklists can add items such as civil status documents showing your family, evidence of reasons to return after the course where staying on is not part of your plan, and details and cost of accommodation. Erasmus students show the grant letter instead of the €10,000 proof. All documents must be originals; anything not in English needs a certified translation.

For courses starting after 1 July 2023 you must prove immediate access to at least €10,000, the estimated living cost for one academic year, and show that you or your sponsors can fund each following year too. Statements must cover the 6 months before you apply, on bank letterhead; sudden lump sums need an explanation and credit cards are not accepted as evidence.

Degree students may instead lodge an education bond of at least €10,000 with an approved payment service, held until registration in Ireland. Tuition under €6,000 is paid in full before the visa application; above that, at least €6,000 must be paid and shown in the acceptance letter.

Apply up to 3 months before travel and as soon as you accept your place. If you will visit another country on the way, get that country’s visa first. Fill in AVATS, submit the file to the Irish embassy, consulate or visa office named on your AVATS summary, or the visa application centre it uses, and wait about 8 weeks; do not book tickets before the decision.

A D visa lets you travel; on arrival the officer gives a landing stamp, normally up to 90 days. Before it runs out you must register your permission with Immigration Service Delivery at the Registration Office, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2, booking the appointment on the ISD portal. Fingerprints and a photo are taken, the €300 fee is paid by card and the Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card arrives by post within about 10 working days.

Because appointment demand is very high, ISD has said that booking an appointment within the 90 days is enough to remain lawfully until that date. Renewals are made online up to 12 weeks before the IRP expires; students can only renew once their next course has started.

Each renewal requires progression in your studies; changing programme in the first year is allowed only in very exceptional cases, and moving from a degree to a language course or from a master’s to a bachelor’s is not allowed. Exam repeats can justify a 4-month extension only when illness or similar reasons prevented you from sitting them.

Long stay refusals can still be appealed. The appeal is free, must arrive within 2 months of the date on the refusal letter, is sent by post and must answer the refusal reasons with original evidence. Only one appeal per application is allowed; after that you may file a new application.