What documents do I need to travel to Ireland?
Ireland is outside the Schengen area and runs its own visa system. Many nationalities visit visa-free for 90 days, and everyone else needs an Irish Short Stay C visa.
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Entering Ireland - what you need
Ireland sits outside the Schengen rules that cover most of its EU neighbours, which is the single thing travellers get wrong. Here is what to bring alongside your trip1 hotel booking.
- A valid passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
- An Irish visa if your nationality needs one - a Schengen visa is not a substitute.
- A return or onward ticket.
- Proof of where you are staying - your trip1 booking confirmation covers this.
- Proof you can support yourself during the visit, which immigration officers do ask about.
Ireland is not in Schengen - what that means for you
Ireland is an EU member but stays outside the Schengen area, so it keeps its own border controls and its own visa system. A Schengen visa gives you nothing at an Irish border.
The same goes the other way. Time spent in Ireland does not count against the Schengen 90-in-180 allowance, and Irish permission does not let you into France or Spain.
If your trip pairs Dublin with a Schengen city, you need permission for each side separately. Ireland also stands outside the EU Entry/Exit System and the ETIAS scheme.
Who needs an Irish visa
Citizens of the EU, EEA, Switzerland, the UK and around 60 other countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Brazil, visit Ireland without a visa for up to 90 days.
Everyone else applies for a Short Stay C visa before travelling. You start the application on Ireland's online visa system and then submit your passport and supporting documents to the relevant Irish mission.
Published fees have been 60 euros for a single-entry visa and 100 euros for multiple entry. Check the current amounts and processing times on the Irish immigration service site, and apply weeks rather than days ahead.
Two schemes that use your UK visa
The Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme lets certain nationalities who hold a valid UK short stay visa travel on to Ireland without a separate Irish visa, provided they entered the UK first. The British-Irish Visa Scheme works differently: a UK visa endorsed with BIVS covers travel to both countries.
Both schemes have conditions on nationality, visa type and the order of your journey. Confirm your own eligibility on the Irish immigration service site before you rely on either.
Passport or ID card?
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can travel to Ireland on a national ID card instead of a passport. Everyone else needs a passport that stays valid for the whole visit, and if you need an Irish visa, it must be valid for at least six months after the date you plan to leave Ireland.
British citizens are not legally required to carry a passport under the Common Travel Area, but that is a legal point rather than a practical one. Airlines and ferry operators set their own ID rules, and many accept only a passport.
Ireland has no fixed six-month validity rule of the kind you see elsewhere. Even so, a passport with room to spare avoids arguments at the check-in desk.
Hotel check-in in Ireland
Irish hotels ask the lead guest for photo ID at check-in, and a passport is the safest document to present as an international visitor. A driving licence is often accepted from guests travelling within the Common Travel Area.
Your trip1 booking confirmation is what the front desk needs to find your reservation, and it is the proof of accommodation an immigration officer may ask for on arrival.
Many hotels ask for a card at check-in to hold a deposit against extras. That is the property's own policy and separate from how you paid for the room on trip1.
Entering Ireland - FAQ
British citizens are not legally required to show a passport to enter Ireland under the Common Travel Area, but airlines and ferry operators set their own ID rules and many accept only a passport. Other nationalities need a valid passport, or a national ID card for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, plus an Irish visa if their nationality requires one.
No. Ireland is outside the Schengen Area, so ETIAS does not cover trips to Ireland, and the EU Entry/Exit System does not operate at Irish borders either. ETIAS is not in operation anywhere yet. If your trip also includes a Schengen country, that part of the journey follows Schengen rules separately.
No. Ireland is not in the Schengen Area and issues its own visas, so a Schengen visa does not let you enter Ireland, and an Irish visa does not let you into France or Spain. If your nationality needs a visa, apply for an Irish Short Stay C visa, or check whether a UK visa scheme covers you.
No. Ireland has no electronic travel authorisation. The ETA you may have heard about is the UK's: if you continue from Ireland into Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the UK, visitors who are not British or Irish usually need a UK ETA, even though there are no checks on the land border. Legal residents of Ireland from visa-exempt countries are exempt.
Yes. US citizens do not need a visa to visit Ireland. The immigration officer stamps your passport with permission to stay, up to a maximum of 90 days, and can ask about the reason for your visit, where you are staying and how you will support yourself. Your trip1 booking confirmation answers the accommodation question.
Ireland's short stay visa costs 60 euros for a single entry and 100 euros for multiple entries. You start the application on Ireland's online visa system, then send your passport and supporting documents to the relevant Irish mission. Check current processing times on the Irish immigration service site and apply weeks rather than days ahead.