Up to 90 day entry

Visiting Ireland

Coming to Ireland for a holiday, to see family, attend an interview, go to a conference or simply have a look around before deciding whether Ireland is for you?

The first thing to understand is that a visit is different from moving to Ireland.

A short stay is normally for 90 days or less.

For South African passport holders, an Irish visa is required before travelling to Ireland. This requirement has applied since 10 July 2024.

For the full visa process, documents and application information, see:

Irish Visas for South Africans

Visa Paperwork

This page is the quick guide to why you might visit Ireland, what you need to prove and what a visitor may and may not do once here.

What can I visit Ireland for?

Ireland’s Short Stay C visa covers a number of genuine reasons for coming to Ireland for 90 days or less.

The important thing is to apply for the reason that actually matches what you are coming to do.

Irish Immigration requires applicants to choose the correct reason for travel when completing AVATS.

Holiday or tourism

This is your normal tourist trip.

You may be:

travelling around Ireland
staying in hotels, B&Bs or other accommodation
visiting attractions
taking a holiday
exploring different parts of Ireland.

In AVATS this is generally Visit Tourist.

Visiting family or friends

You may be coming to see:

parents
children
siblings
extended family
friends
your husband, wife or partner who already lives in Ireland.

This is normally a Visit Family/Friend short-stay application.

If you are visiting someone, your application should clearly show:

who you are visiting
your relationship to them
where you will stay
who is paying for the trip
how long you intend to remain.

Visiting your spouse or partner who lives in Ireland

This is an important distinction.

If your spouse or partner is already living in Ireland and you are coming to see them for a few weeks before returning home, that is a visit.

If your actual intention is to move to Ireland and live with them, that is a completely different immigration purpose.

For example:

“I am visiting my husband for three weeks and returning to South Africa.”

is not the same application as:

“I am moving to Ireland to join my husband permanently.”

If you intend to reside in Ireland, use the correct Join Family, EU Treaty Rights or other applicable family route from the beginning.

Do not apply as a tourist because it looks easier.

Coming to Ireland to look around before moving

Many South Africans come over for what we have always called a:

Look, See, Decide trip

You might want to:

look at towns and areas
investigate schools
see what housing is like
understand transport
meet people
explore Ireland before deciding whether relocation is right for you.

That can be a perfectly legitimate temporary visit.

Be honest about what you are doing.

You are visiting and researching.

You are not moving to Ireland on that visitor permission.

Job interview

You can come to Ireland for a genuine job interview.

There is not necessarily a separate headline visa called a Job Interview Visa, so your AVATS application must accurately explain the purpose of your journey.

Bring evidence such as:

invitation from the employer
interview date
employer details
correspondence about the position.

Attending an interview does not give you permission to begin working in Ireland.

If you receive a job offer, you must then follow the correct employment-permit and immigration process applicable to you.

Conference, symposium or professional event

You can visit Ireland to attend a:

conference
symposium
professional event
academic event
industry gathering.

Your documents should support the reason for travel, such as registration or an invitation from the organisers.

Business visit

A short business visit can include activities such as:

attending meetings
negotiating agreements
signing contracts
meeting Irish clients
meeting suppliers
attending business events.

Ireland also permits certain very short periods of work under specific rules, but a business visit is not a general permission to work in Ireland.

Short-term employment

There are limited circumstances where someone may come to Ireland for employment lasting less than 90 days.

Some cases require prior approval under the Atypical Working Scheme.

This is not the same as arriving as a tourist, finding a job and simply starting work.

Training

You may come to Ireland for certain short periods of:

professional training
company training
work-related training.

Your supporting documentation should explain:

who arranged the training
where it will take place
how long it will last
who is paying your expenses.

Short course or study

Certain courses lasting 90 days or less can be undertaken on a short-stay basis.

These can include:

short English-language courses
cultural courses
other short programmes of study.

A short-study visitor does not automatically have permission to work.

If your course is longer than 90 days, you need to look at the appropriate long-stay study route.

Sitting an examination

You may visit Ireland to sit an examination connected with:

your profession
employment
qualification
studies.

Carry evidence of the examination and your registration for it.

Unpaid internship

A short stay may also be possible for certain unpaid internships.

Do not assume that paid employment or a paid internship can simply be treated the same way.

Check the exact immigration requirements before applying.

Getting married or entering a civil partnership

You can travel to Ireland for the purpose of marrying or entering a civil partnership.

Specific requirements apply, including the Irish civil-registration requirements relating to notification of your intention to marry.

Coming to Ireland to marry is not the same thing as automatically receiving permission to remain permanently afterwards.

Your immigration position after the marriage must still be dealt with under the appropriate rules.

Performance or competition

You may come to Ireland to participate in things such as:

sport
music
theatre
dance
competitions
tournaments.

Different requirements can apply where the activity is paid, so check the exact route before travelling.

Medical treatment

A short-stay application may be made for certain private medical treatment in Ireland.

You may need evidence including:

confirmation of the treatment
appointment details
the Irish medical provider
ability to pay for treatment
accommodation
funds for the duration of the stay.

Joining a ship

A seafarer travelling to Ireland in order to join a ship departing from Ireland may use the appropriate Join Ship short-stay route.

Not a common SA2eire question, but it is another genuine short-stay purpose.

A special case: EU/EEA/Swiss family members

This needs its own explanation because it works differently from an ordinary visitor visa.

A visa-required non-EEA family member who is accompanying or joining an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen exercising EU free-movement rights in Ireland can apply for a Short Stay C visa for that purpose.

This is not simply a holiday visa that somebody later decides to convert.

The purpose from the beginning is to accompany or join the EU/EEA/Swiss family member.

If the non-EEA family member intends to remain in Ireland for more than three months, Irish Immigration says the appropriate EU Treaty Rights Residence Card application is made from inside Ireland. Both family members must be living in Ireland and the EU/EEA/Swiss citizen must meet the relevant free-movement conditions.

That is an important exception to the normal visitor rule.

For example:

Holiday C visa → decide to stay with spouse permanently

is not the same thing as:

EU Treaty Rights C visa → entered specifically to accompany/join qualifying EU spouse → apply in Ireland for the Residence Card required for a stay beyond three months.

The second route is specifically provided for under the EU Treaty Rights process.

Irish citizens are generally not covered by these EU Treaty Rights rules simply because they are EU citizens. Family members joining an Irish citizen normally use the Irish national family rules, unless one of the specific EU free-movement exceptions applies.

So what do I need to prove for my trip?

There is no single visitor document list that applies to every short-stay application.

The paperwork needs to support your particular reason for travelling.

But the basic questions are usually very similar.

Who are you?

Your passport and required identity documents.

Why are you coming to Ireland?

Your documents should support what you say you are coming to do.

That might include:

holiday itinerary
family invitation
conference registration
employer correspondence
interview invitation
examination booking
training confirmation
hospital appointment
course enrolment
marriage-related documents.

Where are you staying?

You should be able to show where you intend to stay.

That could be:

hotel
B&B
holiday accommodation
family home
friend’s home.

Who is paying?

You need to show that the trip can be funded without relying on Irish public funds.

Depending on the application, that may be:

you
your spouse
family
employer
sponsoring organisation.

Why will you leave Ireland?

For a normal short-stay visitor, this is important.

Your evidence should support the fact that the visit really is temporary.

Depending on your circumstances that may include:

employment
approved leave from work
business commitments
studies
family responsibilities
property or tenancy
financial commitments
onward arrangements.

A return ticket is useful.

But a return ticket on its own does not prove your entire immigration case.

Travel and medical insurance

Carry suitable travel or medical insurance where required for your trip.

It is also sensible to keep evidence of it available at the border.

Do I need an invitation letter?

Not for every type of visit.

If you are visiting family or friends, an invitation letter will normally be important.

For another type of visit, the relevant evidence might instead be:

conference invitation
employer letter
interview confirmation
training letter
hospital appointment
exam confirmation
event registration.

The paperwork must support the actual reason for the journey.

Your visa does not guarantee entry

An Irish visa gives you permission to travel to Ireland and present yourself at the Irish border.

It does not guarantee that you will be admitted.

The Immigration Officer decides whether you may enter and the length and conditions of the landing permission granted.

Irish Immigration advises travellers to have documents available explaining the purpose of their journey, accommodation, finances and other relevant circumstances.

Keep important documents in your hand luggage, not in the suitcase waiting on the baggage carousel.

That may include:

passport
visa
boarding card
accommodation details
invitation
itinerary
proof of funds
insurance
documents supporting the reason for your visit
return or onward travel information.

If permission is granted, your immigration permission and permitted period of stay are recorded by Irish immigration.

Do not assume that every visitor automatically receives 90 days.

The permission granted at the border controls how long you may remain.

The reason you entered Ireland matters

This is something people sometimes misunderstand.

Your visa application tells Immigration why you are travelling.

At the border, you again explain why you are entering Ireland.

Your entry and immigration permission are recorded.

So do not think:

“Once I am inside Ireland I can change my reason for being here.”

For an ordinary visitor, that is generally not how the Irish immigration system works.

Irish Immigration specifically states that a person in Ireland on a visitor permission of up to 90 days is not permitted to change that permission to another immigration permission.

You are required to leave Ireland on or before your permission expires. If you qualify for another immigration permission, you would normally apply for it from outside Ireland after leaving.

For example:

“I entered for a holiday. Now I want to stay and join my spouse.”

Generally, no.

“I came to visit my boyfriend. We have now decided I will live here.”

A visitor permission does not become a family residence permission simply because your plans changed.

“I came for a job interview and got the job. Can I just stay and start working?”

Not on the basis of the visitor permission.

You must follow the appropriate employment and immigration route.

“I came to look around and have now decided Ireland is definitely for me.”

Wonderful.

But the visitor permission is still a visitor permission.

You normally leave and return using the correct route for whatever you are coming back to do.

The major distinction is the EU Treaty Rights family route explained above, where the person has entered specifically as the qualifying family member accompanying or joining an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and Irish law provides for the subsequent Residence Card application to be made in the State.

Can I extend my visit beyond 90 days?

Normally, no.

A visitor is expected to leave Ireland before the permission granted to them expires.

Ireland does provide a limited facility to extend a visitor permission where there has been a genuine unexpected change in circumstances after arrival.

This is not a general way of extending your holiday or buying yourself more time in Ireland.

When may a visitor extension be considered?

An extension may be considered where an unexpected or exceptional circumstance arose after you entered Ireland.

One important example is becoming medically unfit to travel, supported by appropriate medical evidence.

You must apply while your existing visitor permission is still valid.

Irish Immigration: Extension of Visitor Permission

What does NOT qualify?

An extension is not intended simply because:

you want a longer holiday
you want to spend more time with family
you have another meeting or event
you have changed your plans
you now want to live in Ireland
you want to provide childcare
you want to change from visiting into another immigration category.

Most importantly:

A visitor extension is not a change of immigration status.

Do not use:

“I need an extension”

when what you actually mean is:

“I have decided I want to live in Ireland.”

Those are completely different things.

What if I was given less than 90 days at the border?

If your Immigration Officer gave you permission for less than the usual maximum of 90 days, there is a process for requesting an extension up to the normal visitor maximum, provided your permission remains valid and the applicable conditions are met.

Check the current instructions before applying:

Extension of Visitor Permission

What if something genuinely unexpected happens?

Applications to extend visitor permission are currently handled through the Immigration Service Delivery Customer Service Portal.

You may need documents such as:

passport copy
entry stamp
insurance
evidence that you can support yourself
documents proving the exceptional circumstance
medical evidence where applicable.

Extension of Visitor Permission

Changing Your Immigration Permission

Visiting is not moving

This is probably the most important distinction on this page.

A normal short-stay visitor visa does not give you permission to:

move permanently to Ireland
remain indefinitely
convert yourself into a resident because your plans changed
work unless the specific short-stay route allows the particular activity
remain simply because you have found employment
switch from holidaymaker to family resident as a matter of choice.

If your real intention is to:

join your spouse permanently
take up an employment permit
study for longer than 90 days
retire in Ireland
accompany or join an EU/EEA/Swiss family member
use another long-term residence route

then start with the immigration route designed for that purpose.

SA2eire rule

Your visa application, your reason for travelling, what you tell Immigration at the border and what you actually do in Ireland should all match.

If you are visiting your daughter, say you are visiting your daughter.

If you are attending a conference, show the conference.

If you are coming for an interview, carry the interview invitation.

If you are taking a holiday, have a sensible holiday plan.

If you are actually joining your spouse to live in Ireland, use the appropriate family route.

And if you are entering under the EU Treaty Rights route to accompany or join your qualifying EU/EEA/Swiss family member, make that clear from the start.

Do not enter for Purpose A with a plan to quietly turn it into Purpose B once you are through the airport.

Irish immigration permissions are granted for a reason and subject to conditions.

Use the correct route from the beginning.

More detailed visa information

This page is only the quick overview.

For the actual visa process, current requirements and supporting paperwork see:

Irish Visas for South Africans

Visa Paperwork

Official Irish Immigration information:

Short Stay Visas Policy

Visiting Ireland: Frequently Asked Questions

Entry at the Irish Border

Extension of Visitor Permission

Changing Your Immigration Permission

EU Treaty Rights

SA2eire is now here as a general guide for South Africans moving to Ireland. The website is not regularly updated, so please always check the relevant official Irish websites for the latest rules, requirements and procedures, as Irish immigration processes can change frequently and sometimes with very little notice.