The Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme is now extended for a further five years to 31 October 2021.
Commenced on 1 July 2011, it was further extended in 2012. Under the Programme, certain short stay visas issued by the Immigration authorities of the United Kingdom (UK) are recognised by Ireland for the purposes of onward travel to Ireland. Under the Programme, tourists or business people who have lawfully entered the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a valid UK visa will be able to travel on to Ireland without the requirement to obtain an Irish visa. They will be allowed to stay in Ireland for up to 3 months or until their UK visa runs out, whichever is the shorter.
Nationals of eighteen countries in all are included in the programme. The countries involved are India, Kazakhstan, Peoples Republic of China, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine. It is expected that the extension will continue to provide a significant boost to efforts to attract more visitors to Ireland from these countries.
