Ireland – Immigration authorities announce closure of appointment system for re-entry visas
Effective September 3, 2018, the online appointment booking service for visa-required nationals seeking re-entry visas from the Re-entry Division of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) will cease to operate. All applications must be submitted by post.
Any visa-required national residing in Ireland for longer than 90 days, with a valid permission to remain, will require a re-entry visa to travel freely into and out of Ireland (until they gain Irish residency rights).
Travel plans should be postponed (or booked with changeable flights) until the re-entry visa has been received from the processing office. Assignees should never travel without an up-to-date Irish Resident Permit (IRP) card and re-entry visa.
Postal applications
From September 3, 2018, all applications for re-entry visas must be sent through the registered postal system. Applicants are advised to submit their postal applications five to six weeks prior to intended travel.
Appointment booking may still be available for emergency appointments in the case of the death or critical illness of a family member.
Re-entry visa applications cannot be submitted without one of the following:
- Irish Residence Permit (IRP) stamp in passport after IRP registration (this is only provided in Dublin while waiting for the card to be issued)’
- IRP card (issued and collected/delivered four weeks after IRP registration).
Photograph requirements
Increased scrutiny is being applied to passport photographs submitted as part of the re-entry visa application process. Processing officers are actively reviewing employment permits, passports and previous visas to ensure the same photo is not being used again. Where there is suspicion that the photo could be six months or older, the application will be rejected.
Passport photographs must conform to the specific requirements as outlined on the INIS website.
Action Items
- Applicants are advised to submit their postal applications five to six weeks prior to intended travel;
- Travel plans should be postponed (or booked with changeable flights) until a re-entry visa has been received from the processing office;
- Assignees should never travel without an up-to-date Irish Resident Permit (IRP) card and re-entry visa.