A quick guide to Ireland’s Covid-19 pandemic quarantine system
Ireland’s Mandatory Quarantine Criteria
Any person, other than an exempted traveller, who has been in a designated State within 14 days of arriving in Ireland must pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility and present for quarantine on arrival.
| Where you are coming from | Measures in place |
| If you come into Ireland having been in a designated State | Unless you are exempt, you must complete a period of 14 days mandatory quarantine in a hotel. However, if you receive a negative (‘not detected’) result from an RT-PCR test taken on day 10, your quarantine will come to an end on receipt of those results. Quarantine will be extended if you test positive for COVID-19 |
| If you come to Ireland without a negative (‘not detected’) pre-travel RT-PCR test | You must enter mandatory quarantine in a hotel if you have not been in a designated State, but you do not have a negative (‘not detected’) result from an RT-PCR test conducted within the 72 hours prior to your arrival in Ireland. You may exit hotel quarantine on receipt of a negative (‘not detected’) result from an RT-PCR test. In that case, you must complete self-quarantine at home, as per the pathway for those who travel from any country not deemed a designated State |
| If you come to Ireland from any non-designated State, with a negative (‘not detected’) pre-travel RT-PCR test | You do not need to enter a hotel quarantine. You must quarantine at home. You may exit home quarantine with a negative (‘not detected’) RT-PCR test taken at the earliest 5 days following your arrival |
Mandatory Quarantine
You must complete mandatory hotel quarantine if you:
- are not an exempt traveller; and
- have been in a designated State within 14 days of arriving in Ireland. This includes transit through a designated State, even if you did not leave the port or airport during that transit, or
- you have not been in a designated State within 14 days of arriving in Ireland, but you do not have a negative (‘not detected’) result following an RT-PCR test conducted in the 72 hours prior to your arrival in Ireland
Northern Ireland
Anyone arriving overland into Ireland from Northern Ireland who has been in a designated State in the previous 14 days is required to (a), pre-book their quarantine and (b), is responsible for making their own way to their pre-booked designated quarantine hotel (c), within 4 hours of arriving in the State. This is the case in addition to any hotel quarantine requirements which a person may have been required to fulfil in Great Britain, before arriving in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Anyone arriving into Ireland who has been in or through a designated State in the previous 14 days is obliged to (a), enter mandatory quarantine in a designated facility and (b), pre-book it in advance. There is no exemption for people travelling onward overland to Northern Ireland.
Immigration & Visa Services Ireland
IVS Ireland provides professional services with support, advice, information and the necessary representation required and will assist you in submitting your applications, requests and documents to the various governmental departments.
