Minister of Religion

The immigration permission and application system described on this page is based on the Immigration policy for Ministers of Religion published 30 April 2018. The Department of Justice reserves the right to amend or suspend this policy at any time. The information below is intended as a guide only, the policy document outlines all of the relevant criteria for eligibility for this programme.

This Scheme applies to both Visa Required and Non-Visa Required nationals. You must apply before you travel to Ireland. Do not apply under this Scheme if your intended stay is for less than 3 months.

What does this Scheme allow?

Permission to remain in Ireland as a Minister of Religion, allows qualifying religious personnel to remain in the State for up to three years, where there is a demonstrated need for their services and subject to compliance with all other immigration requirements that apply in individual cases.

Permission to work as a Minister of Religion allows you to work as a Minister of Religion with an eligible religious body or faith community subject to the following conditions:

Your role must match the criteria for Minister of Religion described below
The religious body or faith community must match the criteria for eligibility described below
Stay in Ireland for 1 year initially, up to a maximum of 3 years
Apply for one (possible) extension of 3 years after the normal 3 years has ended
Do voluntary work, as long as it does not interfere with your primary role as a minister
The study, as long as it does not interfere with your primary role as Minister
Bring your family with you (spouse/partner and children under 18 only). The permission granted to the spouse/partner/children under this Programme will be dependent on the continued residence status of the Minister of Religion. In cases where the Minister of Religion leaves the country, the accompanying spouse/partner/children, if applicable, must also depart
Travel abroad for short periods (e.g. holidays and attending conferences) and return to Ireland.

With this permission you cannot:

Do any other paid work except the Minister of Religion role
Bring other family members with you e.g. elderly dependents, children over 18
Change to different immigration permission during your stay
Change the religious body or faith community you work for while you are in Ireland
Apply for permission to remain as a volunteer after your permission to work as a Minister of Religion expires
Rely on public services or claim any state benefits for you (or your family if applicable) e.g. health services

Eligibility to apply

You are eligible to apply under this Scheme if you:

Are a non-EU/EEA and non-Swiss citizen
Are a qualified, ordained or professed member of a religious body or faith community that matches the criteria below
Have been offered a role as a Minister of Religion by the same body or community of which you are a qualified, ordained or professed member
You, and your family (if applicable), will be fully supported financially by your sponsoring religious body or faith community for the entire duration of your stay in Ireland.
Have 3 years of verifiable experience as a Minister of Religion (evidence will have to be submitted)
You can provide a police clearance certificate from your country of residence (not more than 3 months old)
Have been vetted by An Garda Síochána to work with children and vulnerable adults in Ireland (evidence must be submitted)
Have medical insurance from a company authorised by the Health Insurance Authority of Ireland to cover you and your family (if applicable) in place on your arrival in the State for the entire duration of your stay in Ireland.

If you wish your family (spouse/partner and children under 18 only) to join you here, your sponsor must be able to financially support your entire family for the full duration of your stay.

Types of work that can be undertaken.

The work you do as a Minister of Religion must include all or most of the following for an established congregation in Ireland:

Conduct spiritual worship and or ceremonies to an established congregation in Ireland
Give pastoral care to members of an established congregation through preaching
Conduct classes based on a religious ethos, supervising prayer meetings etc.
Provide spiritual leadership
Minister to the spiritual needs of an established congregation
Conduct pastoral visitation
Provide senior administration support of a substantially full-time nature to a religious institution/order/church
Be a member of a religious community whose members take public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience

If your intention is to join a “closed” religious order in Ireland (of which you are already a member) please apply for permission-based on the last point above.

For whom can you work

You must be invited to Ireland by an eligible religious body or faith community.

To be eligible, the religious body or faith community must:

Be already established in Ireland
Have an active membership or congregation in Ireland, including full time serving Ministers of Religion
Have dedicated premises in Ireland serving the religious body or faith community

An eligible religious body or faith community that invites you to Ireland is called your ‘sponsor’. A sponsor must be a body, it cannot be an individual. Your sponsor has important obligations and is responsible for you in several ways. Before you apply for a visa or preclearance, your sponsor must send you a sponsorship letter and supporting documents for your application.

Sponsorship also means that the sponsor cooperates with State authorities to ensure that the Minister of Religion leaves the State on the expiry of his or her permission, or if directed to do so by those authorities. Failure to cooperate with State authorities in this regard will impact on future sponsorship by that religious body or faith community.

You will not be granted permission if you do not have sponsorship from an eligible religious body or faith community or if you are sponsored by an organisation that does not match the criteria above.

How to apply?

You can check if you are visa required or non-visa required (preclearance required), using our nationality checker here.

To apply under this Scheme, you must, before you travel to Ireland, apply for a visa or preclearance.

You can apply for a Long Stay (D) visa or Preclearance up to 3 months before your date of travel to Ireland. Please note that where a person is applying under a Dependent/ Join Family category, applications may take longer to process.

You must apply from your home country or a country where you are a legal resident. Proof of residence outside the State may be requested, and the applicant (and permitted family members under the Scheme) must remain outside the State while their application is being processed.

IMPORTANT: You will not be permitted entry to the State for the purpose of being a Minister of Religion by an Immigration Officer at the Border, nor will you be registered in the State unless you can produce the appropriate preclearance approval letter or a long stay ‘D’ Minister of Religion Visa.

A Preclearance letter and visa allows you to travel to Ireland only for a specific purpose. They do not give you permission to enter the country or to stay here. An Immigration Officer at border control can refuse you entry even if you have a preclearance letter /long stay visa.

Non-Visa Required nationals will apply for a preclearance letter of approval.
Visa-Required nationals will apply for a long stay ‘D’ visa.

Your application has 3 parts:

APPLICATION FORM:

Fill in the online application form. This will generate an application summary form and declaration at the end which must be printed, signed and dated.

When you are filling in your information on the online application form

If you are a visa-required national,

You will need to select visa/preclearance type as ‘Long Stay (D)’
Journey Type as ‘Multiple’
And ‘Visa –Minister of Religion’ as your reason for travel at the link above.

If you are a non-visa required national:

You will need to select visa/preclearance type as ‘Long Stay (D)’
Journey Type as ‘Multiple’
And ‘Preclearance – Minister of Religion’ as your reason for travel at the link above.

Do not provide false or misleading information on the application form. Doing so can result in you being prevented from making further visa/preclearance applications for a period of up to 5 years.

ORGANISE YOUR DOCUMENTS AND PAY THE FEE

You must organise your supporting documents and pay the visa/preclearance application fee. Different offices accept fees in different ways. The summary application form will tell you to which office you need to pay your fee.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

To complete the process, you must submit your passport & supporting documents for processing. Where you submit your application depends on where you are living. The summary application form will direct you to the relevant office.

It is very important that you submit your documents and fee to the correct office within 30 days of completing the online application form.

The policy says that spouse/civil partner and children under 18 years of age may accompany you to Ireland. How do they apply?

Your spouse/civil partner and children apply in a similar way to you.

You must fill in your application form first, and take note of the application number.

Your family members must then fill in their application forms using the instructions below:

Application Form

Fill in the online application form . This will generate an application summary form and declaration at the end which must be printed, signed and dated.

When they are filling in your information on the online application form

If they are a visa-required national,

They will need to select visa/preclearance type as ‘Long Stay (D)’
Journey Type as ‘Multiple’
And,
- if a spouse/civil partner, ‘Join Family (Non-EEA Nat.) (spouse)’ as their reason for travel at the link above,
- or if a child, ‘Join family (Non-EEA Nat.) (other)’ as their reason for travel on the link above.

In the text box ‘Purpose of Travel,’ it is advisable that they include your application number here.

If you are a non-visa required national:

You will need to select visa/preclearance type as ‘Long Stay (D)’
Journey Type as ‘Multiple’
And, if the spouse/civil partner or child of a Minister of Religion, they must select ‘Preclearance – Dependents as their reason for travel at the link above.

In the text box ‘Purpose of Travel,’ it is advisable that they include your application number here.

Do not provide false or misleading information on the application form. Doing so can result in you being prevented from making further visa/preclearance applications for a period of up to 5 years.

ORGANISE YOUR DOCUMENTS AND PAY THE FEE

You must all then organise your supporting documents and pay the visa/preclearance application fee for each person. Different offices accept fees in different ways. The summary application form will tell you to which office you need to pay your fee.

SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

To complete the process, you must all submit your passports & supporting documents for processing. Where you submit your application depends on where you are living. The summary application form will direct you to the relevant office.

It is very important that you all submit your documents and fee to the correct office within 30 days of completing the online application form.

Please note: If you are applying for dependents, and you have visa required and non-visa required applicants in your family group, please contact the preclearance unit at preclearance@justice.ie with your details (including all transaction numbers, and nationalities) before you pay the application fee and submit your documents.

If you are asked to submit your documents by post to an office (recorded delivery only), put them into a strong padded envelope and make sure to pay the correct postage. You may send all your applications together if you are applying for family members. To send together:

Place each person’s application documents into separate envelopes
Write the name and Application Transaction Number of each applicant on each envelope
Place each envelope into a larger envelope send it to the application office.

Do not use any clips, staples or files to attach sheets together in your application.

Supporting documents required

Before you gather your supporting documents you must read the important information on the documents available below.

This will give you guidelines on supporting documents, including information on translations and rules.

If you find that you cannot submit a document requested below, you should provide an explanation as to why you cannot provide it, and any other documents for consideration by the Visa Officer.

Important information on supporting documents for all visa/ preclearance applications.

You should also read all information on the website of the Office where you will be sending your application.
Do not include false or misleading information or documents on the application form or in your application submission. If you do, your application will be refused. In some circumstances, you may not be allowed to appeal the decision and may be prevented from applying for an Irish visa/preclearance for 5 years.
Documents must be original unless otherwise stated and the Visa /Preclearance Officer reserves the right to request additional/original documents where it is deemed necessary.
Supplying any or all of the documents or information requested does not guarantee the grant of a visa/preclearance. It is your responsibility to satisfy us that any visa/ preclearance should be granted. There is no right to a visa/preclearance.
Where ‘evidence’ is stated, we require documentary evidence.
Document rules are outlined below and documents submitted must adhere to these rules or the application may be refused.
You should expect verification checks to be made in respect of the information and documents you supply.

Document required from the applicant.

Application Summary Form

This is the summary application form which you must print. It contains a declaration that must be signed and dated by the applicant. If the person applying for a visa/preclearance is under the age of 18 years, their parent or legal guardian must sign the form.

2 x passport-sized photographs

Information in relation to photographs including some dos and don’ts and full rules can be found at [Rules for Photographs.]

Passports

You are required to submit your current passport with a visa/preclearance application.

For short-stay visas (up to 90 days), your current passport must be valid for 6 months after the date you plan to leave Ireland.
For long-stay visas (over 90 days) it must be valid for at least 12 months from your proposed date of entry.
For Preclearance (over 90 days) it must be valid for at least 12 months from your proposed date of entry.
If you have held previous passports, you must also submit a good quality colour copy of all pages of these passports. (All pages includes blank pages.)
If you are unable to provide copies of your previous passports, a written explanation must be provided along with any relevant police reports for consideration.
If you have changed your name in the past, for example by marriage or for any other reason, you must provide full details to us.

Evidence of Fee payment

First, you must read the information on visa fees/preclearance fees. Some applicants do not have to pay the application fee.

Please include, with your application, proof that the application fee has been paid – for example, a copy of the transfer receipt from your bank.

The fees for visas are:

Single entry €60
Multi entry €100
Transit €25

The visa fee is a non-refundable administration fee that covers the cost of processing your application. This fee cannot be refunded even if your application is refused or withdrawn.

You may be required to pay additional charges e.g. relating to the submission of your documents. The website of the Office to which you must submit your documents will have details about additional charges and any local payment options. Details of the relevant office will be available to you once you complete the online application.

Information on Visa fee exemptions

Some visa applicants are exempt from the requirement to pay the visa fee. Check below if the visa fee does not apply to you.

Nationalities exempt from visa fees:

Bosnia
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Ecuador
Indonesia
Jamaica
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Montenegro
Morocco
North Macedonia
Peru
Serbia
Sri Lanka
Tunisia
Uganda
Zambia

Family members of Irish Citizens

Family members of Irish Citizens who are exempt from visa fees (on the production of the required documents)

Spouse
Widow/widower (subject to death certificate)
Child (under 18 years)
Adopted child (under 18 years – subject to adoption papers)

Beneficiaries of the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC)

Beneficiaries of the Free Movement Directive (Directive 2004/38/EC) – ‘qualifying family members of EU/EEA /Swiss citizens are exempt from visa fees.

Spouse
Child ( under 21 years)
Child (under 21 years) of the spouse
Adopted child (subject to adoption papers)
Dependent parent
Dependent parent of the spouse
Other dependent family members in the direct ascending line ( e.g. grandparent) or descending line (e.g. grandchild)
Other dependent family members of the spouse in the direct ascending (e.g. grandparent) or descending line ( e.g. grandchild)

Nationals of the countries included in the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme

Nationals of the countries included in the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme are long term legal residents in the UK or Schengen area.

Nationalities
Eastern Europe	Middle East	Asia
Belarus	Bahrain	India
Bosnia & Herzegovina	Kuwait	Kazakhstan
Montenegro	Oman	People’s Republic of China
Russian Federation	Qatar	Thailand
Serbia	Saudi Arabia	Uzbekistan
Turkey
Ukraine

Information on the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme can be accessed by clicking here

Other persons who are exempt from visa fees:

Holders of diplomatic, service, official passports (who are coming to Ireland in an official capacity – e.g. they are not coming to Ireland for a holiday)
Programme Refugees (within the meaning of the Refugee Act 1996 and the International Protection Act 2015)

Please note all references to ‘spouse’ also apply to a civil partner – a person who has contracted a registered partnership, or is a party to a class of legal relationship specified under the relevant legislation. You can access the relevant legislation by Clicking Here

Is there a Preclearance Fee?

A non-refundable fee of €60 applies to preclearance and must be paid in full at the time of the Preclearance application.

The Preclearance fee is a non-refundable administration fee that covers the cost of processing your application. This fee cannot be refunded even if your application is refused or withdrawn.

Medical insurance

You must provide evidence of medical insurance with your preclearance or visa application that satisfies the criteria outlined below:

You must be covered by private medical insurance, from a company authorised by the Health Insurance Authority for the duration of your time in the State. Your sponsor may include you in their group insurance scheme. Travel insurance may suffice but only during the first year of your stay provided it covers you:

For the full period before you arrange private medical insurance
At a minimum of €25,000 for accident and €25,000 for illness and disease and
For any period of hospitalisation
In addition, it is advisable that applicants have insurance to cover repatriation in the event of serious illness or unforeseen events.

Up to date 6 months bank statements

Bank statements must be on headed bank paper (You may use a printed internet statement but it must be officially certified by your bank. This means that every page must be notarized by the bank and the statement must be accompanied by a letter from the bank. We will not accept uncertified internet statements)

They must show:

The full name of the owner of the account
Address
The bank account number and account type
Money paid in and out of the account over the last six (6) months immediately prior to the application. (i.e. income and expenditure) and
If you are also sending a bank statement from a deposit/savings account, you must
- include a letter from your bank confirming that you can make money from that account.

Details on requirements for letters from a Business, Company or other Organisation:

All letters from a business, company or other organisation should be on official headed paper and give full contact details so that they can be checked. The contact details must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in the organisation, telephone number (landline), website, and email address (email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted).

Please note that handwritten entries or details on a bank statement are not accepted.

A Letter of Application

Your letter of application must include the following:

Your full name, postal address and application number.
If applicable, include details of all accompanying family members including their application transaction numbers
Your reason for travelling to Ireland, and how long you plan to stay.
The date you were ordained into or became a professed member of the Religious Community. If the church/order into which you were ordained differs from the organisation sponsoring you, you must tell us why.
Details of where you will perform your duties (if more than one location, you must outline what you will do in each location)
Details of your qualifications and previous work history and how you are qualified to do this work.
The date you started living at your current address, and any previous addresses you have resided at in the previous 3 years, including the amount of time in each location.
You must provide details of any passports you hold issued by any other country outside the nationality you are applying under.
Details of your family members residing in Ireland or in any other EU/EEA State (including the United Kingdom). (Name, nationality, date of birth, relationship to you, and registration number in Ireland if applicable).
That you will obey the conditions of any permission which may be granted to you, and not rely on State funds or resources while you are in Ireland.

Accommodation Plan

You must provide evidence of where you will stay in Ireland, the cost of the accommodation and who will pay. If your accommodation is being provided by your sponsor, your sponsor must provide full details of the type of accommodation you will stay in.

If you are sourcing accommodation yourself, you must tell us how you will do this, how you will pay for it and where you will stay while searching for accommodation.

Qualifications/ Work Experience

You must provide evidence

that shows that you satisfy Paragraph 4.1 of the Policy Document (for example, an ordination certificate),
verifiable evidence of at least three years experience as a Minister of Religion
and evidence of any qualifications you hold.

Information on your family

If you are married/in a civil partnership or have children, you must provide

Evidence of their current location
If they intend on travelling to Ireland and
Birth/Marriage/Civil partnership certificates.

Police Clearance

You must submit a Police Clearance Certificate (not more than three months old, to also include a criminal records check) from your country of current residence and any country you have resided in, in the 3 years prior to your application.

This must be issued by the police force of that country and must include a full check of that country’s national and local records.

Criminal record checks conducted by private companies will not be accepted.

Other Requirements (if applicable)

Biometrics (visa required nationals) Additional information here
If you are resident in a country outside of the country that issued your passport or travel document you must submit
- a full-colour copy of your residence permit (If you have a residence card you must photocopy both sides),
Documentation on Previous Visa Refusals, Other immigration Issues (including deportation, overstaying) and Criminal Convictions

For all visa/preclearance applications, if you have been refused a visa/preclearance in the past for any country, you must provide details. The original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country must be provided with your application.

In addition, if you have:

Been deported from any country;
Been refused entry to any country; or
Been otherwise required to leave any country (including overstaying in any country)

You must provide original documentation issued by the authorities of that country with your application and a full explanation for consideration.

You must also provide official documentation of any criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

Failure to do so will result in your application being refused.

Failure to disclose this information, where applicable, will result in your application being refused.

Documents required from your sponsor

Letter of sponsorship

The letter of sponsorship must include the full contact details for the organisation, the name and phone number of a contact within the organisation, and tax number of the organisation.

It must also state:

your intended role in the State
that there is a verifiable need for you
that you have a clean police record
that child protection policies and procedures in line with the Children First Guidance are in place as per Section 9 iv of the policy document
that you are suitably qualified to discharge the duties and responsibilities of the position
the location of the dedicated premises (which means premises that are set aside for the purpose of religious observation)
the number of current serving Ministers
congregation size and
how they intend to support you in the State. This must include a full breakdown of all payments and frequency of those payments (for example utility bills, travel expenses, salary, accommodation, rent, meals etc.)

Garda Vetting

Your sponsor will have to provide confirmation that they have obtained Garda Síochána vetting for you if you will be working in a role involving children and/or vulnerable adults. A Garda Vetting certificate will need to be submitted as part of your application.

If Garda Vetting is not submitted, then there must be a clear written undertaking from the sponsoring organisation, in the sponsorship letter accompanying the application, that you will have no involvement with children or vulnerable adults during the course of your work in Ireland.

If your spouse/civil partner is applying to travel with you to Ireland, Garda vetting must also be provided for your spouse/civil partner.

Finances

Your sponsoring organisation will have to provide a full 6 months bank statement

They must show:

The full name of the owner of the account
Address
The bank account number and account type
Money paid in and out of the account over the last six (6) months immediately prior to the application. (i.e. income and expenditure) and
If you are also sending a bank statement from a deposit/savings account, you must
- include a letter from your bank confirming that you can make money from that account.

Details on requirements for letters from a Business, Company or other Organisation:

Please note that handwritten entries or details on a bank statement are not accepted. Audited accounts of the sponsor should be available if required by the immigration authorities You must be financially supported by the sponsoring organisation within Ireland, financial support from sources outside the State will not be accepted as part of this scheme.

Documents required from Spouse/civil partner or children

If your spouse and children have applied to travel with you to Ireland, they must provide,

Application Summary Form
2 x passport-sized photographs
Passports
Evidence of Fee payment

First, they must read the information on visa fees/ preclearance fees. Some applicants do not pay the application fee.

Please include proof that the application fee has been paid for all dependents where applicable (for example a copy of the transfer receipt from your bank)

Medical insurance

They must provide evidence of medical insurance that satisfies the criteria outlined below:

They must be covered by private medical insurance, from a company authorised by the Health Insurance Authority for the duration of their time in the State. Your sponsor may include them in their group insurance scheme. Travel insurance may suffice but only during the first year of their stay provided it covers them:

For the full period before you arrange private medical insurance
At a minimum of €25,000 for accident and €25,000 for illness and disease and
For any period of hospitalisation
In addition, it is advisable that applicants have insurance to cover repatriation in the event of serious illness or unforeseen events.

Police Clearance – Spouse/Civil Partner

Your spouse/civil partner must submit a Police Clearance Certificate (not more than three months old, to also include a criminal records check) from their country of current residence and any country they have resided in, in the 3 years prior to their application.

This must be issued by the police force of that country and must include a full check of that country’s national and local records.

Criminal record checks conducted by private companies will not be accepted.

Marriage/Civil Partnership Certificates

Where you are applying as the spouse/civil partner of a Minister of Religion, you must provide your marriage/civil partnership certificate.

Other Requirements (if applicable)

Biometrics
If you are resident in a country outside of the country that issued your passport or travel document you must submit
- a full-colour copy of your residence permit (If you have a residence card you must photocopy both sides),
Documentation on Previous Visa Refusals, Other immigration Issues (including deportation, overstaying) and Criminal Convictions

Children

Children under 18 years, living with their parents are assumed to be automatically dependent.

If making an application for a child under 18 years, you are also required to provide

The child’s original Birth Certificate/Adoption Certificate with their application documents.
Evidence of the child’s current location (for example, school attendance record)

If you are applying for a child where a parent is deceased:

You must include the original Death Certificate of the deceased parent.
If you applying for more than one child, include the original Death Certificate in one application and a photocopy in each other application.
You must provide evidence of where the child is residing.

If you are applying for a child where one parent has sole custody:

You must include the original Court Order that granted sole custody to the parent concerned.
If you applying for more than one child, include a separate Court Order for each individual child (as appropriate)

If there are any other custody (shared/joint) arrangements in place,

The original Court Order must be submitted
evidence that the child is permitted to travel outside of the country of origin/residence to reside in the State
The consent of the other parent is required, which should also show that they understand if the child’s application is granted, the child’s presence in the State gives no rights to visit or reside in the State to them.
a clear colour copy of the parent’s biodata page of their passport or, in the absence of a passport, a national ID which displays their photo and signature.

What happens after you apply

After your application and documents have been received they will check that you have:

Selected the correct reason for travel on your application form
Attached supporting documentation
Paid the application fee

Applications are generally processed in the order they are received.

Please note that the onus is on the applicant to supply the relevant documentation and to satisfy the processing officer that the Visa or Preclearance sought should be granted.

The current processing times for Visas and Preclearance are updated each Tuesday.

If your application has been approved, what happens

Non-Visa Required Nationals:

You will be notified if your application is approved, and you will receive a Preclearance letter of approval. It is important that you check your details on this letter for any errors. Your Preclearance letter is an important document. You will need it to present to an Immigration Officer at border control and, if granted entry, for Immigration Registration.

The Preclearance letter is valid for 6months. If you do not use it to travel to Ireland within the validity period on the letter, you must restart the process and submit a new application.

Do not travel to Ireland with an expired Preclearance letter of approval.

It is also recommended that you have clear evidence of your medical insurance cover with you when you arrive at the border.

Dependents (Spouse/Civil Partner/Children) if applicable

Your spouse/civil partner/children (if non-visa required) will appear on your letter of approval as their permission, if granted, will be dependent on yours. If they do not appear in your letter, they will receive a separate decision letter from the Division.

They should not travel if they do not appear on your letter of approval.

Visa Required Nationals:

You will be notified if your application is approved and a Long Stay D visa (Minister of Religion) will be placed in your passport by the relevant office. You will need this to travel to Ireland. You will need it to show it to an Immigration Officer at border control and, if granted entry, for Immigration Registration. It is important that you check your visa for any errors.

Your visa will be valid for 6months. If you do not use your visa during the validity period, you must submit a new application from the beginning.

You will not be permitted to travel to Ireland unless your visa is valid.

It is also recommended that you have clear evidence of your medical insurance cover with you when you arrive at the border.

Family Members (Spouse/Civil Partner/Children) if applicable

Your spouse/civil partner/children (if visa required) will receive their own visa in order to travel to Ireland. If they do not receive a visa, they will receive a separate decision letter from the Division.

They should not travel if they do not have the appropriate visa in their passport.

Travelling to and arriving in Ireland

If your application is approved, once you receive your visa/preclearance letter, please check that all details on the visa/preclearance letter are correct.

If you have any questions in relation to the requirements and /or limitations of the visa sticker/preclearance letter please contact the Visa/Preclearance Office which processed your application.

The dates of validity shown on the visa sticker/ preclearance letter indicate the dates between which you can travel to Ireland. The visa/preclearance letter must be presented to an Immigration Officer at a port of entry between those dates. After the end date, the visa/preclearance letter is no longer valid and you will be required to apply for another visa/preclearance.

You should carry (for example) your letter of invitation/accommodation booking/school letter of acceptance and/or other relevant documents, including medical insurance in your carry-on bag for presentation to an Immigration Officer at the port of entry.

The visa/preclearance letter does not allow you to enter Ireland. It does not allow you to live in Ireland. When you arrive at a port in Ireland an Immigration Officer can grant or deny you permission to enter Ireland.

For more information about what happens at the port of entry please see here.

If you were granted a long-stay visa or you were granted a preclearance letter of approval, and are staying in Ireland for longer than 90 days you will be required to register with the immigration authorities. The Immigration Officer will give you a date by which you will have to register. If you do not register by that date, you will be required to leave Ireland.

For information on registering with the immigration authorities please see here.

A person wishing to undertake any activity in Ireland other than that for which his/her visa/preclearance letter was granted must leave the State and apply for a new visa/ preclearance.

For example, if you come to Ireland for a holiday you cannot then take up employment in Ireland. To do so you must first leave the State.

An applicant may not return to Ireland while awaiting a decision on his/her new application and any previous visa/preclearance letter issued will be cancelled while the new application is being considered.

A person who remains in the State longer than the permitted period as granted by the immigration officer at the airport or other port of entry may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

My application has been refused can I appeal?

You will be notified by letter if your application is refused. This letter will outline the reasons why your application was refused.

The refusal letter will also tell you if you are permitted to appeal the decision. In some cases you may not be permitted to appeal (for example if you provide false or misleading information in your application). You may also be prevented from making another Irish visa/preclearance application for up to five years. If you receive a refusal letter, it will state clearly in your letter if you have a right of appeal or not.

The appeal process is free of charge.

You can request an appeal of this decision by responding to the refusal reasons with extra supporting documents if required.

This appeal must be received within 8 weeks of the date of the refusal letter.

An appeal must be submitted in writing, fully addressing all of the reasons for the refusal. Appeals received by email or fax will not be processed.

There is no processing fee for an appeal.

How to appeal your visa/Preclearance decision

Type or write a ‘letter of an appeal’ that states that you wish to appeal a visa/preclearance decision. The letter must include your:

Full name
Postal address
Personal email address
Visa/Preclearance Application Transaction Number

In the letter explain in detail why you believe the decision should be changed.

When doing so you should refer to the reasons the application was refused (as stated in the letter of refusal). Add any new information you believe is important.

Sign and date the letter and include it with your appeal.

Passport

Your letter of refusal will tell you if you need to include your original passport with your appeal.

Do not include your passport unless instructed to do so in the letter of refusal.

Appeal a visa/preclearance decision for someone else, e.g. your child, another applicant

Follow these steps to appeal a decision for your child or if you have been authorised to appeal on behalf of someone else. There are no restrictions on the number of visa/preclearance applicants you can appeal for.

If you are appealing for 2 or more people, you must include a separate ‘letter of authorisation’ and ‘letter of an appeal’ for each person (as described below).

Letter of authorisation (from the original visa/preclearance applicant)

To appeal a visa/preclearance decision on behalf of someone else, ask them to type or write a ‘letter of authorisation’ that contains the information below.

(You do not need a letter of authorisation to appeal for your child if they are aged under 18.)

The letter must state that the original visa/preclearance applicant is authorising you to act on their behalf for all matters and correspondence relating to the appeal of their visa/preclearance decision.

The letter must include the original visa/preclearance applicant’s:

Full name
Postal address
Visa/Preclearance Application Transaction Number, ie from the visa/preclearance application in their name

The letter must also include your (i.e. the authorised person’s):

Full name
Postal address
Date of birth (you must be aged 18 or older)

The visa/preclearance applicant must sign and date the letter.

You must include the original letter of authorisation with the visa appeal.

Letter of appeal

Type or write a ‘letter of an appeal’ that states that you (ie the authorised person or parent) wish to appeal a visa/preclearance decision on behalf of another applicant.

The letter must include the original visa/preclearance applicant’s:

Full name
Postal address
Personal email address, if available (do not include this for a child aged under 18)
Visa/Preclearance Application Transaction Number, i.e. for the application you wish to appeal

The letter must also include your:

Full name
Postal address
Personal email address
Relationship to the original visa/preclearance applicant, e.g. parent, visa sponsor, family, friend, solicitor or legal representative, etc

In the letter explain in detail why you believe the decision should be changed.

When doing so you should refer to the reasons the application was refused (as stated in the letter of refusal). Add any new information you believe is important.

Sign and date the letter and include it with the appeal.

Passport

You (i.e. the authorised person or parent) must include a colour photocopy of the photograph page of your passport or national identity card with the appeal.

In some cases, you may need to include the visa/preclearance applicant’s original passport with the appeal. The letter of refusal will tell you if you need to include the passport.

Do not include the passport unless instructed to do so in the letter of refusal.

Submit the appeal

When you are satisfied you have prepared the appeal, put everything into a strong padded envelope and send it to the ‘Visa Appeals Officer’ or the ‘Preclearance Appeals Officer’ at the office address stated in the letter of refusal.

If you are sending appeals for more than 1 person to the same address, you may send them together. To send together:

Place each person’s application documents into separate envelopes
Write the name and Visa/Preclearance Application Transaction Number of each person on each envelope
Place each envelope into a larger envelope send it to the office address

You must submit appeals by post only. Faxes or emails are not accepted.

Be sure to pay the correct postage for large packages.

After you appeal

Visa/preclearance appeals are processed in the order received. Every effort is made to process appeals as soon as possible and advise the applicant of the outcome when the decision is made. Processing times can differ between offices and may also vary during the year, for example during peak periods.

Take more time processing the appeal if a need to do a detailed assessment of family rights under the Constitution of Ireland or the European Convention on Human Rights.

Appeals Directed to the Dublin Visa/Preclearance Office

If your appeal is being processed in the Dublin Visa/Preclearance Office, the following page, which we update each Tuesday, can be visited to keep up to date for current processing times for appeals Check current appeal waiting times

Visa Appeal Decisions

If your appeal is successful

You will be sent a notification stating that the original visa decision has been reversed.

The notification will also explain what to do next to get your visa.

Your documents will then be returned to you by post or arranged for collection, as explained in ‘return of documents’ below.

If your appeal is unsuccessful

You will be sent another ‘letter of refusal’ stating that the original visa decision remains in place and that your appeal has been refused.

Your documents will then be returned to you by post or arranged for collection, as explained in ‘return of documents’ below.

Preclearance Appeal Decisions

If your appeal is successful

If your appeal is successful, you will be issued a Preclearance Letter of Approval. Your Preclearance letter is an important document and should be treated as such.

You will need it for:

Border Control (Please note that all non-EEA nationals are subject to the provisions of the Immigration Act 2004)
And, if you are granted entry into Ireland, for Immigration Registration (extending your permission to remain).

The Preclearance letter is valid for 6 months. If you do not use it within this validity period (to arrive at border control), you must restart the application process and submit a new application.

If your appeal is unsuccessful

Where the decision is upheld at appeal, you will receive a letter or email outlining the reasons for the refusal.

Please Note:

You cannot appeal a visa/preclearance decision again. Only 1 appeal per application is permitted.

However, you may submit and pay for (if appropriate) a new visa/preclearance application if you wish.

A decision has been made on my Visa/Preclearance application. How do I get my passport and documents back?

Visas:

If your application has been approved, an Irish visa will be placed on a blank page of your passport/travel document.

Where your application has been refused you will receive a letter or email outlining the reasons for the refusal.

Your passport/travel document and certain original documents (for example marriage/birth/death certificates) will then be returned by post or arrangements will be made for you to collect your documents.

Preclearance:

If your application has been approved, you will be issued a Preclearance Letter of Approval. Your Preclearance letter is an important document and should be treated as such.

You will need it for

Border Control (Please note that all non-EEA nationals are subject to the provisions of the Immigration Act 2004)
And, if you are granted entry into Ireland, for Immigration Registration (extending your permission to remain).

The Preclearance letter is valid for 6 months. If you do not use it within this validity period (to arrive at border control), you must restart the application process and submit a new application.

Where your application has been refused you will receive a letter or email outlining the reasons for the refusal.

Visa/Preclearance Applications directed to the Visa Office in Dublin

If your application was sent directly to the Visa/Preclearance Office in Dublin

You must:

Provide an Irish or UK postal address – this can be a friend or relative (please note that passports are sent by registered post to addresses in the Ireland or the UK only); or
Arrange for a courier company to collect (at your expense) from Visa/ Preclearance Office, 6-7 Hanover Street, Dublin 2, D02 W320. A courier company may request a contact phone number for the Irish Immigration Service. The number to be used is +353 1 616 7700. The courier company must provide your full name and visa/preclearance transaction number when they come to our office to collect documents on your behalf.

Non-Visa Required Nationals

If your appeal is approved, we will send you a preclearance letter as described above. If your appeal is refused, you will be sent a letter outlining the reasons. You cannot request another appeal. Do not attempt to come to Ireland without preclearance approval as you will not be allowed to enter the country.

If your appeal is refused, you cannot request another appeal. Only one appeal is permitted per application. In most cases, it is open to you to make a fresh application.

Visa Required Nationals

If your appeal is approved, a Long Stay D visa (Minister of Religion) will be placed in your passport by the relevant office as described above. If your appeal is refused, we will send you a letter outlining the reasons.

You cannot request another appeal. Only one appeal is permitted per application. Do not attempt to come to Ireland without a visa as you will not be allowed to enter the country. In most cases, it is open to you to make a fresh application.

I have travelled to Ireland with preclearance approval or on a long stay ‘D’ Minister of Religion visa, and I am now in Ireland. What happens next?

Immigration permission and registration

After you enter the country, you must visit a registration office before your landing stamp expires to:

Extend your permission to stay for longer than 90 days (i.e. as a Minister of Religion) and to
Register your details with the Immigration

If your visit is successful, you will be given immigration permission to stay as a Minister of Religion for an initial 12 month period based on immigration stamp number 3.

Read how to extend your permission and register for the first time.

Renew your immigration permission

You must visit a registration office to renew your permission and registration about 6 weeks before they expire. Immigration policy for Ministers of Religion allows you to renew once, up to a maximum of 3 years.

Accompanying Family Members (if applicable)

Your spouse/civil partner and any children over the age of 16 years will also have to extend their permission and register.

For further information on children under the age of 16 years please refer to information on re-entry visas for visa required children]

I have been in Ireland for 3 years under the Minister of Religion Scheme. How can I extend my stay?

In the normal course, as a Minister of Religion, you may be eligible for one extension of this three-year period for a further three years. This application for an extension must be made before your current permission expires. It can only be for service with your then-current sponsor and will be considered only if your sponsor can demonstrate a genuine need.

A non-refundable fee of €50 applies to an application for an extension.

To apply for a renewal of your permission:

Ask your sponsor to write you a new sponsorship letter explaining why they want you to stay and include the proof of application fee payment. This can only be paid by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). See details of how to make this payment on the below document.

Book Consultation

Minister of Religion