Short Stay Visas for children aged under 18 years of age
Short stay ‘C’ Visas
Short stay ‘C’ visas for children aged under 18 must show if the child is travelling alone (unaccompanied) or with an adult (accompanied).
If the child is accompanied, the person(s) named on the child’s visa must be with them for the entire journey. If not, the child will not be allowed to travel.
A Child travelling alone
A visa for a child travelling alone will show the following text in the ‘remarks’ section:
- “[Purpose of visa] Child unaccompanied”
A child with this endorsement will be allowed to travel alone or be accompanied by an adult.
A Child travelling with an adult
A child may travel with a named parent, legal guardian or another adult.
A visa for a child accompanied by an adult will show the following text in the ‘remarks’ section:
- “[Purpose of visa] Child accompanied. Only valid if accompanied by (name and passport number of adults).”
The person named on the child’s visa must accompany the child for the entire journey. If the person named is not present, the child:
- May not be allowed to board an aircraft or ferry to travel to Ireland
- Will not be allowed to pass through border control into Ireland
A child travelling with more than one adult
A child may travel with more than one named parent, legal guardian or another adult.
A visa for a child accompanied by more than one adult will show the following text in the ‘remarks’ section:
- “[Purpose of visa] Child accompanied. Only valid if accompanied by (passport numbers of both adults).”
Those named on the child’s visa must accompany the child for the entire journey. If the people named are not present, the child:
- May not be allowed to board an aircraft or ferry to travel to Ireland
- Will not be allowed to pass through border control into Ireland
The child who turns 18 before travelling
If a child issued with a visa reaches the age of 18 before travel, their visa will be treated as if it carried no remarks.
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.
