Do I need a Visa to enter Ireland?

A visa is a certificate in your passport or travel document that shows you are authorised to land in a country. Not everyone requires a visa to come to Ireland.

All non-EU/EEA nationals must comply with immigration regulations in Ireland and register with the immigration services to obtain long term permisson from the Irish government to live and study in Ireland. Visas and immigration compliance is compulsory.

Check here to see if you are from a visa required country. 

If you need a visa, then you must apply for your visa before travelling to Ireland. 

Further information on visas, immigration and what you need in order to study in Ireland is available at this link.

Entering Ireland - What to expect

Everyone must clear through immigration controls, at the port of entry/airport, to enter Ireland.

Please note the follwing:

• The immigration officer at your entry point decides who is permitted to enter the country.
• They will stamp your passport with short term permission to stay, normally for one month but can be up to 90 days.  Please ensure your student status is recorded on entry as it is not possible to change status, for example from visitor to student, without exiting and re-entering the country. 
• Long term permission to reside in Ireland is obtained by registering with the local immigration services within the time limit stamped on the passport.

We recommend that you have the following documents ready to show the immigration officer at your point of entry into Ireland.

Registering with Immigration to Stay in Ireland

Do I need to register with Immigration?

All non-EU/EEA students who are planning on staying in Ireland to study for more than 3 months must register with the immigration services. This is done at Anglesea street Garda station if residing in Cork city, or at one of the local stations if you are living outside of the city.

*EU/EEA and UK nationals do not need to register with immigration.

When do I register with Immigration?

Students should register with the immigration services before the immigration date stamped in their passport, at port of entry/airport, expires. This is usually within 90 days.

You cannot make an appointment with immigration before you have arrived in Ireland and before you have registered for your programme at UCC.

More detailed immigration information, including the documents that you need for your appointment, is available in the Immigration Information Section of our website.

Students who are under 18 years of age

Additional requirements for unaccompanied students under 18 years of age

All applicants must normally have reached 17 years of age by the 15th of January of the year following entry to UCC. 

According to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service, INIS, unaccompanied students who are under 18 years of age must supply the following additional documentation;

1. Birth Certificate- to be submitted with the application.
2. Consent of parent/legal guardian- both parents/legal guardians must consent (in a notarised document) to the child coming to Ireland for study purposes and to the appointed legal guardian of the unaccompanied child student during the child's stay in Ireland.
3. Copies of the biometric page of the parents/legal guardians passports or national identity cards showing their signature.
4. Accommodation and vetting certificate of where the unaccompanied student will stay. Where the student is under 18 years, clearance from the Garda Síochána must be obtained in respect of where the student is living.

In the absence of an adult who is willing to act as an appointed legal guardian for the duration of their stay, unaccompanied students under 18 years of age may wish to avail of the services of accredited guardianship agencies such as Godsil. 

It should be noted that immigration requirements may be subject to change, and incoming students to UCC should consult the INIS website for up to date information before they travel to Ireland.