NEW ONLINE VISA APPLICATION FACILITY

A new online visa application facility for Ireland is now available to citizens of Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Jiangsu.

Applicants can complete their application form on line from the comfort of home or office and receive a unique application number. Once the application number has been received, applicants should follow this up by submitting their passports and supporting documentation to the Consulate.

All applicants should apply on line

As of now, the following browsers are supported:

Internet Explorer Version 6 or later
Mozilla Firefox Version 2 or later
Netscape Version 9
Safari Version 3 or later
Opera Version 9.2X

In the visa section of this site they can complete their visa application form on line at their leisure. Once this is completed, they will receive a printable summary which then directs them to Irish Embassy in China in order to check what documentation is required.

Please note that we no longer accept applications using the application form. All applications must now be made on line.

There are no changes regarding the documentation to be submitted. For further information and guidelines please refer to the Irish Naturalisation & Immigration Service.

The visa section of the Consulate is open Monday to Friday from 9:30 - 12:30. Telephone queries regarding visa applications may only be made from 14:00 - 16:00.

Important points to note:

The granting of an Irish visa is, in effect, only a form of pre-entry clearance. It does not grant permission to enter Ireland and Immigration Officers have the authority to grant or deny admission. Visa holders are subject to normal immigration control at the point of entry and should always carry with them the originals or copies of the documents submitted with their visa applications for possible inspection by Immigration Officers.

Furthermore, a visa does not grant permission to remain in Ireland. The date of validity shown on the visa indicates only the date before which it must be presented to an Immigration Officer. The length of stay is decided by an Immigration Officer at the port of entry.

A visa holder who remains in Ireland longer than the permitted period and/or who submits false or misleading information in support of his/her application may become liable for prosecution and/or subject to deportation.

The granting of a visa is not a mere formality. As a result, the Consulate will not be held responsible for any cancelled or unused travel tickets in the event of a visa application not being processed by an applicant's intended date of travel or where an application has been rejected by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. As a result, we advise all visa applicants NOT to purchase or book travel tickets until their visa application has been approved, issued and received.