To come to Ireland as a student, you must:
- be enrolled in an eligible full-time course; You cannot come to Ireland to do a part-time or distance learning course.
- obtain a valid entry visa, unless you are exempt;
Where and how to apply | Student Visa If you are coming to study full time in Ireland you must be enrolled in a full-time course on the Interim list of Eligible Programmes (ILEP). To study in Ireland, you must apply for a visa, unless you are exempt. If you are staying for less than three months and need a visa, you must apply for a short-stay "C visa". C visas are not renewable. For stays of three months or more, you must apply for a "D study visa". You must apply online unless you are already living in Ireland and are making a re-entry visa application. Student residence permission Following the granting of a visa (if required) and entry to Ireland, you must register with the local immigration registration officer and show evidence of sufficient funds. If you live in Dublin City or county, you must register at Burgh Quay Immigration Registration Office. This office is managed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS). If you live outside Dublin City or county, you must register at your local immigration registration office. These offices are managed by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (police) and located at Garda Stations nationwide. |
| Documents required | Student visa When applying for a student visa, the application form should be submitted along with all supporting documentation. Original documents are required and must be in English or accompanied by a notarised translation of same. The required documentation includes:
Generally, the same conditions apply for students who do not require a visa. |
| Duration of validity of permits | You will be issued a student residence permission for a maximum of one year. This permission is renewable each year for the duration of your studies, provided that you can prove that you satisfy the requirements for renewal of your student permission. These requirements are clearly set out on the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service website. |
Appeals | If a visa application is refused, you will have two months from the date of the decision to appeal the decision to the Visa Appeal Officer. |
| Further information | More on coming to Ireland as a student |
Family Reunification | A student visa does not give you any right to family reunification. Currently only PhD students are considered for family re-unification. Such students will be required to make academic progress. Such students should also have adequate financial support to maintain themselves and their family whilst residing in the State. Your family members will be subject to normal immigration requirements regarding visas, entry and registration. |
| Employment during studies | Not all international students are permitted to work while they study. Full time non-EEA students pursuing a course on the Internationalisation Register holding a valid immigration stamp 2 permission will be permitted work 40 hours per week only during the months of June, July, August and September and from 15 December to 15 January inclusive. At all other times students holding Immigration permission Stamp 2 will be limited to working 20 hours per week. It should be noted also that the hours specified are the maximum that a student can work in any given week and not an average over time. A student who is working for more than one employer remains subject to the overall limits (e.g. during the period when the 20-hour limit applies a student could not work 15 hours each for 2 employers). The permission to work ceases on the expiry of the students Stamp 2 immigration permission. International students holding a valid Stamp 2A immigration permission have no access to the labour market. More on working during your studies |
Employment after studies | Non-EEA students who hold a Stamp 2 or 2A immigration permission, may apply to the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation for an Employment Permit, if offered employment in an eligible occupation apart from those on the Ineligible Categories of Employment for Employment Permits list. The assessment of skills, labour market shortages and appropriateness of the salary level will be determined by that Department. The Third Level Graduate Programme allows legally resident Irish educated non-EEA graduates holding an award of a recognised Irish awarding body to remain in Ireland after their studies. This should be for the purpose of seeking graduate level employment and applying for a general employment permit, a critical skills employment permit or research hosting agreement. Under this scheme, graduates with an award at Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications will be granted a twelve-month permission to a maximum of seven years' student permission overall. (i.e. time spent on Stamp 2 as a student and on Stamp 1G under this programme cannot exceed an aggregate time of seven years in total). Students with an award at Level 9 or above on the National Framework of Qualifications qualify for the Programme and will be granted permission for twenty-four months to a maximum of eight years’ student permission overall (i.e. time spent on Stamp 2 as a student and on Stamp 1G under this programme cannot exceed an aggregate time of eight years in total). Self-employment is not allowed. |
Ireland does not participate in the Directive (EU)2016/801 on Students and Researchers. It therefore does not grant special mobility rights to students.
- More on the Irish education system
- Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (visas)
- Department of Justice and Equality
- Garda National Immigration Bureau
- Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation
- Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection Employment Services
- Citizens Information (Student Visas)