Visit Family or Friends
Visa

The visit family or friends visa is a short stay 'C' visa for people coming to Ireland to spend time with relatives or friends who live here, for up to 90 days. It's one of the most common Irish visa applications, and one of the most often refused, because the officer must be satisfied that the visit is both genuine and temporary. What sets this visa apart is the role of the host. Each host in Ireland writes an invitation letter and provides a copy of their ID and their address with Eircode. Hosts who aren't Irish or EEA citizens also provide copies of their IRP card and immigration stamp. If the host is paying for the trip, they show their finances too, such as bank statements, payslips and a Revenue Employment Detail Summary. Applicants must list all their relatives living in Ireland and the rest of the EU, even those they won't visit, and leaving someone out can lead to refusal. The visitor's own finances, travel history and ties at home remain central to the decision.

Yes. ISD asks for your own bank statement as well as your host's financial documents.

Yes. You must list all relatives living in Ireland and elsewhere in the EU. Leaving anyone out can lead to refusal.

Yes. Hosts at the same address can share one invitation letter. Each host at a different address needs their own.

Short stay refusals can no longer be appealed (since 1 June 2026), but you can reapply, addressing the refusal reasons. We can review the refusal with you.