Long Stay Employment Visa (D)

Conditions you must meet

• Hold a DETE employment permit BEFORE applying for this visaTHE ORDERING TRAP, and the most consequential fact on this page. The permit is issued by a different authority -- the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment -- and the visa cannot be applied for until it exists. Applying to ISD first means a refusal for a reason no visa criterion lists.

  If you wish to work in Ireland, you need to have an Employment Permit. This permit is issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE).

• Eligibility for the visa begins once the permit is issuedISD stating the sequence in its own words. Recorded separately from the requirement above because this is the sentence that establishes the order, not merely the need.

  Once you have received a permit, you are eligible to apply for an Employment Visa.

• Apply from your home country or where you are a legal residentYou cannot lodge this visa from a third country you are merely visiting.

  You must apply from your home country or where you are a legal resident.

• Submit original documents, not photocopies

  Original documents must be provided. We do not accept photocopies except where stated.

• Documents not in English or Irish need a full certified translation

  If you want to submit a document that is not in English or Irish, it must be accompanied by a full certified translation.

• Letters from any business must be original, on headed paper, with a landline and a non-free email addressUnusually specific, and each clause rejects a real application: a mobile number is not accepted, Yahoo and Hotmail addresses are not accepted, and an electronic signature is not accepted. ISD gives the reason -- the organisation must be verifiable.

  All letters submitted from a business, company or organisation must be original and on official headed paper. This is to make sure that they can be verified.

• Do not submit documents on USB sticks, memory cards, CD-ROMs or file-sharing linksHard copy only. ISD states such devices cannot be accessed, so a document supplied this way counts as not supplied.

  Do not submit documentation on USB sticks, memory cards, CD ROMs as documents on these devices cannot be accessed.

• False or misleading information can bar you from an Irish visa for 5 yearsISD names three consequences, escalating: refusal, loss of the right to appeal, and a five-year block on any Irish visa.

  NOTE: Do not include false or misleading information or documents in your application. If you do, your application may be refused. In some circumstances, you may not be allowed to appeal the visa decision and may be blocked from getting an Irish visa for 5 years.

• Medical or travel insurance — needed on ARRIVAL, not with the applicationA timing distinction worth reading twice. ISD does not want the evidence with your application, but the immigration officer at the airport or seaport can demand it, and you must be able to present it then. The visa officer may also request it before deciding.

  Evidence of medical or travel insurance does not need to be provided with your application. However, the Visa Officer may request it before they make a decision on your application.

Documents you must provide

• Current passport, valid at least 12 months after your planned arrivalNote the validity is measured from ARRIVAL, not from the application date. ISD also asks for a photocopy of every page of all previous passports and warns the application may be delayed without them.

  Send us your current passport. This must be valid for at least twelve months after the date you plan to arrive in Ireland.

• Two colour passport photographs, under 6 months old, signed on the backEach photo must be signed in your own handwriting and language, with your AVATS transaction number written on the back.

  Include two passport-sized colour photographs with your application. These must not be more than 6 months old.

• Signed application letter explaining why you want to come to IrelandISD prescribes its contents, and the last one is a substantive undertaking rather than a detail: a commitment to observe your visa conditions, not become a burden on the State, and leave when your permission expires.

  Type or write a letter explaining why you want to come to Ireland. Sign and date the letter and submit it with your documents.

• The DETE employment permit itself — one of seven named typesCritical Skills, General, Intra-Company Transfer, Contract for Services, Exchange Agreement, Internship, or Sports & Cultural. Each has its own DETE eligibility rules, which are not extracted here because they belong to a different authority.

  You must supply one of the following: Critical Skills Employment Permit General Employment Permit Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permit Contract for Services Employment Permit Exchange Agreement Employment Permit Internship Employment Permit Sports & Cultural Employment Permit.

• Contract of employment, or an employer letter if you have no contractISD accepts either; the employer letter substitutes when no contract exists.

  If you have an Employment Contract please submit it. If you do not please submit a letter from your employer.

• Letter from your employer in Ireland: job, salary and any accommodation provided

  The letter should include: Details of your new job The salary you will be paid Details of the accommodation, if the employer is providing you with accommodation.

• Evidence of qualifications and previous work experienceISD's examples are mostly proof of EMPLOYMENT rather than of study: three recent payslips, salary payments into your personal account, a letter from your current employer, tax statements, and professional or training certificates.

  Evidence of qualifications and previous work experience must be submitted in support of the visa application.

• Six months of bank statements on headed paper — internet printouts are not acceptedISD sets no figure, only 'sufficient funds to cover your costs'. Two clauses catch people out: large lodgements must be explained, and a deposit or savings account needs a separate bank letter confirming you may withdraw from it.

  You must provide an up-to-date bank statement, showing what money has been paid into and out of the account over the last six months, and showing sufficient funds to cover your costs. Bank statements must be on headed paper – internet printouts will not be accepted.

• Disclose every previous visa refusal, from ANY country, with the original refusal letterNot limited to Ireland and not limited to refusals: deportation, refused entry, or being required to leave any country -- including overstaying -- all require original documentation and an explanation. ISD states that non-disclosure WILL result in refusal, not may.

  For all visa or preclearance applications, if you have been refused a visa or preclearance in the past for any country, you must provide details to us. The original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country must be provided with your application. Not disclosing any previous visa refusals will result in your application being refused.

Steps in the process

• Apply up to 3 months before your date of travelAn upper bound, not a target: applying earlier than three months out is outside what ISD invites.

  You should apply for a long stay employment visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to Ireland.

• Create the application online in AVATS, then print, sign and date the summary formThe online system is only the first half. The signed paper summary form travels with the supporting documents, and the form itself tells you where to send them.

  Use the Automated Visa Application and Tracking System (AVATS) to apply for your visa online

• Send supporting documents within 30 days of creating the AVATS applicationA hard deadline that starts at the ONLINE step, not at any later point. Nothing is processed until everything arrives.

  You must do this within 30 days of creating an online application via AVATS. We will not process your application until we receive everything.

Government fees

• Visa fee: EUR 60 single entry, EUR 100 multi entryEUR 25 transit · EUR 100 multi entry · EUR 60 single entryNot refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn. Some applicants are exempt and pay nothing; the fees page lists the categories and they are not extracted. Additional local charges may apply at the office handling your documents.

  The fees for visas are: Single entry: €60 Multi entry: €100 Transit: €25

Also stated by the authority

Not requirements in themselves. These are alternatives, exemptions, rights and warnings the authority publishes alongside the requirements — quoted here because they can change what applies to you.

• ISD advises not to buy travel tickets before you have the decisionNot a requirement -- the authority's own advice, recorded because acting against it is expensive and applications are processed strictly in date order, so there is no way to hurry one along.

  You are advised not to purchase travel tickets before you know the outcome of your visa application.