Ireland is not in Schengen. There is no EES biometric registration, no ETIAS, and your Irish days do not count against a Schengen 90/180 allowance. Most Western passports get 90 days on arrival.
- Ireland is not in Schengen and never has been. There is no EES biometric registration and no ETIAS - anyone selling you an Irish ETIAS is selling you nothing.
- Your Irish days are free. Time here does not count against the Schengen 90 days in any 180, in either order.
- The border with Northern Ireland is invisible. There is no checkpoint - you will know you crossed because the speed limit signs change from km/h to mph.
- 90 days is the maximum for a visitor and it is not a rolling window. Dublin officers ask what you are here for and where you are staying, and they do turn people around.
- British citizens legally need no passport, but every airline and ferry operator demands photo ID and most accept only a passport. Bring one.
The rule that surprises people
Ireland is not in the Schengen area, and it never has been.
- No EES. The EU Entry/Exit System that has been registering fingerprints and face scans at Schengen borders since April 2026 does not operate here. You get an ordinary ink stamp, or with some passports no stamp at all.
- No ETIAS. When the EU travel authorisation eventually launches it will not cover Ireland. Anyone selling you an Irish ETIAS is selling you nothing.
- Your Irish days are free. Time in Ireland does not count against the Schengen 90 days in any 180. A month in Ireland followed by three months in France is legal; three months in France followed by a month in Ireland is fine too.
- The border with Northern Ireland is invisible. There is no checkpoint. You will know you crossed because the speed limit signs change from km/h to mph.
Where your nationality lands
| You hold | What you need |
|---|---|
| USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan | No visa. 90 days |
| China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia | Short stay C visa before travel, applied for through AVATS |
- EU, EEA, Swiss and UK citizens have their own right of entry and are not counted as visitors at all. British citizens travel under the Common Travel Area and may stay indefinitely.
- 90 days is the maximum for a visitor, and it is not a rolling window. Immigration officers at Dublin ask what you are here for and where you are staying, and they do turn people around.
- Staying beyond 90 days means registering for an Irish Residence Permit before the 90 days expire, not afterwards.
What to have ready at the desk
- A passport valid for the whole of your stay. Ireland does not require the extra three or six months that many countries do.
- The address of your first night's accommodation. This is the question you will actually be asked.
- A return or onward ticket, which is asked for less often than in some countries but is still the fastest way to end the conversation.
- British citizens legally need no passport, but every airline and ferry operator demands photo ID and most will only accept a passport. Bring one.
Applying for a C visa
- AVATS is the only official route, at visas.inis.gov.ie, and the fee is EUR 60 for a single entry or EUR 100 for multiple entry.
- Apply well ahead. Processing regularly runs to eight weeks in the summer.
- Since 1 June 2026 most refused C visa applications can no longer be appealed. A fresh application is the only remedy, so a thin first application is now an expensive mistake.
- An Irish visa is not a Schengen visa and does not admit you to any other country.
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