Ireland Marriage Visa
If you are in a relationship with an Irish citizen or an Irish permanent resident and would like to marry in Ireland, you may need to apply for the Ireland Marriage Visa.
Call our lawyers on +1 844 290 6312 to receive assistance with your application.
Page Contents:
- What is the Irish Marriage Visa?
- Who is eligible for the Irish Marriage Visa?
- What is the application process for the Irish Marriage Visa?
- What documents will I need for an Irish Marriage Visa?
- How can I prove my relationship is genuine?
- What is the waiting time for the Irish Marriage Visa?
- How can IAS help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Irish Marriage Visa?
The Marriage Visa is intended for non-EEA citizens who are in a relationship with Irish citizens or permanent residents and who want to come to Ireland to get married. This visa is an Irish Short Stay ‘C’ visa, which means that successful applicants can stay in Ireland for a period of up to 90 days. During this time, you will have 3 months to marry your partner or enter into a civil partnership with them.
You can only apply for the Marriage Visa to Ireland if you and your partner have received acknowledgment from the Registrar confirming the date on which you plan to get married. The application to the Registrar in which you express your intention to get married in Ireland will need to be submitted at least 3 months before the planned date of the ceremony.
Keep in mind that if you are a citizen of an EU/EEA country, or a citizen of Switzerland, you do not have to apply for a visa to come to Ireland to marry your partner.
Upon arrival in Ireland, you will need to apply for permission to enter at Irish Border Control where you will need to show your passport, Irish visa, and the acknowledgement from the Registrar of Civil Marriages to an immigration officer who will inspect everything. If approved, you will be allowed entry to Ireland.
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Who is eligible for the Irish Marriage Visa?
European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals do not need an Irish Marriage Visa in order to travel to Ireland to get married. However, all other nationalities who would like to come to Ireland for the purposes of marriage will need to apply for this visa if they are from a country that is visa-required. To be able to obtain the Ireland Marriage Visa, you have to meet the following eligibility requirements:
- You are in a genuine and ongoing relationship with a person who is an Irish citizen or is legally residing in Ireland
- You have a passport valid for at least 6 months past your planned stay in Ireland
- You have enough money to support yourself after you arrive in Ireland
- You can provide details of your accommodation in Ireland
- You can provide evidence confirming that your relationship is pre-existing
- You are committed to obeying the conditions of your visa
- You have economic and social ties in your home country that will make you return there once your visa expires
- You promise not to become a burden on the State.
Our lawyers can assess your situation and determine whether you meet the requirements for the Irish Marriage Visa and can help you prepare all the documents that prove your eligibility for it.
What is the application process for the Irish Marriage Visa?
After you have received acknowledgment from the Registar, you may then begin your Irish visa application process. The first step of the process is to complete an online application form through the AVATS system. There you have to provide personal details and explain what the purpose of your journey to Ireland is.
After you do that, you need to pay the visa application fee. A single-entry permit costs €60 while a multiple-entry one €100. Keep in mind that since the Marriage Visa is a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa, multiple-entry permits are granted only in exceptional circumstances.
Once you have paid the visa fee, you need to start gathering documents that prove your eligibility for the visa. Then, you need to send the complete portfolio of evidence for processing to the visa application office mentioned on your application summary sheet. You can access your application summary sheet after submitting the online form.
If your application is successful, you will be able to start preparing for your journey to Ireland. If, however, it is rejected, you will be informed of the reason for the decision and if you may challenge the decision in an appeal process.
What documents will I need for an Irish Marriage Visa?
In addition to the signed and dated summary application form, you will need to send a variety of documents to the designated visa office where they will be reviewed by a visa officer. This may include the following documents:
- A valid passport
- A written letter detailing the reasons for travel to Ireland, the length of stay, where you will be staying, and how the trip will be funded. In this letter, you must also include a declaration that you intend to abide by the conditions of the visa, not become a burden on the State, and leave Ireland once your visa expires
- 2 passport photographs with your visa application tracking number and name written on the back
- Your accommodation details
- Evidence that you have sufficient funds to pay for your stay in Ireland (ex. bank statements)
- Evidence of your relationship history and intention to marry
- Documents that prove you have social or economic ties to your home country
All documents will need to be submitted in their original form. Any document which is not in English or Irish will need to be accompanied by certified translations.
How can I prove my relationship is genuine?
As part of the application process for the Irish Marriage Visa, you have to prove that your relationship with the Irish citizen or permanent resident is genuine. There are many ways in which you can prove your relationship history, for example, provide evidence showing that your partner has visited you in Ireland multiple times before. You can also show your past correspondence or proof that you have previously been on holidays together or lived together abroad.
An important requirement for the Ireland Marriage Visa is that you and your partner have seen each other face-to-face on several occasions. It is not possible to apply for a Marriage Visa if you and your partner have been exchanging messages online but never met in person.
Additionally, to be able to obtain the Ireland Marriage Visa, you have to prove that you and your partner intend to get married or enter into civil partnership after you come to Ireland. That can be done by submitting acknowledgment from the Registrar confirming the date on which you intend to marry, or by providing a marriage/civil partnership registration form.
If you or your partner have been married or in a legal civil partnership in the past, you must provide the following documents to prove that you are eligible for marriage:
- Marriage/civil partnership certificate
- Divorce/dissolution of the civil partnership certificate
What is the waiting time for the Irish Marriage Visa?
There is no specific timeframe for the processing of applications for the Irish Marriage Visa. How long you will have to wait depends on how complex your case is and how busy the immigration office where you send the documents is.
Nevertheless, according to the Department of Justice & Equality, all applications for the Marriage Visa are processed within 8 weeks from the date that the immigration office receives your application with documents accompanying it.
Sometimes, if you fail to provide some necessary evidence, the immigration office might request that you provide it. Then, the processing of your application will be delayed. That is why you should hire an immigration lawyer who can go over your application before you submit it to ensure no information is missing.
How can IAS help?
Applying for a Marriage Visa to Ireland can be complex. If you do not provide sufficient evidence proving that your relationship is genuine and that the purpose of your journey is to get married/enter into a civil partnership, your application will be rejected.
By hiring one of our lawyers, you can eliminate the risk of your application being refused on these grounds.
At IAS, we have a team of experienced immigration lawyers who have helped many clients successfully apply for various visas to Ireland, including the Ireland Marriage Visa. They can answer any questions you might have and explain to you the whole process in detail, making sure you understand what is required from you and what information you need to provide.
Call us today on +1 844 290 6312 to find out more about how our lawyers can help.
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the law may change, and the information may not reflect the most current legal developments. No warranty is given regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information, and we do not accept liability in such cases. We recommend consulting with a qualified lawyer at Immigration Advice Service before making any decisions based on the content provided.
Last modified on April 29th, 2024 at 10:20 am
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Frequently Asked Questions
There is no specific amount of money that you need to have to be able to obtain the Irish Marriage Visa but you need to prove that you have enough funds to support yourself after you arrive in Ireland.
To show that, you have to submit a recent bank statement showing how much money has been coming in and out of your account over the last 6 months.
Alternatively, you can show that someone else who agreed to sponsor your trip will help you financially. Then, you have to submit a bank statement from their account.
Unfortunately, the purpose of the Marriage Visa is to allow foreign citizens to come to Ireland to get married/enter into a civil partnership. This visa is not intended for those who want to join their spouse/civil partner/de facto partner in Ireland and settle there permanently.
The Marriage Visa is a Short Stay ‘C’ Visa, which means that if your application is accepted, you will be able to spend up to 90 days in Ireland. After that period you have the obligation to leave Ireland. If you would like to come back to Ireland to live with your spouse or civil partner, you will have to apply for a Join Family Long Stay ‘D’ Visa.
To reduce the risk of your application being rejected, make sure that the following applies to your translated evidence:
- The translator’s full name and signature are mentioned
- There is a date of the translation
- The translator’s contact details are included
- The documents are accompanied by a confirmation from the translator stating that the documents are an accurate translation of the originals
If you are applying for a single-entry visa, you will have to pay €60. For a multiple-entry permit, however, you will have to pay €100. This fee is non-refundable even if your application is rejected or withdrawn so, when applying, you should make sure your case is as strong as possible.
The Irish Marriage Visa only allows entry into Ireland for the purposes of marriage. Therefore, you will not be allowed to enter Europe, the Schengen Area, the UK, or even visit Northern Ireland without a proper visa (if you are from a country that is visa-required).
For more information and assistance regarding applications for a European and/or UK visa, contact IAS today at +1 844 290 6312 or leave us a message in the chat.