How do you get an Ireland visit visa from Pakistan? (2026)

Do Pakistanis need a visa for Ireland, and does a Schengen visa work?

Yes, you need an Irish visa before you travel, and a Schengen visa does not count. Ireland is not part of the Schengen area, so it runs its own visa system and its own border checks.

Pakistan is on the visa required list

Visas for Ireland are handled by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), the immigration service of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. As of 15 September 2026, ISD lists Pakistan among the nationalities that need a visa to enter Ireland. That applies whether you want a week in Dublin, a family wedding in Cork or a supplier meeting in Galway.

The visa for a short visit is the short stay C visa, for stays of up to 90 days. Within that type, you choose the purpose that fits your trip, such as tourism, visiting family or friends, or a short business visit. Study, work and long family stays use different visa types with different rules.

Why your Schengen visa will not get you in

Citizens Information, the Irish state information service, says plainly that a Schengen visa is not valid for travel to Ireland. Many travellers from Pakistan assume a visa for France or Italy covers all of Western Europe. It does not cover Ireland, so plan a separate application if Dublin is part of a wider European trip.

If you are visiting mainland Europe as well, the Schengen visa guide explains that application. The two are separate files with separate fees, and each one needs its own evidence.

Can you visit Ireland on a UK visa if you are Pakistani?

No, not as of 15 September 2026. Ireland has two arrangements that let some UK visa holders visit Ireland, but neither covers Pakistani nationals.

The Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme

This programme helps nationals of listed countries who hold a UK short stay visa. Once they have entered the UK on it, they can travel on to Ireland without an Irish visa. ISD’s information note says the programme is to continue until 31 October 2026 and may be amended at any time. Their stay in Ireland is capped at 90 days or the end of their UK leave, whichever comes first.

The covered countries include India, China, Turkey, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and several others. Pakistan is not on the list, and the note states that no other nationals may travel to Ireland using a UK visa. ISD also says a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) cannot be used under the programme.

The British Irish Visa Scheme

This scheme lets a visa endorsed with the letters BIVS cover short visits to both the UK and Ireland. As of 15 September 2026, both ISD and the UK government say it applies only to Indian and Chinese nationals, who must apply in India or China. A Pakistani passport holder cannot use it, wherever they apply.

What this means for a UK and Ireland trip

If your trip includes London and Dublin, you need two visas: a UK visitor visa and an Irish short stay visa. The UK visit visa guide covers the British side. Keep the two applications consistent, because both forms ask about your travel history and your plans.

How much does an Ireland visit visa cost from Pakistan?

As of 15 September 2026, ISD sets the fee at EUR 60 for a single entry visa and EUR 100 for a multiple entry visa. A transit visa costs EUR 25. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn.

The fee covers processing, so treat it as spent once you apply. ISD says extra charges may apply, for example for submitting your documents, and the office handling your file publishes those. As of 15 September 2026, ISD’s online payment list includes Pakistan, so residents of Pakistan can pay the visa fee by card inside the AVATS form.

Single entry or multiple entry

A single entry visa lets you travel to Ireland once within its dates. If you leave, you need a new visa to return. A multiple entry visa lets you make several short trips during its validity.

ISD says multiple entry visas usually go to applicants with a compliant travel history. If you have held 2 earlier Irish visas and kept to their conditions, you may apply for one. The Department has also opened multi-year visas of 1 to 5 years to all visa required countries. People with frequent, compliant travel to the UK, the Schengen area, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand can ask for one without any Irish travel history.

Asking is not the same as receiving. The visa officer decides. For a first visit with a thin travel record, a single entry application for your real dates is usually the realistic choice.

Where do you apply for an Irish visa from Pakistan?

You start online, on AVATS, the official application system of Immigration Service Delivery. The form produces a summary sheet that tells you where to send your passport and documents, and that instruction outranks any general advice, including this guide.

AVATS, the online form

AVATS stands for Automated Visa Application and Tracking System. As of 15 September 2026, it remains the system ISD uses for visa applications. It asks about your identity, purpose of travel, travel history, family and finances. Reach it through ISD’s website, not through a search advert or a link forwarded in a WhatsApp group. The officer compares your answers with your documents, so type them carefully.

Paying and printing the summary form

Residents of countries on ISD’s online payment list, which includes Pakistan, see a Pay And Submit button when finishing the form and pay by card. You then receive a payment confirmation email. Keep it, because it goes in with your documents. Next, print the AVATS summary application form, then sign and date it.

Where your documents go

Ireland has an embassy in Islamabad, its diplomatic mission to Pakistan. Visa decisions, however, are made by ISD visa offices. The office handling your file may be outside Pakistan. As of 15 September 2026, I could not confirm from an official page which visa office decides applications from Pakistan, or whether a service provider collects documents in Pakistani cities.

Your summary form settles the question. It names the office or centre, the address, and how documents are accepted. Official Irish checklists commonly allow 30 days after the online form to send your documents, but follow the deadline on your own form. If you are unsure whether post is accepted or a visit is needed, ask the Embassy of Ireland in Islamabad through the contact details on its official page.

How long does an Irish visit visa take from Pakistan?

ISD’s general guidance is a decision about 8 weeks after the visa office receives your documents. It can take longer when documents are missing or need verifying, so plan on 8 to 12 weeks.

Plan backwards from your flight

Fix the date you want to land in Ireland and count back 12 weeks. Before that, allow time to collect bank letters, an employer letter, FBR records and any translations. Because you cannot apply more than 3 months ahead, a late start leaves no margin at all.

Busy periods and missing documents

ISD processes applications in order. It says decisions can take longer at busier times of year. The quickest file is a complete one, because incomplete applications may be refused.

Checking for a decision

Where an ISD visa office decides your application, ISD publishes weekly decision listings that you can search with your reference number. Where an embassy handles it, the embassy contacts you. Do not buy non-refundable flights or hotels until you have the visa in hand and have checked it.

What documents do you need for an Irish visit visa from Pakistan?

You need proof of who you are, why you are going, how you will pay, and why you will come back to Pakistan. Checklists vary by purpose, so use the one that matches your visa type and follow any list your summary form points to.

Passport, photos and the application letter

Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date you plan to leave Ireland. Include copies of every page of your previous passports, because a record of trips abroad followed by returns home helps. Official checklists also ask for 2 recent colour passport photographs.

Write and sign an application letter. Give your full name and postal address, the reason for the trip, the dates you plan to arrive and leave, and the names and addresses of any family in Ireland. Plain facts serve you better than emotional language.

Bank statements and money

ISD asks for 6 months of bank statements showing money paid in and out, with your account number and account type. The statement should be an original on bank headed paper, or an online printout certified by the bank. ISD says there is no minimum amount of money for approving or refusing a visa. The officer decides whether you have enough for your circumstances.

For you, that means a PKR account that shows your ordinary life: salary credits, business income, school fees and bills. A large deposit just before applying needs a paper trail, such as a property sale deed, or a documented gift from a close relative with their own statements.

Employment, business and FBR evidence

If you are employed, include a signed letter on company letterhead with full contact details, your role and salary, and confirmation that you will return to work after the trip. Add recent salary slips. Business owners can include registration documents, chamber of commerce membership and business bank statements.

FBR income tax returns and your NTN show that the income in your statements is declared. If your return shows PKR 900,000 a year but PKR 400,000 reaches your account every month, the officer will notice. Explain the gap with documents, or expect it to count against you.

Invitation, hosts and bookings

If you are visiting family or friends, your host in Ireland should write a signed invitation letter with their address and how they know you. Include evidence of their status in Ireland where your checklist asks for it. For tourism, give accommodation confirmations that match your dates. Irish checklists also list medical or travel insurance, so include a policy that covers the whole trip.

Travel history, earlier refusals and NADRA documents

You must declare any visa refusal by any country. ISD says failing to disclose a previous refusal will result in an immediate refusal of your Irish application. Add a letter giving the country, dates, purpose and reasons, with the refusal letter if you still have it.

Where family relationships matter, include NADRA documents such as your CNIC, Family Registration Certificate, birth certificates or marriage registration certificate. These show who is travelling, who stays behind in Pakistan, and how you are related to your host.

English translations

Every document not in English or Irish needs a full, certified translation, and ISD asks for both the original and the translation. In Pakistani files that often means the Urdu pages of a nikah nama, some property papers or a court order. ISD guidance on several visa types adds that translations made outside the EEA or Switzerland must also be attested by that country’s foreign ministry. Check your checklist, and allow time for attestation if it applies.

When I review an Irish visit file, I read the application letter, the bank statement and the employer letter side by side. If the dates, the salary and the reason for travel do not match exactly, that is where I start.

How long can you stay in Ireland, and can you be refused at the airport?

The most a visitor can be given is 90 days, and the immigration officer at the airport decides the actual period. A visa lets you travel to Ireland; it is not a promise that you will be let in.

What happens at border control

When you land, an immigration officer examines your passport, visa and documents, and may ask about your trip. If satisfied, the officer stamps your passport with the date until which you may stay, up to 90 days. Citizens Information confirms the officer can refuse entry even when you hold a visa.

Carry copies of your key documents in your hand luggage: the invitation or hotel bookings, your return ticket, insurance and evidence of funds. Answer questions in the same terms as your application letter. Saying tourism at the desk when your file describes a family visit invites more questions.

What a visit visa does not allow

You cannot work on a visitor permission. ISD says you cannot change your purpose after entering: a tourist given up to 3 months cannot then apply for permission to work. Nor can you switch a visitor permission into another permission from inside Ireland. You must leave on or before the date on your stamp and apply from outside for anything else.

Extensions and overstaying

ISD allows a temporary extension of visitor permission, of up to 90 more days, only where your circumstances have changed unexpectedly since you arrived. Wanting a longer holiday does not qualify. Overstaying damages future Irish applications, and other countries ask about your immigration history too. Leave on time and keep your boarding pass.

How do you apply, step by step?

The order below follows ISD’s process for a short stay visit visa. Your own AVATS summary form has the final word on where and how you send your documents.

1. 1

   Confirm that you need an Irish visa and choose the type

   Check that no waiver applies to you. As of 15 September 2026, Pakistani nationals are not covered by the UK visa waiver or the British Irish Visa Scheme. Choose the short stay C visa purpose that fits: tourism, visiting family or friends, or business.

2. 2

   Complete the AVATS online form

   Fill in the form on AVATS, the official online system of Ireland’s Immigration Service Delivery. Answer every question truthfully, including earlier refusals by any country, and note your application reference number.

3. 3

   Pay the fee and print the summary form

   Residents of Pakistan can pay the fee by card in AVATS: EUR 60 for single entry or EUR 100 for multiple entry as of 15 September 2026. Keep the payment confirmation email, then print, sign and date the summary application form.

4. 4

   Assemble your documents in English

   Collect your passport, photos, application letter, 6 months of bank statements, employment or business evidence, FBR returns, invitation or bookings, travel history and NADRA documents. Add full certified translations for anything not in English or Irish.

5. 5

   Send the file where the summary form says

   Your summary form names the office that receives your passport and documents. Send them within the deadline it gives, together with the payment confirmation. If post is accepted, use a reputable courier and keep the tracking number.

6. 6

   Wait for the decision, then check the visa

   Allow about 8 weeks from when the office receives your documents, and longer at busy times. When the visa arrives, check your name, passport number, validity dates and number of entries before paying for flights.

What can you do if your Irish visit visa is refused?

For short stay refusals issued on or after 1 June 2026, there is no appeal. You read the refusal letter carefully, fix what it identifies, and make a new application on AVATS with a new fee.

The 2026 change to appeals

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration announced that from 1 June 2026, applicants can no longer appeal the refusal of a short stay visa. Refusals of short stay C visas issued before that date stayed eligible for appeal under the old arrangements. Appeals continue for applications under the EU Free Movement Directive, which covers certain family members of EU citizens.

Under the old arrangements, ISD required an appeal to arrive within 2 months of the date on the refusal letter, and there was no fee. For a refusal dated before 1 June 2026, that 2-month window has already closed by 15 September 2026. Older advice in Facebook groups about appealing a visit visa is now out of date.

Reading the refusal letter

The refusal letter tells you why the visa was refused. The reasons can concern your finances, your ties to Pakistan, the purpose of the trip, or the documents themselves. List each reason, then write beside it the new document that answers it. If a reason has no answer yet, the new application is not ready.

The guide to reading a refusal letter explains this method in more detail. It was written for students, but the approach works for visitors too. If you want a second pair of eyes before you reapply, you can ask for a free first consultation.

False documents and long bans

ISD warns that where false or misleading information was submitted, you may be blocked from applying for a visa for up to 5 years. That is why arranged bank statements, invented invitations and hidden refusals are so costly. An honest refusal can be overcome with better evidence. A finding of false documents follows you.

What goes wrong most often?

Relying on a UK or Schengen visa

Some travellers book a Dublin leg on the strength of a UK or Schengen visa and learn the truth at the check-in desk or at Irish border control. As of 15 September 2026, neither visa lets a Pakistani national enter Ireland.

Money that appears from nowhere

A statement showing PKR 150,000 a month, then PKR 2,000,000 arriving a week before you apply, raises an obvious question: whose money is this? If a large sum genuinely arrived, prove its source with documents.

Hiding an earlier refusal

A UK or Schengen refusal from years ago can feel irrelevant. ISD says leaving it out leads to an immediate refusal. Declare it, explain it, and attach the letter.

Documents in Urdu without certified translations

A nikah nama or property document sent only in Urdu cannot be relied on. Provide a full certified translation alongside the original, and check whether attestation is needed before you send the file.

Paying for shortcuts

Agents who sell arranged bank statements, invitation letters or promised approvals put this application and future ones at risk, including a possible ban of up to 5 years. Before you pay anyone, read the guide to checking a visa consultant in Pakistan.

A realistic example

Take a hypothetical applicant, Ayesha, a government school teacher in Faisalabad. She is an illustration, not a real client. Her brother works in Dublin and has invited her for a 14-day family visit in late June. Her husband and two children will stay at home.

• Late February. Ayesha notes that she cannot apply more than 3 months before travel, so she aims to submit in late March. Meanwhile she gathers her papers.
• Mid March. She collects a school letter with her salary and leave approved for the exact dates, recent salary slips, 6 months of certified statements, her FBR returns, a NADRA Family Registration Certificate and copies of an old passport showing a trip to Dubai and her return.
• Also in March. Her brother sends a signed invitation with his Dublin address and evidence of his status. She has the Urdu pages of her nikah nama translated and certified, and buys travel insurance for the whole trip.
• Late March. She completes AVATS, pays EUR 60 online, signs the summary form and sends everything, with the payment email, exactly as the form directs.
• Late May. The decision arrives. She checks the visa dates and her name, then books flights.

Everything agrees: 14 days on the form, in the leave letter, in the invitation and on the insurance. Her income matches her tax returns, and her job and family in Faisalabad give a clear reason to return.

The version that goes wrong

Now imagine Ayesha hears that her cousin’s UK visa worked for Ireland and starts only in early June. Her brother deposits PKR 1,500,000 into her account the week before she applies, with no explanation. She leaves out a UK refusal from two years ago, and her leave letter covers 10 days against a 14-day plan. Any one of these weakens the file. Together they invite a refusal, and since 1 June 2026 there is no appeal, only a new application and a missed summer.

Key takeaways

Frequently asked questions