Do you need a visa to study in Ireland? Learn how to obtain your Irish Residence Permit outside Dublin:
If you are from a country outside the European Union or Switzerland and come to Ireland to work, study, live or join family for more than 90 days, you must register your immigration permission with your local immigration office.
The Irish Government initially grants a 3-month visa for students planning to stay in Ireland for more than 12 weeks. Therefore, students intending to reside in Ireland for a longer period need to extend their visas after arriving.
To obtain a GNIB/IRP card in Ireland, you must register with the Garda office in the region where you reside. If you live in Dublin, book an appointment at the immigration office there. For residents in Galway or other cities, scheduling an appointment at the respective immigration office is necessary. The required documents and procedures during the application are the same at all immigration offices.
The only variation lies in the process of scheduling an appointment from city to city, which will be explained in this article. According to information from the Garda National Immigration Bureau, to schedule a GNIB appointment in cities outside Dublin, like Galway, Cork, Limerick, and Bray, you need to send an email. Some of our students living in Bray have mentioned that they visited the immigration office directly, left their contact information, and were later contacted by the immigration office to schedule an appointment.
Now, let's explain where and how to send the email:
For Galway:
For Cork:
For Limerick:
For Bray:
The email you send to request an appointment should be formatted as follows:
In the subject line, write 'First-time registration appointment request.'
Then write 'To the relevant authority' and follow it by stating your first and last name, as well as the language school you are attending. After that, specify the reason for sending the email, i.e., that you want to request an appointment to obtain a student visa. Of course, remember to do all of this in English. 🙂 For your assistance, below is an example email sent to the Galway Immigration Office by a student studying at the Galway Cultural Institute.
When you get an appointment for First-time registration for IRP you should prepare these documents below:
- Gnib letter from your school
- Medical insurance
- Passport
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If you do not need a visa to come to Ireland, you must also prove that you can support yourself financially after you arrive in Ireland.
Proof that you have €4,500 in an account that can be accessed in Ireland or a pre-paid credit card (or if you’re staying less than six months, €500 a month for the duration of your stay) (If you already applied for the visa in your home country, you don't need to show it!) -
The registration fee is €300