>VISIT

As a visitor, you must be able to support and accommodate yourself without working in Ireland . It is acceptable for support and accommodation to be provided by relatives or friends in Ireland but not from public funds.

You are not entitled to work in Ireland and you must intend to leave after a maximum of 90 days stay.

It is not possible to change your status while in Ireland .

If there is a suspicion that the applicant intends to find work, overstay or settle in Ireland the visa application will be refused.

If you are a visa-required national and intend travelling to Ireland for a short period of time (less than 3 months) you should present the following documents with your visa application

• Passport
• Please include a photocopy of the passport bio page, all visas and all stamps
• Signed summary of your on-line application form. Please refer to our Application Forms Page for details. 
• 1 passport sized colour photo taken in the past six months that meets our specifications.
• A letter form your host or sponsor in Ireland stating that they will support and accommodate you during your visit and evidence that they are in a position to do so. This letter should include contact details for the reference, proposed dates for your stay and details of where you will be staying. See below for information on Writing a Letter of Invitation.
• Evidence that sufficient funds will be available to you during your stay in Ireland . This should be in the form of a bank statement or equivalent document from your reference in Ireland . The document should cover a period of at least six months prior to the date of application.
• Evidence that you are obliged to return to your country of residence. If you are employed you should provide a letter from your employer granting leave of absence and stating the duration of your employment, your position and salary. If you are in full time study you should provide a letter fro m your school or college giving details of your course and specifying the date on which your course of study re-commences. If you are not in employment or are retired you should provide information regarding your social and economic ties to China .
• Signed statement by the applicant in Chinese and in English confirming that he/she will observe the conditions of their visa, that they will not become a burden on the state and that they will leave Ireland on the expiration of their permission to remain.
• If a child is travelling to Ireland to visit a parent legal consent from the other parent/guardian must be provided.
• Photocopy of applicant's hukou
• Notarised certificate confirming kinship if applicable.
• Full details of the applicants family (parents, spouse, children and siblings)

WRITING A LETTER OF INVITATION
If you are living in Ireland and you wish to invite someone to visit you, you must write a letter of invitation.

The letter should contain the following information:

• If the applicant is not related to you then please state briefly how the applicant is known to you including details of when, where and how often you have met. This should be supported with copies of your passport showing evidence that you have visited China .
• Give details of any time the applicant has visited you before.
• Please state briefly what you understand to be the applicant's purpose of journey to Ireland and the duration of stay.
• That you are aware a visit visa allows the invitee to visit Ireland for a maximum of 90 days, that a visit visa cannot be extended in Ireland and that you will ensure the invitee returns to China before their permission to remain in Ireland expires.
• Whether the applicant be staying with you for the duration of stay.
• Whether you will be supporting the applicant financially.
• That you are satisfied that you have the sufficient financial resources to support the applicant if the need arises.
• Contact details for you in Ireland

Other documents which you should supply:

• A copy of the bio-page of your passport if you are an Irish national or an EU national
• If you are not an Irish / EU national please supply evidence of your current status in the State in the form of a full copy of your passport, Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) registration card and current work permit, if applicable.
• Documentary evidence to show that the applicant is related to you
• Copy of marriage certificate
• Evidence of application for permission to marry from Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages if applicable
• Names of all dependents (including non-relatives) currently residing in the State whom you are financially responsible for

Send your letter to the person you are inviting to Ireland , they must then submit the letter with their visa application.

We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible however, please allow 20 working days for your application to be processed.

Processing times may vary for Visit, Study and Join Family visa applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai . Every effort will be made to expedite the process, but at peak times applications lodged at the Consulate in Shanghai may take 20-30 working days to process.

If you are visiting Ireland as a part of a tourist group with an authorised tourist agent please see the section on Approved Destination Status (ADS) Tourist Visas

Before you complete your visa application please thoroughly read the information contained in General Information for all Visa types.