PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Ireland

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

South Africans need to apply for a visa before travel to Ireland.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 90 days per visit.

Before you go

  • Purpose of visit

    Tourism, visiting family/friends, short business, marriage, medical treatment, short study (each has its own 'C' visa sub-type on irishimmigration.ie). No work.

  • Passport validity

    Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your departure date from Ireland.

  • How to apply

    Complete the online application (AVATS, visas.inis.gov.ie), print/sign the summary, then submit passport, documents and fee within 30 days via VFS Global in South Africa. Fee: EUR 60 single entry, EUR 100 multiple entry, EUR 25 transit (non-refundable; VFS service charge extra). Apply about 3 months before travel; processing approx. 8 weeks. Do not buy tickets before a decision.

  • Where South Africans apply

    VFS Global Ireland visa application centres in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town (opened 10 July 2024). The Embassy of Ireland in Pretoria directs all South African residents to VFS. No Durban centre found.

  • Travel insurance

    Travel/medical insurance is required: Ireland says if your visa is approved you must get travel insurance before you travel, and it may be checked at the border. No minimum cover published.

  • Return or onward ticket

    Not required at application (Ireland advises not to buy tickets until the visa is decided); show return travel plans. Border officers may ask for return ticket.

  • Proof of funds

    6 months of bank statements; no fixed minimum, assessed case by case. Sponsor's financial documents if sponsored.

  • Accommodation or invitation

    Printed hotel/accommodation confirmations showing dates, or evidence from the host (invitation letter and their residency status) when staying with family/friends.

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    None required by Ireland. Not a yellow fever risk country.

  • Arrival forms

    No arrival form. Present passport, visa and supporting documents to an immigration officer, who grants the period of stay. A visa is not a guarantee of entry.

  • Extending your stay and overstaying

    Visitors are generally not able to extend beyond 90 days; must leave before the stamped date. Overstaying can lead to removal and future refusal.

  • Transit

    South Africans are on the transit visa list (EUR 25). At Dublin, a transit visa is enough only if both flights are in Terminal 2 between 04:00 and 20:00 on the same day; otherwise you need a full entry visa. A UK visa does NOT let South Africans enter Ireland: the Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme and the British Irish Visa Scheme do not include South Africa (BIVS: Indian and Chinese nationals only).

  • Travelling with children

    Applications for under-18s must be made by a parent/guardian; the visa states whether the child travels accompanied or unaccompanied. Include birth certificate and parental consent where one parent or neither is travelling. South Africa's own exit rules for minors apply separately.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

Research sources

  1. 1. Immigration Service Delivery, Department of Justice (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/visa-requirement-for-nationals-of-botswana-and-south-africa/
  2. 2. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/at-the-border/transit-including-transfer-visa-advice/
  3. 3. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-visit-ireland/how-to-apply-for-a-short-stay-c-visit-tourist-visa/
  4. 4. Citizens Information Board (Irish state agency) (Official, citizensinformation.ie) https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving-country/visas-for-ireland/visas-for-tourists-visiting-ireland/
  5. 5. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/preclearance-and-entry-visas-fees/
  6. 6. Embassy of Ireland, Pretoria (Official, ireland.ie) https://www.ireland.ie/en/southafrica/pretoria/services/visas/visas-for-ireland/
  7. 7. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Required-documents-Short-Stay-C-Visa.-faq.pdf
  8. 8. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-visit-ireland/short-stay-visa-waiver-programme/
  9. 9. Immigration Service Delivery (Ireland) (Official, irishimmigration.ie) https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-visit-ireland/british-irish-visa-scheme/
  10. 10. Bizcommunity (VFS Global announcement) (News and guides, bizcommunity.com) https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/vfs-global-opens-new-centres-for-ireland-visas-in-sa-816563a

From doineedavisa.co.za/ireland. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.