Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced the extension of the five-year multi entry short-stay visa option to all visa required countries, according to a statement published on Gov.ie.
Details
According to the statement published on Gov.ie, until now, Ireland has offered one year, two year and three year multi-entry visas, with the option of a five year multi-entry visa only being available to Chinese passport holders (introduced in 2019), but this eligibility has now been extended to all visa required countries, and, with the new changes being announced by the minister, people who have frequent travel to the UK, the Schengen zone, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, and have observed the conditions of those visas, will also be able to apply for the option of a multi-year visa (of any duration from one to five years), even if they have no previous Irish travel history.
The statement published on Gov.ie added that a multi entry visa may also be approved for some business travellers, under certain conditions, who have no previous travel history to Ireland; a multi entry visa permits the holder to travel to Ireland on a number of occasions during the dates shown on the visa; the standard single entry visa option also remains available; and, as with all visa applications, the granting of a multi-entry visa is at the discretion of the relevant visa officer.
Statement By Minister McEntee
The statement published on Gov.ie included a statement by Minister McEntee that said, "The availability of five-year multi entry short stay visas to eligible applicants from all visa required countries is a very positive measure. It will enable people who visit Ireland regularly, for business or family reasons in particular, to make one application, which when granted, will then cover travel over a five year period.
"This will make travelling to Ireland a more convenient and attractive option at a time when travel worldwide is resuming and our tourism industry, in particular, is reopening following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic."
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