Ireland imposes visa requirements on citizens of Dominica, Vanuatu, and Honduras

On Monday, March 4, 2024, the Republic of Ireland announced amendments to its visa policy, imposing a visa requirement on citizens of Dominica, Vanuatu, and Honduras. This amendment takes effect as of Thursday, March 7, 2024.

Irish Minister for Justice Helen McEntee stated that this decision aligns Ireland’s visa policy more closely with that of the United Kingdom and the Schengen Area. This move follows the British government’s decision in July 2023, which imposed visa requirements on a list of five countries, including the three mentioned, along with Namibia and Timor-Leste. The latter two were already required to obtain visas to enter Ireland.

Following this policy change, citizens of Dominica, Vanuatu, and Honduras will be required to obtain an Ireland Visa prior to traveling to the country, regardless of the purpose of their visit. This requirement extends to those needing to transit through Ireland en route to another destination.

The Irish government has also announced that transitional arrangements will be made for nationals of these countries who had already made travel arrangements to Ireland in the weeks following the implementation of the new visa requirements.It is expected that this decision will not significantly increase the volume of visa applications, given the relatively low number of citizens from Dominica, Honduras, and Vanuatu traveling to and residing in Ireland.