From July 10, 2024, the Irish government approved a visa regime for citizens of Botswana and South Africa. From now on, representatives of these countries will need to obtain the appropriate permission before traveling. The changes will affect even transit passengers. Learn more about the new procedure and what exceptions have been made

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The Irish Ministry of Justice has announced that the Irish authorities have decided to introduce visa requirements for citizens of Botswana and the Republic of South Africa. The new changes came into effect on July 10, 2024.

What has changed for citizens of Botswana and South Africa in Ireland in 2024?

Given that citizens of Botswana and South Africa will no longer be visa-exempt in Ireland, representatives of these countries will need a visa to enter the country for tourism, business, work and transit through Ireland.

Only holders of diplomatic passports will be exempted from visa requirements.

Transitional conditions for citizens of Botswana and South Africa

Transitional conditions were approved for certain categories of citizens. In particular, South African and Botswana passport holders who have booked a trip to Ireland before 10 July 2024 and plan to enter Ireland before 10 August 2024 can travel to Ireland under simplified conditions. For entry, these citizens must have:

- Valid passport.

- A document from the carrier stating the date of purchase of the tickets, the name of the passenger, the number of the flight(s) and the date of travel.

This documentation will need to be provided when requested by an immigration officer.

Pay attention!

- Anyone booked to travel to Ireland before 10 July 2024 and traveling to the country after 9 August 2024 will not be able to take advantage of the limited transitional arrangements and will need to obtain an Irish visa before travel.

- Anyone booking travel to Ireland after 10 July cannot take advantage of the limited transitional arrangements and will need to obtain an Irish visa in advance, even if they are traveling to Ireland before 10 August 2024.

- Individuals holding a valid Irish Residence Permit (IRP) do not need to obtain a separate Irish visa.

How to apply for a visa to Ireland?

Irish authorities have announced that they plan to create a special "South African service" to process visa applications from South African citizens, and to open three visa centers in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria.

The current standard government processing time for Irish visa applications is approximately two months.

Why did Ireland introduce such changes in migration policy?

Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee said that the Irish authorities implemented these reforms as part of work aimed at better compliance with the visa rules of the Schengen area and the United Kingdom.

The Irish authorities also reported that the introduction of the visa regime was influenced by an increase in the number of asylum applications from citizens of Botswana and South Africa.

In general, with the help of these changes, the Irish authorities aim to reduce illegal migration to the country.

It is worth noting that Irish citizens can currently enter Botswana and the Republic of South Africa. visa-free for tourism and business purposes, and the Botswana or South African governments have not announced any change to these rules.

As a reminder, read in detail about the procedure for moving to Ireland in 2024 and ways to obtain citizenship here.

Who needs to issue a Schengen visa to travel to Europe in 2024 was discussed in this article.