Travel to Rep of Ireland with UK Visa

[hackjam]

Thai wife has 2 year UK Visa, reckon its a tourist visa, not sure, just says visa.

Anyway, can she travel to Ireland using this visa, as I just found this on Irish Embassy website?

Short stay visa waiver programme

You may not need a visa to visit Ireland for less than 90 days if:

• You hold a UK short stay visa (as described below)
• You are a national of a country listed below
• Your visit to Ireland ends before your UK 'leave to remain' ends

Check if you need a visa for Ireland.

[rasg]

No. She needs a visa. Click further through the link you supplied. It's quite clear.

[hackjam]

Yes, I have clicked further and it keeps coming back to the piece I posted and Thailand is one of the countries listed.

I have contacted embassy but still waiting on reply.

[7by7]

7 hours ago, hackjam said:

Thai wife has 2 year UK Visa, reckon its a tourist visa, not sure, just says visa.

 Surely you know! Did she apply for a standard visit visa with a 2 year term, or some other type of visa?

 

Assuming it's a standard visit visa, then under "How to use the visa waiver programme" in the INIS guidance it says

Quote

Each distinct period of leave to remain in the UK (up to a maximum of 180 days each time)

not the term of the visa. A UK standard UK visit visa may have a term of up to 10 years, but regardless of the term the period of leave granted for each visit is a maximum of 180 days.

 

Remember, though, that to take advantage of the programme she cannot go directly to Ireland, but must enter the UK first and then travel to Ireland from the UK.

[rasg]

7 hours ago, hackjam said:

Yes, I have clicked further and it keeps coming back to the piece I posted and Thailand is one of the countries listed.

I have contacted embassy but still waiting on reply.

But which list is Thailand on?!

 

If you check the "Check if you need a visa for Ireland."  link and click on tourism then less than three months it says you need a visa.

 

On that first page "UK short stay visas" it says you don't.

 

The website you linked to is very confusing!

[macahoom]

This Irish government website states that Thailand is included in the UK/ROI short stay visa waiver:

 

http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PR16000291

[hackjam]

Yes, its a 2 year tourist visa she has and yes, we would need to enter Ireland through UK.

Guess only sure fire way to know for sure would be take a visit to Irish embassy in BKK and ask them.

Edited June 15, 2017 by hackjam

[7by7]

9 hours ago, rasg said:

But which list is Thailand on?!

 

If you check the "Check if you need a visa for Ireland."  link and click on tourism then less than three months it says you need a visa.

 

On that first page "UK short stay visas" it says you don't.

 

The website you linked to is very confusing!

 Thai nationals do usually need a visa for Ireland, but if you look at the page I linked to there is a list of countries included in the short stay visa waiver programme.

Quote

Eastern Europe	Middle East	Asia
Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Russian Federation Serbia Turkey Ukraine	Bahrain Kuwait2 Oman2 Qatar2 Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates2	India Kazakhstan Peoples Republic of China1 Thailand Uzbekistan

 

To take advantage of this programme one needs to have a UK visit visa and enter the UK first before travelling to Ireland.

 

Thais, and the other nationalities, who do not qualify for this programme do need a visa to enter Ireland; even if they have a UK settlement or other type of visa which allows a stay of longer than 180 days in the UK.