Marriage Visa Application

If you are a citizen of Switzerland or a country in the European Economic Area, you will not need to apply for a marriage visa.

However, if you are a citizen of a country which is not a non-visa-required country, you must apply for a marriage visa if you intend to marry in Ireland.

You need to inform the Registrar of Civil Marriages in Ireland that you wish to marry before you begin the process of the marriage visa application.

Specifically, you need to have acknowledgement from the Registrar indicating the date you officially notified the Registrar of your intention to marry in Ireland.

It is important to note that your application to the Registrar must be done a minimum of three months before you intend to get married in Ireland.

In order to be eligible for a marriage visa, there are a few fundamental conditions which must be met:

• You must have a passport which is valid for at least six months after your proposed leave date from Ireland
• You are able to support yourself financially during your time in Ireland
• You can provide sufficient evidence of the relationship between you and your partner

The steps to apply for the Ireland Marriage visa are as follows:

1. Ensure that you meet all of the eligibility criteria for the visa and that you have all necessary supporting documents to hand.
2. Visit the AVATS online visa portal.
3. Start to fill in the online application with your personal details and details of the visa you wish to apply for. In this instance, you should select the ‘Short Stay (C)’ visa type and select ‘Marriage’ as the reason for travel.
4. When you’ve finished filling in the application, ensure you take note of your visa application transaction number.
5. Print out, sign and date the application summary sheets. These should then be sent to one of the following (as noted on the summary sheet):
   • The Dublin visa office
   • An international visa office
   • An Irish embassy or consulate
6. Pay the application fee. How you pay this fee will vary based on the application office you send your application to.

Whilst the specific required documents may differ somewhat depending on your individual circumstances, there are several documents which will definitely need to be included in any marriage visa application.

The required information/documents are:

• Your passport
• Signed and dated application summary sheet
• A signed letter of application showing full details of your reasons for travelling to Ireland, how long you intend to stay for, who you plan to stay with and how you will fund the trip. You will also need to confirm your commitment to the conditions of the visa and that you won’t become a burden on the State
• Two colour passport-sized photographs with your Visa Application Tracking Number and name on the back of each
• Details of your accommodation plans
• Financial information and evidence
• Evidence of your relationship history and intention to marry
• Documents which show your obligation to return to your home country

All the information and documents which you provide need to be in their original form. Photocopies will almost certainly not be accepted.

Also, any documents not in Irish or English must be fully translated by an official, accredited translator.

Once you have all the relevant documents together, you will need to send them, along with your application summary sheet, to the visa application office stated on the summary sheet.

It can be difficult to establish the exact documents which you need to include in a marriage visa application. Here at the Immigration Advice Service, we have helped countless couples tie the knot in Ireland utilising our unrivalled Irish immigration law expertise.

Call us now on (+353) 061 518 025 to see how we can help make your marriage in Ireland a reality.

You need to provide certain information which proves the relationship between you and your partner. For instance, you could provide evidence showing your prospective spouse/civil partner has travelled to your country of residence to visit you a number of times. Also, correspondence can be used as demonstrable evidence.

Do note that you must have met face-to-face with your partner on a number of occasions to be considered for the marriage visa. If the relationship was formed solely over the internet or through text messages, your application will not be considered.

If either yourself or your partner were previously married or in a civil partnership, you must provide:

• Marriage/civil partnership certificate
• Divorce/dissolution of civil partnership certificate

As well as the evidence of the relationship, you will need to provide evidence of your intention to marry/enter into a civil partnership.

You must provide one of the following:

• Acknowledgement from the Registrar which confirms the date of the receipt of notification of your intention to marry in Ireland
• Marriage Registration Form
• Civil Partnership Registration Form

What Financial Information Do I Need to Include?

A key component of the marriage visa application is financial evidence. Essentially, Irish immigration officials want you to provide evidence that you can fund your expenses whilst you are in Ireland (whether through your own finances, or through the finances of someone else).

You will need to include an up-to-date bank statement, showing money going out and coming into your account over the past six months. (This rule applies regardless of whether you are funding your expenses or if they are being funded by a third party).

If someone else is funding your expenses in Ireland, you will need to be able to show how you know this person.

Also, keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Your name, address, account number and type of account must be visible on statements
• Bank statements must be on official headed paper
• If sending a bank statement from a savings or deposit account, you need to include a letter from the bank stating how much you can withdraw from the account

With any short stay ‘C’ visa application, you need to provide evidence demonstrating strong family, social or economic ties to your home country.

This information is required in order to satisfy Irish immigration that you will leave Ireland within the 90-day period of the Marriage Visa.

If you are employed, you will need to provide the following information:

• Your three most recent payslips
• A letter from your employer indicating how long you have been employed at the company, the dates on which you were absent from work and the proposed date of your return

If you are a student, you will need to provide a letter from your college which states:

• The course you are studying
• How many years you have been a student at the college for
• The number of years/terms you have remaining at the college

Are There Any Rules Regarding Translated Documents?

Any translated documents need to adhere to the following rules:

• Date of the translation
• The translator’s full name and signature
• Confirmation from the accredited translator that the documents are an accurate translation of the document
• The translator’s contact details

What is the Fee for a Marriage Visa Application?

At the time of writing, the fees are:

• €60 for a single-journey visa
• €100 for a multiple-journey visa

As of 2023, the fees for a Marriage visa are:

• €60 for a single-journey visa
• €100 for a multiple-journey visa

Processing times vary by country, and there is no definitive turnaround time for marriage visa applications. Also, during busy periods, it will take longer for your application to be processed.

The Department of Justice & Equality officially states that all marriage visa applications will be processed within eight weeks from the date the application office receives your application.

There will be delays in the processing of your application if you provide any incorrect documents, or documents which do not adhere to the stipulated guidelines.

What Should I Do When I Arrive in Ireland?

When you arrive in Ireland, you need to report to Irish border control. As we alluded to, even if your marriage visa application is accepted, you are not guaranteed entry into Ireland.

You will need to show your passport, visa and acknowledgement from the Registrar of Civil Marriages to immigration officials. Also, it is likely that you will be asked to provide other important documentary evidence. Therefore, you ought to bring photocopies of the important documents which formed your marriage visa application.

Border control will consider your documents and information and if they are satisfied, you will be granted with official permission to enter. Unfortunately, if immigration officials have any suspicions with your application or the information you provide, you could be refused entry into Ireland.

If your visa application is accepted, you will be granted with the marriage visa and permission to travel to Ireland. If your visa application is rejected, you will receive a letter which sets out the reasons for the refusal.

After your visa application has been processed, your passport and any birth/death certificates will be returned to you. You can also request in your visa application for other documents to be returned to you.

Your documents can be returned to your home address, or to an Irish embassy or consulate.

If your application has been refused, you may be able to appeal your decision. If you decide to do so, you must do this within 2 months of receiving your letter of refusal.

When appealing the refusal, you must write a letter clearly outlining the reasons why you think the decision should be overturned, citing the original reason for refusal and offering any new information that might help your case.

This letter should then be sent to the address stated on the refusal letter.