Long Stay D Visa Ireland: Requirements for Employment Permit Holders
An approved employment permit does not let you into Ireland. If you are a citizen of a visa-required country — India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, China, and many others — you need a second approval before you can travel: the Long Stay 'D' Employment Visa.
This is the step that surprises the most applicants, particularly those whose employers handle the permit application and forget to mention the visa stage. The permit and the visa are separate applications, processed by different government departments, with different document requirements and different timelines. Here is what the visa process involves.
Who Needs a Long Stay D Visa
Citizens of EEA countries, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, and a small number of other countries can travel to Ireland and begin work directly on their employment permit without a visa. All other nationalities — including the most common CSEP applicant nationalities: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Brazil — require a visa before entering Ireland.
If you are unsure whether you need a visa, check the Department of Justice's visa required countries list at irishimmigration.ie. The list is comprehensive and uses country names rather than passport types.
The Application Process: AVATS
The Long Stay 'D' Employment Visa is applied for through the AVATS (Advanced Visa Applications Tracking System) online portal. The process:
- Complete the AVATS application form online
- Print the summary sheet generated by the system
- Submit the summary sheet, your original passport, and all supporting documents to your nearest Irish Embassy or VFS Global visa application centre
- Await processing
The visa application is submitted after your employment permit has been approved by DETE. You will need the permit approval letter as part of the visa application. Do not attempt to apply for the visa concurrently with the permit — you need the permit number and approval date as evidence in the visa file.
Documents Required
| Document | Specification |
|---|---|
| AVATS summary sheet | Printed from the online system after completion |
| Passport | Valid for at least 12 months beyond your intended arrival date; biometric data page |
| Employment permit approval letter | The DETE approval issued through EPOS |
| Employment contract | Signed copy showing salary, role, and employer details |
| Bank statements | 6 months of personal bank statements showing sufficient funds for initial setup in Ireland |
| Health insurance | Private travel/medical insurance covering at least €30,000 in costs, valid for the visa period |
| Photographs | Two recent passport-sized photographs meeting Irish visa photo standards |
| Previous refusal letters | Originals of any visa refusal letters from any country, at any time |
That last point about previous refusals is critical. The Department of Justice maintains comprehensive data-sharing agreements with other countries. Concealing a prior visa refusal — even from an unrelated country, years ago, for a completely different reason — is treated as a fundamental breach of character and is a leading cause of Irish visa denials. Disclose everything. A prior refusal does not automatically lead to a new one; non-disclosure almost always does.
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Visa Fees
The standard visa fees as of 2026:
- Single entry visa: €60
- Multiple entry visa: €100
For employment purposes, apply for a multiple entry visa — you will need to travel internationally, whether for work or to visit family, and a single entry visa would be invalidated the moment you leave Ireland.
Country-Specific Notes
India: VFS Global manages Irish visa applications from India across major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and others. Processing typically takes 20–25 working days from the date of appointment, but high demand in the IT sector during peak application cycles can push this to 6–8 weeks. Book your VFS appointment as soon as your employment permit is approved — do not wait until you have finalised a start date.
Indian applicants should also be aware of the NARIC qualification mapping issue for three-year degrees. If your permit application relied on a degree that may be assessed differently at the visa stage, have your NARIC comparability documentation ready.
Philippines: PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) issued documents are required for birth certificates and marriage certificates. For nursing applicants specifically, evidence of NMBI (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland) registration is mandatory at the visa stage, not just the permit stage. Ensure your NMBI registration is confirmed before submitting the visa application.
Nigeria: Irish visa refusal rates for Nigerian applicants have historically been significantly higher than the global average — up to 45% in some assessment periods. Nigerian applicants must provide exceptionally robust documentation of ties to their home country (property ownership, family, business interests) and a clear, fully verifiable financial history. Any unexplained large deposits in bank statements will be questioned. Consider providing explanatory letters for any non-salary income.
South Africa: Since January 2026, all Irish visa fees must be paid online during the AVATS application process. VFS centres in South Africa no longer accept in-person cash or card payments for visa fees at the time of document submission.
Brazil: Brazil is not a visa-required country for short stays, but for the Long Stay 'D' Employment Visa, Brazilian nationals do submit a full visa application. The process follows the standard AVATS route through the nearest Irish Embassy (Brasília or São Paulo).
Timeline Planning
The Long Stay 'D' visa adds meaningful time to the overall process. A realistic estimate from employment permit approval to travel-ready:
| Step | Time Required |
|---|---|
| VFS/Embassy appointment booking | 1–2 weeks after permit approval |
| Visa processing | 20–35 working days (country dependent) |
| Passport return by post | 3–5 business days |
| Total additional time | 5–9 weeks after permit approval |
Combined with the standard CSEP processing time of 4–8 weeks for most employers, the end-to-end timeline from EPOS submission to travel-ready is typically 10–17 weeks for visa-required nationals.
This matters for employment start date negotiations with your Irish employer. If your employer is expecting you to start within six weeks of accepting the offer, and you are a visa-required national in standard processing, that timeline is not realistic. Set expectations early.
After You Arrive
The 'D' visa permits you to enter Ireland. Upon arrival, the immigration officer stamps your passport with a temporary permission and instructs you to register with ISD at Burgh Quay within 90 days. This is when the IRP registration process begins.
The visa itself is not your ongoing permission to remain — it is your entry document. The IRP card and the immigration stamp you receive from ISD are your residence permissions. Do not confuse the two.
The Ireland Critical Skills Employment Permit Guide includes a country-specific visa section covering India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Brazil, Pakistan, and South Africa with the specific document requirements and common refusal reasons for each nationality.
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