What is an Irish Sailor Visa? Visa Types and Application Processes

What is an Irish Sailor Visa? Visa Types and Application Processes

Irish seafarer visa is a type of Irish visa that must be obtained in order to join a ship departing from Ireland as a seafarer. The Irish seafarer visa is considered in the Irish short-term (C type) visa category. The Irish seafarer visa allows for up to 90 days within the borders of Ireland. Irish seafarer visa holders cannot work in any job other than the job held on the ship they will board.

Who Should Apply for an Irish Seafarer Visa?

Persons who meet the following conditions must apply for an Irish seafarer visa:

  • Ship crew who will join a ship that will set sail from Ireland,
  • Seafarers whose seafarer’s identity document belongs to a country that is not a party to ILO C108 and ILO C185 conventions and who will be joining a ship that will sail from Irish ports.

What are the documents required to apply for an Irish seafarer visa?

The documents required to apply for an Irish seafarer visa are listed below.

  • Ireland seafarer visa online application form: This is the document obtained as a result of the online application made through the AVATS system.
  • Ireland seafarer visa application letter: The Ireland seafarer visa application letter should explain the following items:
    • The reason for wanting to go to Ireland,
    • Dates of entry to and exit from Ireland,
    • If there are family members living in Ireland, Switzerland or European Union countries, their full names and addresses.
    • Written assurance that the conditions of the Irish seafarer’s visa will be fully complied with during the stay in Ireland and that the Republic of Ireland will not be a burden to the institutions (hospitals etc.) funded by the state for the benefit of citizens of the Republic of Ireland and to the Republic of Ireland.
  • Letter written by employer: The Irish seafarer visa applicant must prepare a letter written by his/her employer clarifying the following points about the applicant.
    • Description and job title of the job to be done on the ship to be joined with the Irish seafarer visa,
    • How long the Irish seafarer visa applicant has been working for the company or agency,
    • The full name of the ship planned to be joined in Ireland is,
    • The planned date of entry into Ireland,
    • When and from which port will the ship be boarded with the Irish seafarer’s visa?
    • The sailing route, anchoring dates and locations of the ship the Irish seafarer visa applicant will be travelling on,
    • Contact information of the employer.
  • If there is a shipping company associated with the Irish seafarer visa applicant in the Republic of Ireland, a letter must be prepared from that company which must address the following items.

For the Irish seafarer visa applicant;

  • Description of the task on the ship, job title and activities to be performed on the ship,
  • The full name of the ship he will join in Ireland,
  • Date of entry into Ireland,
  • From which port and when to join the ship,
  • The ship’s navigation route and stopping points should also be included.

The contact information of the shipping company or shipping agency must also be included in this letter.

  • Accommodation plan: The accommodation plan consists of documents that prove that the accommodation reservations have been made for the accommodations (hotel, guesthouse, guesthouse, AirBnB etc.) to be made during the stay in Ireland. If the Irish seafarer’s visa holder will be staying with a host, the host must include the host’s full name, address in Ireland, a letter confirming that they have accepted the visa holder into their home and the dates of the stay with the host. If the person will be joining the ship directly, it is not necessary to create an accommodation plan.
  • Health and travel insurance: If your Irish seafarer visa application is approved, travel and health insurance must be obtained before you travel. People without insurance are not allowed to enter Ireland.
  • Passport: A passport currently in use and valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of departure from Ireland. If passports used in the past are still in use, copies of these must be included in the application documents.
  • Current Seafarer’s Identity Document :
  • 2 Photographs: 45 mm high and 35 mm wide, passport-sized photographs that comply with biometric requirements, taken on a white background, with the name of the Irish seafarer visa applicant and the visa application tracking number issued by AVATS written on the back.
  • Financial plan: A document issued by the bank, showing that the visa holder will not have any financial difficulties in meeting his/her needs during his/her stay in Ireland, and containing information on the number and type of the visa holder’s bank account and the cash transactions in the last six months.
  • If you have had a visa application rejected in the past, the original rejection letters of these applications must be included among the Irish seafarer visa application documents .

What Should Be Considered When Preparing the Ireland Seafarer Visa Application Documents?

When preparing the Irish seafarer visa application documents, the following should be taken into consideration: Not using documents containing false or distorted information: If documents containing false or misleading information are included in the Irish seafarer visa application documents and this situation is detected by the visa approval authority, the application will be rejected. There are penalties up to and including the person being deprived of the right to apply for any Irish visa for 5 years. The Irish seafarer visa application documents should be placed in an envelope for protection.

How to Apply for an Irish Seafarer Visa?

An Irish seafarer’s visa must be applied for at least 3 months before the expected departure date to Ireland by following the steps below:

  1. The online Ireland (Type C) seafarer visa application form is filled out via AVATS. The relevant steps must be followed on the website https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie and the Ireland (Type C) seafarer visa application must be created.
  2. Pay the Ireland (Type C) seafarer visa fee in accordance with the payment information provided by the AVATS system.
  3. The passport and documents required for the Irish seafarer visa are declared to the Irish visa application center intermediary institution directed by AVATS.

How to Apply for an Irish Seafarer Visa Online?

Applying for an Irish seafarer visa online is done by following the steps below:

  1. AVATS (https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie) website is entered.
  2. The necessary steps are followed to apply for an Ireland C type seafarer visa.
  3. Complete and completely accurate answers are given to the questions asked.
  4. The Irish seafarer visa application fee is deposited into the payment information provided by AVATS.

Which Seafarer Identity Documents Are Exempt from the Irish Seafarer Visa?

Ireland grants exemption from seafarers’ visas to countries that are party to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions C108 and C185.

Some of the countries party to the ILO C108 convention are listed below.

  • Türkiye
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
  • Canada
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Iranian
  • Iraq
  • Mexican
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Ukrainian

Some of the countries that are party to the ILO C185 convention are listed below.

  • France
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Georgia
  • Hungary
  • India
  • South Korea
  • Russia
  • Spain

Highlights from countries that are not party to the ILO C108 convention are listed below.

  • United States
  • Australia
  • Germany
  • Belgium
  • Sweetcorn
  • Georgia
  • Hungary
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Libya
  • Holland
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • South Korea
  • Train
  • Serbia
  • Switzerland
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Chinese

Some of the countries that are not party to the ILO C185 convention are listed below.

  • Türkiye
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • United Kingdom and Northern Ireland
  • United States
  • Switzerland
  • Bulgaria
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Chinese
  • Israel
  • Holland
  • New Zealand
  • Pakistan
  • Train
  • South Korea

Is an Irish Seafarer Visa Required for Turkish Registered Seafarers?

No, Turkish registered seafarers do not require an Irish seafarer visa.

Persons with a seafarer’s identity document and who belong to countries party to ILO conventions C108 and ILO C185 do not need a visa to join a ship in Ireland.

Turkey has been a party to the ILO C108 Convention since 7 February 2005. According to Article 6, paragraph 1 of the ILO C108 Convention, seafarers registered in the countries party to the convention are granted the right to join a ship departing from the ports of the countries party to the ILO C108 Convention without a visa requirement, provided that they have valid identity documents.

How Long Does It Take to Complete an Irish Seafarer Visa Application?

Irish seafarer visa applications are finalized within an average of 20 working days. Seafarer visas are considered within the scope of Ireland C type visas.

If the Irish seafarer visa application is approved, the passport and the identified visa are delivered to the holder. If the Irish seafarer visa application is rejected, the submitted documents, passport and rejection letter are delivered to the applicant.

What Rights Do You Have with an Irish Seafarer Visa?

What can be done with an Irish seafarer’s visa?

  • With an Irish seafarer’s visa, you can join a ship as a seafarer that is scheduled to depart from a port in the Republic of Ireland and on which the visa holder is responsible.
  • With an Irish seafarer’s visa, you can stay within the borders of Ireland for up to 90 days.

What can’t be done with an Irish seafarer’s visa?

  • You cannot stay within the borders of Ireland for more than 90 days,
  • Services cannot be received from institutions funded by the Republic of Ireland for the use of Irish citizens (hospitals, schools etc.)
  • The Irish seafarer’s visa holder cannot work at any other job than the one on the ship on which he is scheduled to join.
  • The Irish seafarer’s visa does not grant holders the right of residence.
  • An Irish seafarer’s visa does not allow entry to countries such as the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the European Union or any other country.

How to Apply for an Irish Seafarer Visa for Minors Under 18?

For minors aged under 18, the Irish seafarer visa application must be completed by a parent or legal guardian following the steps below:

  • Creating an online Irish seafarer visa application through the AVATS system: A type C Irish seafarer visa application must be created by the parent or legal guardian of the Irish seafarer visa applicant by going to the AVATS website (https://www.visas.inis.gov.ie) and following the necessary steps.
  • The Irish seafarer visa application fee must be paid by the parent or legal guardian in accordance with the payment information provided by AVATS.
  • You must go to the Irish visa application center, declare your documents, and complete your biometric procedures.

How Much Is the Ireland Sailor Visa Application Fee?

Ireland seafarer visa application fees are detailed in the table below for single-entry and multiple-entry visa types.

ServiceSingle Entry VisaMultiple Entry Visa
Ireland seafarer visa fee€60€100
Form & petition€20€20
Meeting€5€5
Agency Fee€25€45
Mandatory travel health insurance€10€10
Biometrics Operations€22€22
Total€142€202

As seen in the table, the fee for a single-entry Irish seafarer visa is €60, and the fee for a multiple-entry Irish seafarer visa is €100. If the Irish seafarer visa application is rejected, no refund will be made.

How to Appeal an Irish Seafarer Visa Application Rejection?

In case of Irish seafarer visa refusal , the applicant has the right to appeal up to 2 months after receiving the refusal letter, without being subject to a fee. If the Irish seafarer visa refusal exceeds 2 months, there is no procedure that can be followed to change the result of the Irish seafarer visa application that was rejected, but a new Irish seafarer visa application can be made.

The documents required to appeal an Irish seafarer visa refusal are listed below.

  • Ireland seafarer visa application rejection objection letter:
    This is a letter explaining why you want to appeal against the Irish seafarer visa application rejection. Objection letter:
    • Full name,
    • Postal address,
    • Email address,
    • Irish seafarer visa application number,
    • A letter explaining why an Irish seafarer visa refusal is being appealed,
    • If there is any element that may affect the negative outcome of the Irish seafarer visa appeal and that was not included in the previous application, detailed information about this element should be included.
  • If the rejection letter sent to the Irish seafarer visa applicant includes a reason related to the passport used during the application, the passport must be sent, otherwise a photocopy of the passport must be sent along with the objection letter regarding the Irish seafarer visa rejection.

After the necessary documents for the Irish seaman’s visa rejection objection are completed, these documents must be mailed to the visa section of the Irish Embassy in Ankara.

Objection documents for Irish seafarer visa refusals sent via e-mail or fax are not included in the processing order.

What documents do you need to bring with you to the Irish Seafarer Visa Border Control?

The documents that the visa holder must have at the Irish seafarer visa border control are listed below.

  • Passport,
  • Valid seafarer’s identity document,
  • Ireland seafarer visa,
  • Other required documents (Copies of the documents used during the Irish seafarer visa application.)

From the moment the Irish immigration control officer records permission to enter Ireland in your passport, you are generally given 24 hours to join the assigned ship.

What Other Types of Irish Visas Are Similar to the Irish Sailor Visa?

The Irish seafarer visa is a type C visa. Other Irish visa types similar to the Irish seafarer visa are listed below:

  • Irish student visa: The Irish student visa is the type of visa that must be obtained by those who want to attend courses, universities, or private trainings that will last less than or more than 3 months within the borders of Ireland. The Irish student visa is divided into two types, C and D. The D type Irish student visa allows for more than 90 days within the borders of Ireland, while the C type Irish student visa should be preferred in cases where the person will be in Ireland for less than 90 days.
  • Ireland tourist visa: The Ireland tourist visa is the type of visa that people who are going to visit their family members, friends living in Ireland or who intend to organize a tourist trip should apply for. The Ireland tourist visa is a type C visa. The Ireland tourist visa allows the holder to stay within the borders of Ireland for 90 days.
  • Irish business visa : An Irish business visa is a type of visa that must be obtained when going to Ireland for commercial purposes (participation in a fair, business agreement, participation in a tender, etc.). An Irish business visa is a type C visa that allows you to stay within the borders of Ireland for 90 days. An Irish business visa allows holders to work for 14 days, provided that it is suitable for the purpose of coming to Ireland.
  • Irish internship visa : An Irish internship visa is a type of Irish visa that people who will intern in Ireland must apply for after obtaining a work permit. The types of visas to be obtained for paid and unpaid internships vary. For internships shorter than 90 days and unpaid, a type C Irish internship visa must be obtained. For internships longer than 90 days and paid, a type D Irish internship visa must be applied for.
  • Ireland language school visa : The Irish language school visa is the type of Irish visa that trainee candidates who intend to receive language education in Ireland must apply for. The Irish language school visa is a type C visa and allows for up to 90 days within the borders of Ireland. After 90 days, this period can be extended by paying a certain amount of fee to the relevant institutions.
  • Ireland conference visa : An Ireland conference visa is a type of visa required for people who intend to attend a conference or event in Ireland. An Ireland event or conference visa is a type C visa that allows travel within the borders of Ireland for up to 90 days.

For information and application: 0850 241 1868