VFS Global manages visa application centres for the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service and the Embassy of Ireland here in China where you submit the documentation relating to your visa application and your biometric information. Please see the visa application centre page on this website for details. We strongly recommend you read the Disclaimer and Privacy Policy prior to submitting your application to a VFS Global visa application centre.
Dear Applicants!
New pre-departure testing requirements from 16 January 2021 for all passengers travelling to Ireland.
Effective from 16 January 2021, all passengers arriving into Ireland (except those arriving from Northern Ireland) are required to have a negative/‘not detected’ result from a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test carried out no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland.
Passengers will be asked to present evidence of their negative/‘not detected’ result before boarding their airplane or ferry, and will be required to produce this evidence to Immigration Officers on arrival at points of entry to the State.
Passengers who arrive in an Irish Airport or Sea Port without evidence of a negative/‘not detected’ test result commit an offence and may be subject to prosecution, punishable by a fine not exceeding €2,500 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.
International Transport Workers, including workers in aviation, maritime and road haulage sectors are exempt from this requirement where they are travelling in the course of performing their duties.
Children aged 6 and under are also exempt from the testing requirement, although they are advised to restrict movements for 14 days.
Passengers who arrive in Ireland solely for the purpose of travelling onwards to another state and do not leave the airport are also not required to provide evidence of a test.
If a citizen has a genuine humanitarian emergency requiring urgent travel, they should contact the nearest Embassy or Consulate immediately for advice and consular assistance before commencing their journey.
Please be informed, that the service fee for Ireland visa applications will increase from August 3rd 2020. Those of you who have paid the service fee online before rate revision will be charged 15 euro extra at the Visa Application Centre during the application submission. This additional fee is equal to 118 RMB as per the rate decided by Ireland Visa Office.
Update 29 July 2020
All Irish Visa Application Centres (VACs) in China and Mongolia are open. The operation of these VACs will continue to be carefully monitored by a range of stakeholders including VFS, Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) in Ireland and will be guided by public health advice set by the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) and World Health Organisation (WHO).
The VACs will only allow long-stay applications to be made ('D' categories – further info below) at this time. No tourism or short-stay visas ('C' categories) will be processed due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in Ireland. Please be assured that we fully intend to resume our full range of visa services just as soon as public health concerns have been abated in line with Irish Government policy.
Travelling to Ireland
Applicants should be aware By law, those travelling to Ireland will be required to fill out a form called the 'Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form'. This form (which should be completed before you travel) may be used by Irish health authorities to contact you to verify your location in Ireland. It will also help contact tracers to contact you if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus on your flight.
Applicants should also be aware that people can face a fine of up to €2,500 or six months in prison, or both, if you do not:
Update your residence details if these change within 14 days of your arrival.
Priority/Emergency Cases
(*Please note that where an applicant and Irish national have been living abroad, and Ireland is not their habitual residence, these cases will be processed in the normal manner. Exceptions will be made in cases where an Irish national is returning to provide medical/health services, or family members are being repatriated as part of a consular arrangement.)
If your application falls under one of these categories, please contact irishvisabeijing@dfanet.ie so that we can guide you through the application process and advise you how to submit your documentation.
Further information
For information on long-stay ('D'-category) visas
A 'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ) document about the impact of COVID-19 on Immigration and International Protection in Ireland has also been published and can be found here.
For our customers based in China, please visit https://www.vfsglobal.cn/ireland/china/ for further updates.
For our customers based in Mongolia, please visit https://www.vfsglobal.com/ireland/mongolia/ for further updates.
For the most up to date information on the coronavirus in Ireland, please visit https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/travel.html