Invitation Letter for Irish Visa

If you’re from a visa-required country as mandated by the Irish Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), you will need a short stay ‘C’ visa (also known as a tourist visa) in order to come and visit Ireland.

If you intend to stay with friends or family during your stay, you will specifically have to apply for the short stay ‘C’ visit (family/friend) visa, which has a number of requirements that are specific to it.

One of these requirements is supplying a letter of invitation with your application.

This letter should be written by the friend(s) or family member(s) you will be staying with in Ireland. It should also include a range of information to help the ISD process your visit visa application.

The invitation letter must be signed and dated by the friend or family member who wrote it.

Page Contents

• Overview of the Irish Visa Invitation Letter
• What Should the Invitation Letter State?
• Additional Information to be Included in the Invitation Letter
• Who Should Write the Invitation Letter?
• What Documents Should Be Included With the Invitation Letter?
• Sample Invitation Letter
• How Can Total Law Help?

At its most basic, an Irish visa invitation letter should include a statement from the friend(s) or family member(s) that they are inviting you to come to Ireland to visit them.

It must also include:

• The reason why you’ve been invited to Ireland by the friend(s) or family member(s)
• The dates they’ll be seeing you in Ireland
• Details of how they know you
• Confirmation that they are inviting you to stay with them in their home (if applicable)
• The dates you are invited to stay with them and their full postal address, including EirCode (if applicable)

The letter must also include a statement from the friend(s) or family member(s) that they understand you must:

• Obey the conditions of your visa in full
• Not rely on public services (such as public hospitals) or become a burden on the State
• Leave Ireland before your immigration permission expires

In addition to the information already stated, the friend(s) or family member(s) should also include additional information in some cases.

For example, if your friend(s) or family member(s) have agreed to help pay for your trip to Ireland, the invitation letter must include

• A cost estimate and a description of what they will pay for (if appropriate), such as the cost of airline tickets in euros, cost of accommodation and living expenses for your stay in Ireland
• Documents that prove they can afford to pay (see documents section below)

As previously stated, an Irish visa invitation letter should be written by whichever friend(s) or family member(s) you will plan to stay with in Ireland.

You will not have to include an invitation letter with your visa application if you don’t plan to stay with any friends or family members during your trip.

If you’re staying with multiple friends or family members in separate addresses, you must provide an invitation letter from each individual for each address. You may provide one letter per address you’ll be staying in.

You must also ensure that certain supporting documents are included with the invitation letter.

For example, if the person writing it is an Irish citizen, a clear and legible colour photocopy of the picture page of their National Identity Card or valid passport must be included.

Meanwhile, if the person inviting you to Ireland is a non-EU/EEA citizen, the letter must include the following documents:

• A clear legible colour photocopy of their current valid Irish Residence Permit
• A clear legible colour photocopy of the current valid immigration permission stamp in their passport

In addition, you must provide other supporting documents if the friend(s) or family member(s) are helping to pay for your trip. These include the following:

• An up-to-date bank statement
• If they are employed, they must provide:
  • Their 3 most recent payslips
  • Their most recent tax return document, such as an employment detail summary from Revenue
  • A letter from their employer that confirms they are employed
• If they are self employed, they must provide a letter that includes:
  • A description of their business and the products or service they provide
  • Proof that their business is trading, such as the following:
    • Their most recent financial accounts
    • Recent tax return
    • Confirmation of payments from customers from within the last 6 months

You must also include your own personal bank statement.

Below is an example of what an Irish visa invitation letter may look like. Note that this is only a rough template, and sections may be added, taken away, or edited as needed according to your own personal circumstances.

<Writer’s Name>

<Writer’s Address>

<Date>

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to confirm that I am inviting <visa applicant’s (VA’s) name> to come and stay with me in my home at <address> during the dates of <dates>. This will form the entire duration of <VA’s name>’s stay.

<VA’s name> is an old university friend of mine, and we met while we were studying at University College Cork. We have known each other for 10 years in total.

The purpose of <VA’s name>’s visit will be to catch up with myself and a few other friends from university, as we have not seen each other for several years. I will also be showing him around some of the local sights in the area, and some tourist spots in Cork and Dublin, including the English Market and the Guinness brewery.

I am not helping to pay for any of the costs of <VA’s name>’s trip, and he has confirmed that he will be funding the travel to and from Ireland himself.

I also understand that <VA’s name> must obey the conditions of his visit visa in full, that he mustn’t rely on public services during his stay, and that he must leave Ireland before his visa expires.

I am an Irish citizen, and attach a copy of my National Identity Card.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch should you require any further information.

Yours faithfully,

<Writer’s name>

<Writer’s signature>

<Date>