Irish Medical Treatment Visa Application from the UK

Thanks to the long-standing agreement called the Common Travel Agreement that stands between the UK and Ireland, British nationals have entry clearance when going to Ireland. UK citizens hold the right to travel, visit, and work without any restrictions. Therefore, they do not need to apply for a Medical Treatment Visa.

This means, despite how long the medical treatment is, UK citizens are allowed to move to Ireland without a visa.

If British nationals want to leave the UK, they need to follow immigration rules and travel with their passports, to prove to the immigration officer their rights. If you don’t hold a British passport, you should obtain one prior to your travel.

However, there are many people who regard the UK as home and that live there with a UK visa or other immigration pathway but are not UK citizens. If this is the case they will require a Medical Treatment visa to travel to Ireland for treatment.

Citizens of countries in the EEA, Switzerland and a select group of additional countries do not need to apply for a visa to visit Ireland for less than 90 days or to receive medical treatment during those 90 days.

The application process for the Medical Treatment Visa is similar to the Short Stay Visa. Applicants need to complete an online application for a Short Stay ‘C’ Medical Treatment Visa through the online AVATS system website. Then, the applicants should complete the payment for the visa application. The next step is to submit the required documents to support the application.

If the application is successfully approved, a visa will be stamped on your passport. You should not make arrangements to travel to Ireland until

At last, you can make arrangements to travel to Ireland and report to immigration officials when you land.  Immigration officers will decide whether to permit you entry into Ireland for your private medical treatment visit. When leaving the border, including leaving the UK border, you should bring all of your paperwork, and your application summary sheets, along with your Visa Application Transaction Number, and documents.

When you travel to Ireland, you need to report to border control. You need to present your passport, visa and other important documents to the immigration official including how long the treatment for your private consultation or medical treatment is.

Immigration officials will then decide if you are a genuine visitor and if you can enter Ireland based on the information you provide. You could be refused entry into Ireland if immigration officials have any concerns about your application. Should the immigration official be satisfied, you will be given official permission to enter and a landing stamp will be placed on your passport.

The documents needed for your application are as follows:

• Your passport (which must be valid for at least six months after the date you plan to leave Ireland). You should also include each page of any previous passports you still have
• Two passport-sized colour photographs
• Provide evidence that the visa fee is paid
• Signed and dated application summary sheets from your online application
• An application letter explaining why you want to travel to Ireland, including the private medical treatment visit and the estimate of the total cost of your visit to Ireland and a commitment to follow all conditions of the visa
• A letter from your referring hospital’s medical inspector or a medical practitioner with information on diagnosis and prognosis, as well as details of the medical procedure required
• Official Letter from the hospital which will carry out the treatment with the confirmed appointment details (and why NHS treatment is not sufficient)
• Full details of your accommodation plan
• Proof of your travel and medical insurance
• The estimated cost and how you will support yourself while in Ireland
• Information showing your obligation to return home including any close personal relationship or a letter from your employer showing the date you are due to return to work

All documents should be submitted to your designated application office within 30 days of completing your online application. It’s important to note that depending on your circumstances, you may need to provide certain other documentation in addition to those detailed above.

You should prepare your documents carefully – if you are unsure then you may want to seek advice from an immigration lawyer. Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service will assess your application to determine whether to grant you the Medical Treatment Visa.

All documents must be in their original form and any documents which are not in English or Irish must be fully translated by a certified translator. Both original and translated documents need to be included along with the application form.