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Student visa for Ireland
Money to show for the visa: €10,000 for a course of a year or longer. Work while you study: 20 hours a week in term, 40 hours in fixed holiday periods. Checked against the official pages on 24 September 2026.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- €10,000 for a course of a year or longer
- Visa fee
- €60 single journey, €100 multi journey, plus €300 IRP registration on arrival
- Work while you study
- 20 hours a week in term, 40 hours in fixed holiday periods
- Stay after you graduate
- Stamp 1G: 12 months at level 8, up to 24 months at level 9 and above
€833 a month for shorter courses. This is an immigration threshold, not a budget: Dublin costs about three times this.
Irish Immigration Service Delivery, checked 2026-09-24
Irish Immigration Service Delivery, checked 2026-09-24
Holidays are fixed: June to September, and 15 December to 15 January.
Citizens Information / ISD, checked 2026-09-24
Irish Immigration Service Delivery, checked 2026-09-24
Worth knowing: The €10,000 threshold covers only about four months of UCD's median budget, and Dublin housing is extremely scarce.
The visa
Long Stay 'D' study visa for any course over 90 days. Non-visa-required nationals, such as the US, Canada, Australia and Brazil, do not need the D visa but must still register on arrival and meet the same financial test.
Fees: €60 single journey, €100 multi journey, non-refundable if refused. Plus €300 for the IRP registration on arrival, payable again at each renewal, so a four-year degree costs €300 four times.
Mandatory private medical insurance. Every non-EEA student needs it; budget around €690 a year. Public healthcare is not available to you on Stamp 2.
Processing time: this is the part agency sites get wrong. They uniformly quote four to eight weeks. The Immigration Service's own decisions page, updated 22 September 2026, shows applications received on or before 22 June 2026 being processed, an effective backlog of about three months, and it lengthens before the academic year. You may apply up to three months before travel, so apply on day one of that window.
The money: €10,000 for a course of a year or longer, or €833 a month for shorter courses. This came into force on 30 June 2025 and applies to visa-required and non-visa-required nationals alike. It is in addition to fees paid or payable.
Be clear-eyed about what that figure is. Against UCD's own median of €2,445 a month, about €29,340 a year: €10,000 covers roughly four months. Students who budget to the visa minimum and expect part-time work to close the gap get into serious difficulty by their second term.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No student visa is needed: citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may live and study in Ireland. For more than three months you normally register your residence after you arrive, and show that you are enrolled, insured and can support yourself.
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of Ireland that covers your country, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Government scholarships to study in Ireland
- Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships closed for this round
Which of these are open to your nationality
By nationality
From Algeria
From Armenia
From Azerbaijan
From Bangladesh
From Brazil
From Cameroon
From Canada
From China
From Colombia
From Egypt
From Ethiopia
From Georgia
From Ghana
From India
From Indonesia
From Iran
From Iraq
From Japan
From Jordan
From Kazakhstan
From Kenya
From Lebanon
From Malaysia
From Mexico
From Morocco
From Nepal
From Nigeria
From Pakistan
From Philippines
From Russia
From Saudi Arabia
From Senegal
From South Africa
From South Korea
From Sri Lanka
From Syria
From Tanzania
From Tunisia
From Türkiye
From Uganda
From Ukraine
From United Arab Emirates
From United States
From Uzbekistan
From Vietnam
From ZimbabweQuestions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a Ireland student visa?
€10,000 for a course of a year or longer. €833 a month for shorter courses. This is an immigration threshold, not a budget: Dublin costs about three times this. (Irish Immigration Service Delivery, checked 2026-09-24).
How much is the student visa fee for Ireland?
€60 single journey, €100 multi journey, plus €300 IRP registration on arrival.
Can international students work in Ireland?
20 hours a week in term, 40 hours in fixed holiday periods.
Can I stay in Ireland after I graduate?
Stamp 1G: 12 months at level 8, up to 24 months at level 9 and above.
Do EU citizens need a student visa for Ireland?
No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may live and study in Ireland without a student visa. For a stay of more than three months they normally register their residence after arriving.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.