How to realise memorable holiday in Ireland

Rich in culture, history and awe-inspiring landscapes, Ireland has the lot to offer tourists of different hues. Though a highly developed economy, its hinterland is totally different, transporting you into medieval ages.

Of course, this is the country from which scholars, poets, and writers too emerged. Be it George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, WB Yeats and so on were Ireland’s top exports to the literary world. All these and achievements in other fields earned its capital city, Dublin, the rare privilege of being earning the distinction of being a UNESCO City of Literature (2010).

Then there are a lot on offer for adventure tourists, including golf, sailing, horse riding and uninhabited islands to roam about it.

But let us look at some of the must-sees that a visitor to the Emerald Isle should not miss.

Though there are many of them in this country, Trinity College, Dublin is one of the most revered spots in this country.

Setup in 1592, it is the world within itself.  It is famous its invaluable riches like the Book of Kells and the Long Room.

Then Grafton Street is the place where many people head to for spending a leisurely, fun day. Being the hub of Dublin’s shopping district, it allows you to window shop. Do not miss Bewley’s Oriental Café, a famous landmark, to sample typical Irish cuisine.

The Little Museum, a new attraction on the block, allows you to take guided tours. It features a lectern donated by John. Kennedy and many memorabilia donated by the rock band U2.

Glendalough houses one of the most mystical monastic sites of the Eire. Dating as far back as the 6th century, it slowly grew into the Monastic City. People come here to take in its beautiful scenery including two lakes, wildlife, and rare archeological remnants. The monastic site has, however, been unspoilt.

 Another major tourist spot is the Muckross House and Gardens of the 19^th Century, which lies amidst Killarney National Park. This area houses three lovely lakes, a former mansion evoking memories of the days gone by. There are Jaunting Cars, or Killarney’s famous horse & traps, that take you on a trip around the grounds in the sky.

Kilmainham Gaol, which made its mark in the Irish history for being the infamous spot where the leaders of the 1916 Uprising were executed, is a must for history buffs.

For nature lovers, there is always the Powerscourt House and Gardens, which affords you to watch some of the most scenic spots, allows you to take lakeside walks and watch admiringly at Sugarloaf Mountain.

Let us see how one should go about applying for an Ireland Tourist Visa or Irish Visit/Holiday Visa. This visa is a short stay visa that allows tourists to stay in Ireland temporarily. Usually, tourist visas for Ireland are granted for a period not exceeding 90 days. A visitor with this visa must exit Ireland on or prior to the date stamped by an Irish Immigration officer on the passport. Whatever be the reason, tourist visa holders cannot prolong their stay beyond the 90 day period for which they were granted the visas.

To travel temporarily to Ireland with a Tourist Visa, certain conditions need to be fulfilled.

An applicant needs to hold an existing, valid passport with a validity of a minimum of six months after the date on which that person wants to leave Ireland. An applicant must submit evidence for the purpose of his/her visit by submitting a letter of reference or evidence with documents of a hotel booking in which the dates of the stay period in Ireland must be mentioned. One will need to provide adequate proof that the applicant will return to his/her home country after the date of the applicant’s visit. The applicant should also provide his/her employment information or details with regards to family commitments in that person’s home country to reassure the immigration officials about the person’s need to get back to his/her home. Apart from that, the applicants need to provide proof that they can take care of themselves financially during their complete duration of stay in Ireland. For that, they need to provide bank statements with complete details for the six-month period immediately before their visa application to prove that they have enough funds in their accounts to take care of all their costs during their Ireland visit. If some people wish to stay with their friends or relatives in Ireland, they need to submit a letter from the people hosting them that they would undertake their guests’ responsibilities. For this, their hosts would also need to prove sufficient evidence that they have enough financial resources to take care of their b guests during their stay in Ireland. The applicants need to have insurance cover and the poof of it needs to be provided where they enter in Ireland.

One will need to provide adequate proof that the applicant will return to his/her home country after the date of the applicant’s visit. The applicant should also provide his/her employment information or details with regards to family commitments in that person’s home country to reassure the immigration officials about the person’s need to get back to his/her home. Apart from that, the applicants need to provide proof that they can take care of themselves financially during their complete duration of stay in Ireland. For that, they need to provide bank statements with complete details for the six-month period immediately before their visa application to prove that they have enough funds in their accounts to take care of all their costs during their Ireland visit. If some people wish to stay with their friends or relatives in Ireland, they need to submit a letter from the people hosting them that they would undertake their guests’ responsibilities. For this, their hosts would also need to prove sufficient evidence that they have enough financial resources to take care of their b guests during their stay in Ireland. The applicants need to have insurance cover and the poof of it needs to be provided where they enter in Ireland.

One will need to provide adequate proof that the applicant will return to his/her home country after the date of the applicant’s visit. The applicant should also provide his/her employment information or details with regards to family commitments in that person’s home country to reassure the immigration officials about the person’s need to get back to his/her home. Apart from that, the applicants need to provide proof that they can take care of themselves financially during their complete duration of stay in Ireland. For that, they need to provide bank statements with complete details for the six-month period immediately before their Visa Application to prove that they have enough funds in their accounts to take care of all their costs during their Ireland visit. If some people wish to stay with their friends or relatives in Ireland, they need to submit a letter from the people hosting them that they would undertake their guests’ responsibilities. For this, their hosts would also need to prove sufficient evidence that they have enough financial resources to take care of their b guests during their stay in Ireland. The applicants need to have insurance cover and the poof of it needs to be provided where they enter in Ireland.

For the applicants to satisfy the criteria for eligibility to apply for Tourist Visa to Ireland from India, they have to follow a standard procedure. It will entail filling an application form for the tourist visa to the Emerald Isle. It can be downloaded online too.

It is always suggested that applicants fill up the form cautiously.

Once the applicants submit online applications, declarations/ summaries would be generated, whose printouts need to be taken. The applicants should then sign on it.

After the applications are submitted, all the documents that need to be submitted for a visa application, including their passports, photographs and the application fees for visas, need to be gathered.

Signed summaries of their application forms need to be submitted by them along with their original passports, color photographs of passport size, the fees for their visa applications and all other documents that Irish missions may ask the applicants to submit.

It must be noted that submissions of application forms are only the first stage in the visa application process.

Visa applications will begin to be processed only after the application forms are completed and the appropriate supporting documents, photographs, and fees are received by the authorities.

Visa fees charged for single entry visa is €60, while it is €100 for multiple entry visas. It must be noted if a visa application is rejected, application fees will not be refunded.

For people wanting to return to Ireland after their tourist visas have lapsed, they should apply for re-entry visas. These would only be single entry visas. If applicants have reasonable reasons to leave Ireland for a short duration before their visas expire, people need to apply beforehand to make any arrangements for travel for a re-entry visa.

To be eligible for re-entry visas, applicants need to be registered with the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

Before applying for visas, there are certain things that applicants need to keep in mind. Applicants should take care to fill their application forms with genuine information. They need to be ready with all the appropriate documents which would be needed for verification by the immigration officials. It is advised that they keep copies of all documents they submit with the visa application. Certain original documents such as marriage and birth certificates will be returned to the applicants.  Applicants can track the progress of their visa applications by checking them online. To keep tabs, applicants need to have Visa Application Numbers on them.

Applicants should never ever submit fake documents because they may forfeit chances of applying for any of the visas in the future. They should not also conceal facts or tweak them in their visa applications. Finally, they are advised not to buy air tickets before their visa applications get approved or are very likely to get a nod. In case applicants need to purchase tickets, they should make sure they are booking tickets which are refundable.

If you are looking to travel to Ireland for leisure, visiting friends/relatives or any other reasons which will entail only a short stay, get in touch with Y-Axis, a prominent Immigration Consultancy firm to apply for a visa from one of its several offices located all over the world.