When to enter Ireland while coming over for course??

US_in_Ireland

Hi there! I hope this is the right forum for this topic..... just joined...

I am an American and will be starting a one-year FT graphic design postgrad course at Dublin Institute of Design in late September 2015.....i believe it starts Sept 28.

I know that the US is non-visa required, so that I do not need a visa before i go over, I just need all my relevant documents and to get a stamp on arrival... my question that i cannot find online for some reason is WHEN is the earliest i can enter Ireland before my course begins?

I saw in terms of visa-required countries that they can only enter 30 days or sooner before the beginning of their course; is it the same for NON visa-required citizens? Or can you go over within a 90 day legal tourist visa timeframe and then begin the course..?

I ask because I'd like to go over about 6 weeks before but cannot find any info on if this is permissable, or if it is only 30 days.... anyone have experience with this in Ireland? Thanks SOO much!!

Cushie Butterfield

You probably won't get an answer to your question in this section - your best bet would be to ask on the Legal Discussion or Travel. I've alerted your post to a mod who will hopefully move it to wherever they feel is more appropriate.

If the time allowed for students from visa required countries is not more than 30 days before course commencement I'd assume that it's the same for students from non-visa required countries, but that's just a guess on my part.

The only real advantage in your particualr situation of being from a non-visa required country is basically that you skip the initial stage of red tape. You''ll stil have to be granted permission to enter & remain by immigration officials at port of entry, & afterwards register for a GNIB card. The most important thing is that you inform immigration officials from the get go that you intend to study in Ireland, as you can't enter as a tourist for up to 90 days & then switch your status to student within that 90 days (without leaving the country & applying for a re-entry visa whch would complicate matters further).

If for some reason you don't get the information you require here on boards.ie you could seek clarification from either Dublin Institue of Design http://www.dublindesign.ie/contact-us-form and/or INIS visamail@justice.ie or even one of the Irish Embassies in the US https://www.dfa.ie/embassies/irish-embassies-abroad/north-and-central-america/united-states-of-america/

Samp943

I'm an American who undertook my entire undergrad and PhD in Ireland. I started undergrad lectures at the start of October and I think I arrived a week or 2 beforehand. I think you could probably arrive a month or so before and still be okay. When you come through immigration in Dublin Airport they'll ask why you're here and then they may ask for your acceptance letter from the college. They'll give you a full page stamp telling you that you have 30 days to present yourself at the GNIB headquarters on the quays. September will be really really busy because every student will also be registering. I advise you to get there early. I know last year I was an hour early and was forced to wait outside (whatever the weather) until they opened. They let you into the building in small groups where you'll queue for a ticket. There are only a certain number of tickets issued per day so as I've said, get there early. Make sure you have with you 1.) Proof of address (mine was a letter from the college stating that I was registered and what my address is) 2.) A letter from the university stating that you will register/are registered with them 3.) Proof that your fees have been paid 4.) A bank statement showing that you have at least €3,000 and 4.) Proof of health insurance. If everything seems okay they'll issue you a ticket and sometimes they'll send you away with a time to come back. Be warned, I have been in there waiting until 10 pm when I arrived at 8 am! You'll eventually meet with someone who will look through your documents and make sure everything is in order. If so, they'll take your finger prints and photo and you'll pay €300 for a student visa. After waiting another ~30-45 minutes you'll be given your immigration ID and passport which will have a stamp in it showing when your ID expires (generally 1 year from the date of issue). You'll really only need the ID when re-entering the country. I always give the guy at immigration the ID in my passport and he just gives me the stamp and sends me on my way.

US_in_Ireland

Thank you both for your responses! That was very helpful in terms of the actual reality of getting the stamp, ID card, etc! Yes, I may check into the Travel or Legal Discussion page as well, or contact my local consulate.... Thank you!