Travel from Ethiopia to/ from USA or Canada via Ireland

You do not need an Irish transit visa if you are a citizen of Ethiopia and are
travelling on your national passport directly from Ethiopia via Ireland to the
United States or Canada. You must have permission to travel to the United States or
Canada.
You will not need a transit visa to travel directly from the United States or
Canada back to Ethiopia via Ireland. You must have been legally in the United
States or Canada at the time of your departure.

When do I pass through border control?

Times you would pass through border control would include, but are not limited to:

Leaving the terminal building for any purpose, including in some cases having to
transfer between terminals for a connecting flight.
In cases where you must collect your bags and check them in to your onward flight.
Transiting overnight - all Irish airports close at night and passengers are
required to pass through border control.
Before you travel please check with your Airline if you have to pass through border
control.

1. When do I apply?

You can apply for a transit visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to
Ireland.

2. How to apply

You must apply online for a visa.

When you have completed the online application process, you must follow the
instructions on the summary application form that is created by the online system.
The summary form will contain information on where you are to submit your
supporting documentation. The summary form which you must print, sign and date must
be submitted with your supporting documentation.

You may be required to provide your biometric information as part of the

application process.

A guide to supporting documentation is set out below.

Important: Do not include false or misleading information or documents in your

application. If you do, your application may be refused. In some circumstances, you
may not be allowed to appeal the visa decision and may be blocked from getting an
Irish visa for 5 years.

3. Fees

Please refer to the table of visa fees for information on the fee that you are
required to pay.

You may be required to pay additional charges e.g. relating to the submission of
your documents.
You may be able to pay the fee in local currency.

The website of the Visa Office/Embassy/ Consulate will have details about
additional charges and local payment options.

Some applicants are exempt from the requirement to pay the visa fee. Read more
here.

4. How long it will take

Applications are processed in date order.

You are advised not to purchase travel tickets before you know the outcome of your
visa application.

Processing times can vary between countries. They can also vary during high volume
periods during the year. However, you can generally expect a decision within 8
weeks from the date on which your application is lodged at the Visa
Office/Embassy/Consulate.

Your application may take longer if e.g. you have not submitted the necessary
supporting documentation, your supporting documentation needs to be verified or
because of your personal circumstances (e.g. if you have a criminal conviction).

You can check the processing times for the Visa Office/Embassy/Consulate that is
handling your application on their website.

If your application is being processed by the Visa Office, Irish Naturalisation and
Immigration Service, Department of Justice and Equality, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin
you can check the date of the applications currently being processed on our Visa
Decisions page.

5. Activities not permitted with this Visa

You are not permitted to enter Ireland for any purpose. You are solely permitted to
transit through Ireland in order to reach your country of destination.

6. Supporting documentation

If you do not submit the required documentation your application may be refused on
the basis of insufficient documentation. You must satisfy the Visa Officer that
your visa should be granted for the purpose you have indicated.

The onus is on you to satisfy the Visa Officer that a visa should be granted for
the purpose sought.

The submission of any or all of these documents does not guarantee that your
application will be successful.

You must provide original documents with your application.

You must provide a full and certified translation into the English or Irish
language of any documents not in English or Irish. Send us both the original
documents and the certified translations. Read a longer description about how to
make a certified translation of a document

All letters submitted from a business, company or other organisation should be on

official headed paper and give full contact details so that they can be verified.
These must include a full postal address, name of contact, position in the
organisation, telephone number (landline), website, and email address (email
addresses such as Yahoo or Hotmail are not accepted).

The Visa Officer considers each application on its merits and may request
additional information or documentation.

GUIDE TO SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Your signed and dated summary application form and the appropriate fee (where
applicable) must be accompanied by the supporting documentation set out below.

If you do not submit the required documentation your application may be refused on
the basis of insufficient documentation.

Two colour passport sized photographs not more than 6 months old

Your name and visa application reference number must be printed clearly on the
back. More information on photograph requirements here.

Your current passport and a full copy of any previous passports

Your current passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your intended date
of departure from Ireland.

If you are not a national of the country where you are applying from, you must
submit evidence of your permission to be in that country e.g. a residence card. You
must also have at least 3 months permission to be in that country after your
intended date of departure from Ireland.

Visa for the country you are travelling to if applicable

If applying for a transit visa you must have a visa for the country you are
travelling to (if applicable)in your passport.

A signed letter of application including your full contact details

outlining your travel plans, and

giving details of any members of your family who are currently in Ireland, or any
other EU Member State,

Travel itinerary and airline bookings/tickets

Travel itinerary and airline bookings/tickets showing departure dates and

destinations.
 Previous Visa Refusals

If you have been refused a visa in the past for any country, you must provide the
details.

The original letter issued to you by the authorities of that country must be
provided with your application.

Not disclosing any previous visa refusals will result in your application being
refused.

7. Visa Applications on behalf of a child ( a person under 18 years of age)

If a child under the age of 18 is travelling you must submit their birth
certificate.

If they are travelling either alone or with a person other than their parent/legal
guardian (e.g. adult relative), you are required to provide a written letter of
consent from both parents/legal guardians and copies of the consenting parent/legal
guardians� passports or national identity cards, which clearly show their
signatures.

If the child is travelling with one parent/legal guardian, you are required to
provided the consent of the other parent/legal guardian and a copy of the
consenting parent/legal guardian's passport or national identity card which clearly
shows their signature.

Where one parent has sole custody, you must submit a Court Order bestowing sole
custody of the child on the parent concerned.

8. Return of Documents

All documents accompanying your application must be originals.

You should keep copies of all the documents that you provide.

Original documents such as marriage/birth/death certificates will be returned to

you. However, other documents such as bank statements or letters of invitation will
not be returned.

If there are particular documents that you wish to have returned, please provide a
list of these documents with the application.