Ireland to Introduce Visa Requirements for Botswana and South Africa Nationals Starting July 10

Starting July 10, nationals from Botswana and South Africa will need to obtain a visa before traveling to Ireland, the Irish Department of Justice has announced.

From the same date, Batswana and South Africans will also be subject to a transit visa when transiting through Ireland to another destination.

Confirming the new changes, the Minister for Justice of Ireland, Helen McEntee, said that the "carefully considered decision" will bring Ireland into closer alignment with the Schengen zone regarding these countries and also in line with the United Kingdom regarding South Africa.

Irish visa requirements are continuously reviewed to ensure effective immigration controls while facilitating those who wish to travel to Ireland for visiting, working, studying, or joining family members.

In a statement, the Ministry confirmed that the Dublin Visa Office will establish a dedicated South Africa desk to process applications from South African nationals and three Visa Application Centers (VACs) located throughout South Africa, with visa service provider VFS Global.

Minister McEntee emphasized the importance of the visa system as an essential part of Ireland’s immigration system to determine who can travel to Ireland. “A wide range of factors are taken into account when introducing visa requirements to ensure we can continue to facilitate travel with processes that are robust, effective, and fair,” she stated.

The Ministry noted that in recent years, Ireland has received a significant number of International Protection applications from nationals of Botswana and South Africa. It emphasized that both these countries are considered safe countries of origin for International Protection purposes and are the only countries on that list that are not currently visa required.

Despite the new rules, transitional arrangements will be established for nationals from Botswana and South Africa who have existing travel arrangements made before July 10, allowing travel to Ireland until August 9, 2024. Diplomatic passport holders from South Africa will be exempt from the new visa requirements.

Since Botswana was added to the safe countries list, applications from this country decreased by 71 percent.

Expansion of Ireland's List of Safe Countries of Origin

Last week, Ireland’s Ministry of Justice added five more countries to the list of states the Irish government considers safe countries of origin. Announcing the decision, Justice Minister Helen McEntee named Brazil, Egypt, India, Morocco, and Malawi as the newly added countries.

Currently, ten countries are designated as safe countries of origin, including Algeria, Albania, Botswana, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and South Africa.

Citizens from these countries can still seek International Protection in Ireland, with applications from these countries being accelerated following an “extensive review” by the Irish Department of Justice. According to the Department of Justice, since the introduction of accelerated processing in November 2022, the number of applications from these countries has decreased by more than 50 percent.

By fLEXI tEAM