ESC

Click the "allow" button if you want to receive important news and updates from immigrationboards.com


Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

Welcome to immigrationboards.com!

Login Register Do not show

Can Japanese wife enter Ireland on a tourist visa?

Forum to discuss all things Blarney | Ireland immigration

Moderators: Casa, push, JAJ, ca.funke, Amber, zimba, vinny, Obie, EUsmileWEallsmile, batleykhan, meself2, geriatrix, John, ChetanOjha, archigabe, Administrator

Locked
kevarms
Newly Registered
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:34 am

Can Japanese wife enter Ireland on a tourist visa?

Post by kevarms » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:58 pm

Help! I'm British and living and working in the Republic of Ireland for the past 3 years. My wife is Japanese (married in July) but was unable to join me until now because of work and personal commitments.
Anyway, to cut to the chase....she tried to book a ticket through a travel agent in Japan and the best price was with KLM via Amsterdam. They told her that she would need to pass through immigration in Holland and would need proof that I am working in Ireland.
I find this a little strange. It's no problem for me to get a letter from my company but wouldn't it be easier for her to enter Ireland on a tourist visa and then apply from here? That's what they told us when I first enquired with the Dept. of Justice, but that was some time ago.
Any other Brits brought a non-EU spouse into Ireland? How did you go about it? Trawling the boards has left me quite confused as everybody seems to have different circumstances.
Thanks in advance,

John
Moderator
Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England

Post by John » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:42 pm

she tried to book a ticket through a travel agent in Japan and the best price was with KLM via Amsterdam. They told her that she would need to pass through immigration in Holland and would need proof that I am working in Ireland.
Is there a direct connecting flight from AMS to Ireland? If so surely she would check in at the Japanese airport all the way through to Ireland. So she would not see her bags at AMS and would not need to go through Dutch immigration, out of airside, and then back to airside. She would simply use the second of the boarding cards handed to her in Japan when she checked in. AMS is a huge one-terminal airport .... easy to walk from one gate to another.

So you are British and exercising your EU/EEA Treaty rights by living and working in Ireland. Given her nationality your wife can enter Ireland, and then apply for a Residence Card to confirm that she has the same Treaty Rights as you, including to live and work in Ireland.
John

kevarms
Newly Registered
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:34 am

Post by kevarms » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:55 pm

Thanks John,
Yes, that's exactly the impression I was under. Just come into Ireland on a tourist visa and then apply for her residency visa here. At least, that's the impression I get from what I've read on the board so far. I could understand if she had a visa-required nationality but this I don't get. She lived with me here for 6 months before we were married (3 months tourist visa, 3 months extension, wasn't working)
Hope I can get some more replies before I tell her to go ahead and book the ticket.

John
Moderator
Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England

Post by John » Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:59 pm

kevarms, is there a connecting flight on to Dublin, or wherever, in Ireland?

Or will she ... for example .... arrive at say 7pm one evening and not fly out to Ireland the next morning ... and need to stay in a hotel near the airport overnight? If so she would clearly need to pass through Dutch immigration.
John

joesoap101
Member of Standing
Posts: 333
Joined: Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:48 pm
Location: California

Post by joesoap101 » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:18 pm

Schengenland arent too botherd with Japanese people travelling through. Either way she can just show her onward ticket to Ireland. Many people who require schengen visas dont require them for transit so in the case of your Japanese wife, she really doesnt have much to be concerned about.

kevarms
Newly Registered
Posts: 28
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:34 am

Post by kevarms » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:35 pm

Ah, I didn't realise but my wife tried to buy a one-way ticket. I imagine this is why the travel agents told her that. I think we'll just get a return ticket. It will save a lot of hassle.

John
Moderator
Posts: 12320
Joined: Wed Nov 10, 2004 2:54 pm
Location: Birmingham, England

Post by John » Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:56 pm

I think we'll just get a return ticket. It will save a lot of hassle.
You might even find that a return ticket .... even with an open return ... is the same, or even cheaper, than a one-way ticket.
John

McWooly
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:47 pm
Location: Eire

Post by McWooly » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:01 pm

Hi, I just wanted to say something as I am same Japanese national getting married to Irish guy this year ;) I know you are British but I think it doesnt make any difference once she has the marriage cert, home address and your phone number with her to go through the passport control in Dublin airport. Just go up to GNIB within 3 months. To me they seem to be easy on Japanese nationals. I got my visa extension twice so far even when I havent got married yet. I was told to go to GNIB again after marriage/honeymoon so I can get better and longer visa right away.

I think she would better get a return ticket. In fact, its usually cheaper than one-way one. If she decided to not take the return ticket, dont forget to cancel before the flight. She could get, at least, tax back from the airline (but to do this, she has to get the flight ticket from the airline, because cheap tickets from those Japanese companys are not refundable in most cases.).

Best of luck!

Locked
cron