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by andyjohnst » Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:31 pm
True
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Mr Shatter, has announced a Visa Waiver Programme, which will be trialled from July 2011 to October 2012. These measures are being taken to encourage visitors to the UK to include a trip to Ireland during their holiday, to boost the tourism sector and stimulate the Irish economy.
Holders of UK "general visas" will be able to travel to Ireland within the period of validity of that visa without the requirement to obtain a separate Irish visa. The period of validity of such a visa is 180 days but the maximum stay in Ireland will be 90 days or to the end of the period of validity of the visa, whichever is the shorter. It should be stressed that the need for a visa to visit Ireland is not eliminated by this programme. Visitors from visa-required countries will still require an Irish visa (for direct travel to Ireland) or a UK visa (for travel to Ireland via the UK). What is eliminated by this programme is the need to have both an Irish and UK visa when visiting Ireland via the UK.
This announcement came as European politicians continue to fall out over the future of border free travel across the Schengen area, which has been put under strain since Italy and France asked for the reinstatement of border controls and Denmark reintroduced controls along its borders with Germany and Sweden.
The Visa Waiver Programme will apply to the following 14 countries: Bahrain, Belarus, China, India, Kuwait, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan. People from these countries who are long-term residents in the UK or hold a valid UK visa should benefit from the new, facilitated visa application system. Furthermore, the €60 fee will be waived and the need to complete more administrative paperwork – seen as a disincentive to travel to Ireland – will be removed.
The Minister emphasised the importance of the travel area between Ireland and the UK for Irish tourism: "This initiative is taking place in the context of the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK...The common travel area in good times and not so good times has delivered immense value to our nation. I see today's initiative as another significant step on that road."
