Volunteer Visa

Conditions of the Volunteer Visa

You must meet several requirements to qualify for the volunteer visa, which include:

• You must not be an EU/EEA or Swiss national
• You must be at least 18 years
• You must have a volunteering role offer from an eligible Irish organization
• You must have the necessary qualifications for the volunteering role you want to fill
• You must show that you can meet your financial needs, or that the organization sponsoring you will handle your finances throughout your stay
• You must provide a recent police clearance certificate or equivalent. The report shouldn’t be more than 3 months old
• You must have medical insurance with an authorized Irish company throughout your stay. This company must be authorized by the Health Insurance Authority
• You must have the necessary clearance to work with children and vulnerable adults if your volunteering role involves them

Eligible forms of volunteering work

Sectors that qualify for volunteering work in Ireland includes:

• Arts, heritage & culture activities
• Religious and faith-based support activities
• Health support services
• Education and youth services (outside of school)
• Sport and physical recreation
• Welfare and work for the community good

There are up to 3,000 volunteering opportunities in Ireland. Aside from the above sectors, you can also become a volunteer in any non-paid work that benefits the society and yourself.

The organization sponsoring you also has to meet some requirements to be eligible. This includes:

• The organization must be a not-for-profit, non-government body, charitable, or voluntary body.
• The organization must have active presence in Ireland
• For charitable organizations, they must feature on the Charities Regulator’s Public Register of Charities
• For sports organizations, they must have a national governing body recognized by Sport Ireland

As a volunteer, your sponsor is responsible for your conduct during your stay in Ireland. They’ll work with the immigration authorities to ensure that you don’t stay in Ireland longer than you should. Also, your sponsor can withdraw your sponsorship at any time if directed by Irish immigration authorities.

Required documents for Volunteer Visa application

Having complete documentation is very important when applying for a long stay volunteer visa. You’ll have to provide all or most of the following documents.

• Current international passport and all other previous passports
• Sponsorship letter from the Irish organization sponsoring you
• Online application form
• Signed declaration
• Two passport size photographs
• Evidence of fees payment
• Your full bank statement for the past 6 months
• Your sponsor’s bank statement for the past 6 months
• Documents to prove that you have the qualifications to fill the volunteering role
• Police clearance certificate from your resident country that’s not more than 3 months old. Also, you can provide a clearance certificate from any other country you’ve resided in for the last 3 years
• Documents to prove that you’re qualified to work with children and vulnerable adults if your work requires them.
• Proof of medical and travel insurance

If you have any previous visa refusals or deportation history, in any country, you should provide the documentation too. It may affect the success of your application if the immigration authorities find out themselves.

Application Procedure

The first step of applying for a long stay volunteer visa is by completing the AVATS online application form. It’s advisable that you apply for your visa early, at least 3 months before your intended travel date.

After filling the application form, you have to print the summary page as confirmation and also the declaration document which you’ll sign. Both are vital supporting documents. You must provide only genuine details in your application. The Irish immigration authorities can ban you for 5 years if you provide false details.

The next thing to do is to pay the application fee and submit all supporting documents. You must submit your supporting documents within 30 days after completing the AVATS online application. If your application is approved, you’ll get a Long Stay D visa (Volunteer) stamp in your passport.

You can travel to Ireland after getting the visa. Before traveling, however, endeavour to check that your visa is void of error. As mentioned earlier, volunteer visas are valid for one year with option to extend to another one year. However, you must enter Ireland within 6 months of getting your visa. The visa will expire if you don’t use it to travel within 6 months.

Keep in mind, however, that the visa alone doesn’t grant you permission to enter Ireland. Upon arriving in the country, you must present your visa to an immigration officer; you should bring your supporting documents too.

You can only enter Ireland if the immigration officer approves of your visa. If you’re cleared, the immigration officer will stamp a landing stamp in your passport. Getting clearance to enter Ireland also doesn’t give you automatic permission to live in the country.

Hence, after entering the country, you have to register and get an Irish Residence Permit (IRP). This permit makes you a lawful Irish resident. You must register for a residence permit before your landing stamp expires. With an IRP, you can travel out of Ireland and return on short trips.

Application Fees

The following visa fees may apply when applying for a volunteer visa:

• Long Stay ‘D’ Visa: €60
• Visa single entry (valid for 90 days): €60
• Visa multiple entry: €60
• Irish Residence Permit (IRP) fee: €300

Some additional charges may apply especially for submitting your documents. You’re exempt from paying application fees if you’re a national of an Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme country.

How can IAS help?

If your application to volunteer on a long-term basis in Ireland has been declined, IAS is here to help. If you’re on the look out for the advice of an immigration lawyer, our team of specialists are better.

Our immigration team have extensive experience when it comes to appealing decisions, often succeeding in achieving desired results.

It may be that your initial application did not provide sufficient supporting documentation or that there were minor inconsistencies – whatever the issue, we can assess the decision and advise you on how to proceed from there.

To find out more about our immigration services, call us on 0333 305 9375.