Pre-Arrival Information for International Students

Irish Residency Permit

The team at the Office for International Relations at WIT will provide you with all the information you need to register with the the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS).  When you come through the airport in Ireland, your passport will be given a stamp that will allow you to stay in Ireland, this stamp can last between 30 and 90 days.  Because all programmes in WIT last longer than 90 days, you will need to register your stay in Ireland by getting an Irish Residence Permit (IRP), which will last for one year (or for one semester if you are an international exchange student).  Please be advised this must be renewed for every year of your programme at WIT.

All international students coming to WIT from outside the EU/EEA must arrange a meeting with the Immigration Officer in the local police station in Waterford City, before the date of the stamp on your passport expires.  You will make your appointment to meet with the Immigration Officer in Waterford at the Office for International Relations at WIT which must be before the date of your stamp on your passport expires.  The registration fee for INIS to issue your IRP is €300 per academic year (or one semester).  Credit cards or laser cards are the preferred payment option for this fee.

The following is a list of the documents you must bring with you when you meet the Immigration Officer in Waterford when registering for your study permit:

• Your passport;
• A letter from the Office for International Relations at WIT, addressed to the Immigration Officer, stating you have paid your tuition fees in full and that you are undertaking a full time programme.  This letter will state the name and duration of your programme;
• If you have to apply for a visa before you come to Ireland then you will not be requested to provide evidence of finances when first registering with the Immigration Officer in Waterford.
• If you do not need to apply for a visa before you come to Ireland, you will need to provide evidence that you have access to €3,000 for the year or €500 per month, for the length of your stay.  Options for how to show this can be seen at this webpage
• An original receipt from WIT or PayToStudy showing that you have paid your tuition fees in full (if you are an international exchange student this will not apply to you);
• Evidence of health insurance;
• If you are transferring from another college in Ireland, you will need to provide an attendance report.

All of this will be explained to you during the induction programme and our team will help you throughout this process. 

After your meeting with the Immigration Officer, you will be given an appointment date to return to her office (usually within one to two weeks) to collect your Irish Residence Permit (IRP)and your passport will be also be stamped.

The IRP will show:

• That your permission to stay in Ireland has been registered
• The type of permission you have, i.e. stamp number

Your IRP is a very important document. You must carry it with you all times and present it to an immigration officer or a member of An Garda Síochána if requested. In Ireland, the police are called: An Garda Síochána.

For more information, please go to the INIS website: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/about-registration-system

For information on your rights as an international student in Ireland please go to the website of the Irish Council for International Students: http://www.icosirl.ie/