Written answer
Visa Applications
The Minister highlighted embassy visa services, typically taking eight to 12 weeks, with resources under review and continued cooperation with the Justice Department.
57. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she accepts the important role that embassies abroad play for Irish citizens in visa application processes and what measures are being taken by her Department to improve response times and customer service standards across the diplomatic and visa systems. [69103/26]
Comment on this
As the Deputy will be aware, responsibility for matters related to immigration to the State, including visa policy, lies with the Minster for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
However, my Department does provide a visa service through its Embassy and broader diplomatic network in a number of countries, under the guidance of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, where that department does not have a dedicated visa office.
My Department has a limited decision-making role, and can decide on and issue certain categories of visa. These are primarily short stay visa applications and, in some cases, long stay study visas. The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration decides on visa applications outside these categories, and on visa appeals.
I can assure the Deputy that I recognise the importance of this role, including in promoting Ireland as a place to invest, work, study and visit, and in the implementation of a strategic migration approach, in line with the Programme for Government.
In 2025, Irish Embassies received approximately 66,000 visa applications. In general and across most visa categories, visa processing takes between eight and 12 weeks. However, timelines can vary by location.
I would please refer the Deputy to the relevant Irish Embassy or Consulate webpages for information on average processing times for a specific country.
I can assure the Deputy that Embassy resourcing is under regular review to ensure Embassy teams can support visa application volumes. Indeed, this year, several of our Embassies received additional resources to meet visa service demands.
My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on ways to enhance our visa service.