Long-stay study for visa-required applicants: an eligible full-time programme, documented tuition/living funds, insurance and a separate post-arrival registration step.
Route overview
Long Stay D Study Visa / immigration registration for study
Typical timeline / duration: Study permission is granted for a specified course-related period and must be renewed before expiry. Eligible English-language study allows up to three eight-month permissions, not an automatic multi-year grant.
Important notes
Choose an eligible programme from ILEP or the TrustEd Ireland eligible-programmes list. Check both registers: a programme need not appear on both. The acceptance letter must identify full-time study, fees and payments.
Apply through AVATS from your home country or lawful residence up to three months before travel; follow the application office's filing instructions. Provide the signed summary, passport valid for twelve months after planned arrival, photos and supporting records.
Provide academic/language evidence, a study explanation, education/employment gaps, previous visa-refusal details and private medical insurance. The college's language requirement may be higher than the visa minimum.
Pay tuition in full where fees are below €6,000; where higher, pay at least €6,000 before applying, unless the relevant rules require more. The college may require full payment.
Show immediate access to €10,000 for an academic year and €10,000 plus tuition for each later year. For courses shorter than eight months, published visa guidance gives €833/month or €6,665 total, whichever is lower. Casual work cannot replace the funds evidence.
Supply the Summary of Finances and six months of personal bank records, sponsor relationship/support records where relevant, and explanations of large deposits. Credit cards are not proof of sufficient funds; follow the original-document/translation requirements.
The programme register was checked on 14 October 2026 and retains both ILEP and TrustEd Ireland routes. A provider's marketing or the older ILEP-only wording is not enough to establish the exact course's eligibility.
A D visa permits travel, not guaranteed entry or an unlimited stay. For a stay over 90 days, complete registration where required after arrival; first-time registration is with ISD in Dublin, not the old local Garda system.
Stamp 2 allows up to 20 hours/week during term and 40 during June–September and 15 December–15 January. Stamp 2A does not permit work. Neither is general business/self-employment permission.
English-language permissions require an eligible course of at least 25 weeks, 15 hours/week, 85% attendance, an end-of-course exam and progression for further permission. Three eight-month permissions total at most two years.
Study time on Stamp 2 is not reckonable for naturalisation. A graduate job-search permission or later work/residence status has its own conditions and is not guaranteed by enrolment.
The funds page retains its 30 June 2025 update label; these figures are a current-source check, not a new 2026 increase. The visa office assesses the precise programme/length and evidence; tuition and living costs remain separate.
Preparation checklist
Find the exact course on the current ILEP or TrustEd Ireland list before paying.
Obtain the acceptance letter, tuition receipt, insurance and academic/language evidence.
Prepare six-month financial histories, sponsor support and explanations of unusual deposits.
Complete AVATS and submit the signed summary, passport, refusal history and required originals/translations to the stated office.
Travel only after the visa decision; carry the evidence for border checks.
After entry, arrange the required registration, record your stamp's work conditions and renew permission before expiry.