Nationals of Botswana and South Africa will be required to obtain a visa before travelling to Ireland from Wednesday, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said.
The Department of Justice has said a transit visa will also be required, if people from these countries intend to transit through Ireland to another destination.
Ms McEntee has said the move will bring Ireland into closer alignment with the Schengen Area in respect of both countries.
She also said it will bring South Africa into line with the UK.
The Dublin Visa Office will establish a dedicated ‘South Africa desk’ to process applications from South African nationals.
The department will also establish three Visa Applications Centres, located throughout South Africa, with visa service provider Global VFS.
Botswana and South Africa are designated as safe countries of origin for International Protection purposes and are the only countries on that list which do not currently have a visa requirement.
In a statement the Department of Justice said that in recent years, “a significant number of International Protection applications have been received from nationals of Botswana and South Africa”.
Neither appear regularly in the top five nationalities seeking International Protection in Ireland, however asylum seekers from South Africa made up just over 5% of those who arrived in January this year.
Transitional arrangements will be put in place for nationals of Botswana and South Africa who have existing arrangements (made before 10 July 2024) to travel to the State until 9 August 2024.
The requirement for a visa will not be applied to diplomatic passport holders of South Africa.
Last week, the Government made five additions to its list of safe countries which included Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi and Morocco.
Other countries include Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia.
Countries added to this list are viewed by the Government as places where “there is generally and consistently no persecution”, no torture, and no armed conflicts.
With regard to the latest announcement on Irish visa requirements for South Africa and Botswana, the minister said such requirements “are kept under ongoing review, having regard for the need to ensure that effective immigration controls are in place whilst also facilitating those who wish to travel to Ireland for the purposes of a visit, to work, to study, or to join family members”.
Additional reporting Mícheál Lehane