In short
- Ireland is in the EU but not in Schengen — it has its own passport control and its own visas.
- A Schengen visa or a Schengen residence permit does not let you enter Ireland: if your nationality needs an Irish visa, you must apply for it separately.
- An Irish visa or Irish residence permit does not let you enter Schengen: you need a separate Schengen visa if your nationality requires one.
- Days in Ireland do not count towards the Schengen 90 days in 180.
Ireland and the UK
- Ireland and the UK form the Common Travel Area: their citizens travel and live in each other's country freely.
- For everyone else it is not a shared visa: a UK visa generally does not let you into Ireland, and vice versa. The exception is the British-Irish Visa Scheme for Chinese and Indian nationals: a UK visa endorsed BIVS is also valid for Ireland.
EU and Swiss citizens
- Citizens of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland enter Ireland freely with a passport or national ID card.
Travelling to Schengen with an Irish residence permit
- An Irish residence permit (IRP) does not replace a Schengen visa. If your nationality needs a Schengen visa, you must get one. The exception is family members of EU citizens holding a residence card under Directive 2004/38/EC: they do not need a visa when travelling with or joining the EU citizen.