Ireland visa delays have travel agents and their clients at their wits’ end, compromising tourism, family reunions and the potential crowds that would have followed the Springboks for their Ireland test matches in November.
In July 2024, Ireland suddenly implemented a visa requirement for South Africans, causing an uproar among agents and South African travellers.
From bad to worse
In February this year, the Embassy of Ireland in Pretoria, advised applicants that tourist visas would take six to eight weeks to process. By May, this was increased to 12 weeks and, on July 1, it announced that it would take “approximately 14 weeks”.
“The visa application centre is saying travellers can only apply three months prior to their departure. But three months is not long enough, because visas are now taking longer than three months to be issued,” points out Heather Lavery of The Travelling Agent.
Huge backlog
Jim O’Callaghan, Irish Minister of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, in response to a complaint submitted to the Ministry of Justice, explained that in July 2024 the Dublin Visa Office established a dedicated ‘South Africa desk’, separate to the Ministry’s standard Visa Division, to process applications from residents of South Africa.
“This is to ensure the facilitation of legitimate travel with processes that are robust, effective, and fair,” claimed O’Callaghan.
“Since July 2024 to date (July 1), over 11 700 applications of all types have been received by the South African Desk and over 7 900 decisions have been issued with an overall 89% grant rate.”
Neale Richmond, Irish Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, told Times Live South Africa, that the Ministry would triple the number of officials processing visas from South Africa to address the backlog and reduce the processing time.
“We’ve doubled the resources in terms of visa applications in South Africa, both here in Dublin and at our embassy in Pretoria. The process will now go much quicker but will always be under review,” said Richmond.
The end of Irish adventures?
As a non-visa destination for South African travellers until last year, Ireland had consistently been an attractive option for tourists, family and friend visits, MICE and sport spectator markets, explained Gill Dewar, Senior Sales Director for South Africa at Body and Soul International, a marketing support office for DMCs worldwide.
She said the delays would particularly impact the rugby fans, who often waited for the season to begin before deciding to travel, basing their plans on how the team was performing.
“This naturally leads to more spontaneous bookings, which are now virtually impossible,” said Dewar.
“In addition, many companies run competitions for fans to attend a Springbok test match and so with current processing times, such trips simply won’t happen. Incentive groups, prize winners, and last-minute travellers – who make up a meaningful portion of the market – will be especially affected.”
Lavery explained that she had received letters from clients, bemoaning massive financial losses due to the visa delays. Lavery is one of many agents submitting letters to be presented in the Irish parliament, as part of an appeal to the Ministry of Justice.
Dewar added: “Recent delays in the Irish visa application process have significantly disrupted travel from South Africa to Ireland. Many travellers have been left in limbo due to the lack of timely updates and communication regarding application statuses. This uncertainty has forced numerous individuals to cancel or postpone travel plans – often incurring substantial personal financial losses.”
Numerous agents have said they now avoid all Ireland bookings because of the visa delays and impact on their clients. A Travel News poll revealed that 68% of readers were turning away clients who want to travel to Ireland.
“I now make my clients sign an indemnity form to say that they are aware that there is no timeframe as to when visas will be issued, that there’s no guarantee that they’ll get the visa on time and that they mustn’t book flights before they get their visas,” said Lavery.
Dewar warned that if the visa delay issues were not resolved, South African agents would lose what was previously a profitable market, and Ireland’s reputation as a travel destination would face long-lasting harm.
“Beyond the immediate impact, there is a real risk of long-term damage. If travellers continue to face these hurdles, many will simply choose destinations that are easier to access – and this perception could last well beyond the time it takes to resolve the current backlog,” said Dewar.
