Checklist of Biometric Exemptions

Warning
If you incorrectly claim to be biometric exempt when completing your on-line application form you are at risk of:
  • your application being refused without a right of appeal, and
  • being prevented from making further visa applications for a period of five years.

Please read this information note carefully to check if you are exempt from the requirement to provide biometrics.

For further information on our biometrics policy in relation to visa applicants please refer to the visa pages of the website of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service at www.irishimmigration.ie

  1. Meaning of "exempt from the requirement to provide biometrics"
    If one of the exemptions listed below applies to you it means that you are not required to provide your fingerprints and live capture facial image as part of your visa application.
  2. Exemptions
    The following applicants are biometric exempt.

Age
  1. Children under 5 years of age on the date of the submission of their online visa application are exempt.
Status/class
  1. Heads of State and the members of their family forming part of their household whether travelling officially or privately and private servants and officials included in the delegations of such visitors are exempt. Members of their household include spouse/civil partner/children under 18 years.
  2. Heads of Government and Government Ministers of states recognised by Ireland, members of their family forming part of their household, and officials in the delegation travelling to the State for an official purpose are exempt. Members of their household include spouse/civil partner and children under 18 years.
  3. Diplomats, administrative, technical and service staff and career consular officers, and members of their family forming part of their household, who are accredited to Ireland are exempt. Members of their household include spouse/civil partner/children under 18 years /dependent children up to the age of 25 years who are in full-time education.
  4. Diplomats transiting through the State to or from a country where they are accredited are exempt. Members of their family forming part of their household are also exempt. Members of their household include spouse/civil partner/ children under 18 years.
  5. Diplomatic couriers travelling to the State/transiting the State are exempt.
  6. Diplomats travelling to the State in their official capacity are exempt where their applications are accompanied by a note verbale from the sending authority (i.e. the relevant government department setting out the details of the nature of the visit and who is travelling) and an invitation letter from the inviting department in Ireland.
    Note: Holders of official /service passports travelling to Ireland on the business of their government are not exempt from the requirement to provide their biometrics (unless they otherwise qualify for an exemption).
  7. Employees of intergovernmental organisations based, or with offices, in Ireland who have been recruited overseas are exempt as well as representatives and officials of intergovernmental organisations travelling to Ireland in their official capacity on the official business of that organisation where their applications are accompanied by a note from the intergovernmental organisation setting out the details and nature of the visit and an invitation letter from the inviting organisation in Ireland. Members of their family forming part of their household are exempt. Members of their household include spouse/civil partner/children under 18 years. Other people forming part of the official party or delegation of an employee of an intergovernmental organisation e.g. civil servants, secretaries and interpreters are also exempt.
    Note: "Intergovernmental organisation" refers to organisations that are made up primarily of member states. Examples include Council of Europe (CoE), European Union (EU), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UN), World Trade Organisation (WTO).
  8. Airline crew members who arrive as crew members of an aircraft and are under engagement to leave within 7 days either on the same aircraft or another are exempt.
    Note:Airline crew transiting within a maximum of 24 hours do not require visas (unless they are nationals of a country that is scheduled for the purposes of transit visas).
Persons for whom it is physically impossible to provide biometrics
  1. Applicants for whom it is physically impossible to provide biometrics (e.g. Emergency "stretcher" cases) are exempt.
    Note: Applicants with 1 or no fingers are exempt from the requirement to provide fingerprints. However, they are required to provide a live capture facial image and are therefore not biometric exempt.