St. Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia nationals will now require a visa to travel to Ireland.
The announcement was made Thursday in a statement issued by Ireland’s Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Effective Monday 15th June, 2026 visa requirements would be imposed on passport holders from three countries: Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia.
According to the Irish government, the new measure applies to holders of ordinary, diplomatic and service passports.
Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy said in a statement that travellers from the affected countries will also require a transit visa if they intend to pass through Ireland en route to another destination.
Brophy said,
This is a carefully considered decision that brings Ireland more closely in line with the approach taken in the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Irish visa requirements are kept under continuous review. The aim is to strike the right balance between maintaining effective immigration controls and ensuring that people can continue to come to Ireland to visit, work, study, or join family members.
While Brophy acknowledged that the changes may affect individuals who have already made travel arrangements, he indicated that transitional measures will be implemented to ease the adjustment.
The transitional period will run from June 15 to July 14, 2026.
During that period, nationals of Nicaragua, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia who booked travel to Ireland before June 15, 2026, and are travelling before July 14, 2026, may still enter Ireland without a visa, provided they possess:
* A valid passport; and
* Documentary proof from their airline or carrier (not a travel agent) showing the date the ticket was purchased, the passenger’s name, flight number and date of travel.
The documentation must be presented upon request by an airline carrier or an immigration officer. However, standard immigration requirements for non-nationals seeking entry into Ireland will still apply.
Irish authorities made it clear that individuals who book travel after June 15, 2026, will not qualify for the transitional arrangements and must obtain an Irish visa before travelling, even if their trip occurs before July 14, 2026.
The new visa requirement for nationals of Nicaragua, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia is part of an ongoing process to keep Ireland aligned with practices in the UK and the Schengen area. This has seen the removal of the right of appeal for certain short stay (Type C) visa refusals earlier this month, and the introduction of a visa requirement for nationals of Eswatini, Lesotho, Nauru and Trinidad and Tobago in 2025.
Officials advised affected travellers with existing travel plans to consult the Immigration Service Delivery website for further information on the transitional arrangements.
