US Citizen Coming to Ireland to study - Wishes to travel beforehand.

FierceLilly

Heya I really hope someone can help me out a little or have any personal experience with this.

My boyfriend who is a US Citizen was accepted to a college which will start in september. Basically we would have liked to travel a bit around the country together and go over to spain for a holiday before he starts college as during that time he won't be able to take time off for those activities. The gardai he is meant to register with advise he can only supposedly come two weeks before his course starts and has then 9 days to register a proof of address. I called citizens information and literally got nowhere with them. I was thinking he could come in June or July and we would have our holidays then, and he would Start in september. Money would not be an issue at all for his stay he would not need a job to support himself here. Has anyone been in a similar situation or who to contact? Being a US Citizen he doesn't need a visa, just needs all necessary documents on arrival. But Legally he can stay here for 3 months without anything, but online it says you can't change a tourist visa to a study visa. Any advice would help a lot!

seamus

That's right, you can't change a tourist visa to a study visa, otherwise that's what everyone would do.

So he can come for the 90 days (or part thereof) as a tourist, but he then must leave the country before re-entering again on his student visa.

Ask INIS what the process is here. It should be as simple as arriving into Ireland on a tourist visa, doing some touristing, then going to Spain for a holiday, and then two weeks before his course starts, he flies back to Ireland and presents his study visa (which he should apply for as early as possible).

FierceLilly

seamus wrote: »

That's right, you can't change a tourist visa to a study visa, otherwise that's what everyone would do.

So he can come for the 90 days (or part thereof) as a tourist, but he then must leave the country before re-entering again on his student visa.

Ask INIS what the process is here. It should be as simple as arriving into Ireland on a tourist visa, doing some touristing, then going to Spain for a holiday, and then two weeks before his course starts, he flies back to Ireland and presents his study visa (which he should apply for as early as possible).

Thanks for the quick response. The only thing is he doesn't actually need to apply for a study visa, he just needs to come and prove he has his insurance, course acceptance letter and some other papers. But also would staying for 2months in ireland not mean he has to be away for two to return?

Hiberno12345

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