Visa free access of Botswana and South African citizens to Ireland has been revoked.
The Justice Minister of Ireland – Helen McEntee announced that, the country has terminated visa-free travel from South Africa and Botswana.
Reportedly, the application of the new requirements removes Ireland as one of the last visa-free travel destinations for South African citizens in Europe. This move has come despite the strong shared history of Ireland and South Africa, and the increasing annual trade between the two countries.
The Irish Ambassador to South Africa – Austin Gormley posted a video on the ‘X’ handle of the embassy, in which he said that the new requirements are introduced to bring Ireland into closer alignment with the Schengen Area and with the UK to ensure effective immigration controls.
Ministry made the decision just after three years of abolition of visa requirements for South Africans, post-Covid. It is driven by a reported surge in asylum applications from travelers using South African passports, that included individuals from Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In year 2024, Ireland received 198 asylum applications from South African passport holders, which highlighted concerns over misuse of visa-free privileges.
McEntee during the announcement said that a wide range of factors are taken into account while introducing visa requirements to ensure that they can continue to facilitate travel with processes that are robust, effective and fair.
The Transitional arrangements were put in place for Botswana and South African passport holders who have already made travel arrangements, with the increased restrictions applying only to travel beyond August 09, 2024.
In anticipation of increased visa applications, Ireland has established an Africa Desk in Dublin to facilitate visa processing and diplomatic relations.
Notably, the three new visa processing centers will be opened in South Africa by VFS Global, that aims at streamlining application processes and managed the expected influx of visa requests.
The economic impact of these new visa requirements is expected to be substantial. Visa-free travel previously facilitated a significant number of South African visitors to Ireland every year, by contributing to tourism, business exchanges and educational partnerships.
With the introduction of visas, adjustments in travel patterns and economic relations between the countries are anticipated.
Following this, Namibia will also revoke Ireland’s visa free access, beginning from the next year, 2025. Now, only the citizens of Seychelles can visit Ireland without visas in Africa.