S.I. No. 227/2006 - Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2006

1. (1) This Order may be cited as the

Immigration Act 2004

(Visas) Order 2006.

(2) This Order comes into operation on 2 May 2006.

2. In this Order—

“Convention travel document” means a travel document issued in accordance with Article 28 of the Geneva Convention;

“Geneva Convention” has the meaning assigned to it by the

Refugee Act 1996

(No. 17 of 1996);

“permanent residence card” has the meaning assigned to it by the Regulations of 2006;

“residence card” has the meaning assigned to it by the Regulations of 2006;

“Regulations of 2006” means the European Communities (Free Movement of Persons) Regulations 2006 (

S.I. No. 226 of 2006

).

3. It is hereby declared that the following classes of non-nationals are specified as classes, the members of which are not required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State

(

a

) nationals of a state specified in Schedule 1;

(

b

) non-nationals who are holders of—

(i) a valid Convention travel document issued by Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland Germany, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, or Switzerland,

(ii) a valid permanent residence card issued under Regulation 16 of the Regulations of 2006, or

(iii) a valid residence card issued under Regulation 7 of the Regulations of 2006.

4. It is hereby declared that the classes of non-nationals specified in Schedule 2 are specified as classes, the members of which are required to be in possession of a valid Irish transit visa.

5. The

Immigration Act 2004

(Visas) Order 2005 (S.I. No. of 363 of 2005) is revoked.

Article 3

SCHEDULE 1

Classes of non-nationals not required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State

Andorra

Guatemala

Panama

Antigua & Barbuda

Guyana

Paraguay

Argentina

Honduras

Poland

Australia

Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)

Portugal

Austria

Hungary

Saint Kitts & Nevis

The Bahamas

Iceland

Saint Lucia

Barbados

Israel

Saint Vincent & the Grenadines

Belgium

Italy

Samoa

Belize

Japan

San Marino

Bolivia

Kiribati

Seychelles

Botswana

Latvia

Singapore

Brazil

Lesotho

Slovak Republic

Brunei

Liechtenstein

Slovenia

Canada

Lithuania

Solomon Islands

Chile

Luxembourg

South Africa

Costa Rica

Macau (Special Administrative Region)

South Korea

Croatia

Malawi

Spain

Cyprus

Malaysia

Swaziland

Czech Republic

Maldives

Sweden

Denmark

Malta

Switzerland

Dominica

Mauritius

Tonga

El Salvador

Mexico

Trinidad & Tobago

Estonia

Monaco

Tuvalu

Fiji

Nauru

United Kingdom & Colonies

Finland

Netherlands

United States of America

France

New Zealand

Uruguay

Germany

Nicaragua

Vanuatu

Greece

Norway

Vatican City

Grenada

Venezuela

Article 4

SCHEDULE 2

Classes of non-nationals required to be in possession of a valid Irish transit visa

Afghanistan

Iraq

Albania

Lebanon

Bulgaria

Moldova

Cuba

Nigeria

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Romania

Eritrea

Serbia & Montenegro

Ethiopia

Somalia

Ghana

Sri Lanka

Iran

Zimbabwe

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

2 May 2006.

MICHAEL McDOWELL, T.D.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

This Order specifies the classes of non nationals who are required to be in possession of a valid Irish transit visa when landing in the State and the classes of non nationals exempt from Irish visa requirements.

S.I. No. 227 of 2006

Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2006

I, Michael McDowell TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by

section 17

of the

Immigration Act 2004

, hereby order as follows