Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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647. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department has begun to issue shorter visas than it had previously; and whether this has any consequences for the capacity at visa offices, on account of repeat visitors being required to submit fresh applications more frequently. [32810/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy there has been no change to my Department's policy regarding the validity period of Irish visas.

When a person applies for a visa they are required to provide their proposed dates of travel. Visas are normally granted for the duration for which they are required. If a visa is granted, the visa sticker will show the validity dates of the visa. This period is when a person can travel to Ireland and seek to enter the State.

A visa permits a person to travel to Ireland, an immigration officer at a port of entry can then grant a person permission to be in Ireland for up to 90 days.

I can advise the Deputy that it is open to people to apply for a multiple entry visa, which may be more appropriate for those who wish to travel to Ireland frequently.

If a person wishes to apply for a multiple entry visa, they must indicate this on their application and pay the visa fee for a multiple entry visa. The granting of a multiple entry visa is at the discretion of the Visa Officer. Multiple entry visas are usually only issued to people who can demonstrate compliant travel history.

Further information and guidance for people who wish to apply for single or multiple entry visas is available on my Department's website at the following link:

www.irishimmigration.ie/single-multiple-visas/.