Strict tourist visa system defended as a 'vital filter'

HOLIDAY HURDLES:The Department of Justice has defended the Republic's tourist-visa requirements but admitted they are an "unwelcome overhead to very many well-intentioned travellers". It also says it intends to continue with the current tourist-visa requirements for China, India and Russia because of recent illegal migration.

Responding to comments in The Irish Timesthat the Republic's tourist-visa requirements are too onerous, the department says tourist visas are a "vital initial filter for the State in protecting the integrity of its borders".

It concedes that visa requirements and the application process can seem the “very essence of red tape” but says distinguishing bona-fide travellers from potential illegal immigrants requires an examination process.

Last month the chief executive of the Coach Tourism Transport Council, Gerry Mullins, said the strictures of the tourism visa, which can involve providing six months of bank statements plus marriage certificates, birth certificates and three consecutive pay slips, deter tourists from coming to Ireland, especially from China, India and Russia, which are regarded as important “emerging markets” for Irish tourism.

The department says it has spoken with Mullins, adding that the idea that the future of the tourism industry depends on the visa regime for the three countries is “difficult to sustain”. It has also released figures to show that it approved 98 per cent of visas applied for in New Delhi, 98 per cent in Moscow and 86 per cent in Beijing.