u/LogicInSimple

Hi everyone, hoping someone has recent experience with this situation.

I'm an Indian national living in the US on a green card. I recently received a UK standard visitor visa (6-month, short stay) for a family holiday this summer. The visa was issued as an eVisa — no physical vignette sticker in my passport, everything is digital.

Our plan is London (7 nights) → Edinburgh (3 nights) → Dublin, Ireland (5 nights) → back to UK to fly home to the US.

I was planning to use the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme (SSVWP) to enter Ireland without a separate Irish visa, since Indian nationals are on the eligible list. However, I came across this on the Irish Immigration website:

"if this is issued in eVisa format it cannot currently be used for entry to Ireland under SSVWP"

This statement seems to be in the context of countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar that recently switched from UK visas to ETAs. But the wording about "eVisa format" has me concerned.

My questions:

1. Has any Indian national recently traveled to Ireland using the SSVWP with a UK eVisa (not ETA)? Did you face any issues at Irish immigration?
2. Is there a difference in how Ireland treats an eVisa (which is a proper visa, just digital) vs an ETA (which is not a visa at all)?
3. Should I just apply for a separate Irish visa to be safe? If so, is the fee waived for Indian nationals under SSVWP?
4. What documentation did you carry to Irish immigration if you had an eVisa? Did they accept a printout of the eVisa confirmation?

I've already sent a query to the Irish Consulate in San Francisco but haven't heard back yet. Trip is in early June so trying to sort this out ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi everyone, hoping someone has recent experience with this situation.

I'm an Indian national living in the US. I recently received a UK standard visitor visa (6-month, short stay) for a family holiday this summer. The visa was issued as an eVisa — no physical vignette sticker in my passport, everything is digital.

Our plan is London (7 nights) → Dublin, Ireland (5 nights) → back to UK to fly home to the US.

I was planning to use the Irish Short Stay Visa Waiver Programme (SSVWP) to enter Ireland without a separate Irish visa, since Indian nationals are on the eligible list. However, I came across this on the Irish Immigration website:

"if this is issued in eVisa format it cannot currently be used for entry to Ireland under SSVWP"

This statement seems to be in the context of countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar that recently switched from UK visas to ETAs. But the wording about "eVisa format" has me concerned.

My questions:

1. Has any Indian national recently traveled to Ireland using the SSVWP with a UK eVisa (not ETA)? Did you face any issues at Irish immigration?
2. Is there a difference in how Ireland treats an eVisa (which is a proper visa, just digital) vs an ETA (which is not a visa at all)?
3. Should I just apply for a separate Irish visa to be safe? If so, is the fee waived for Indian nationals under SSVWP?
4. What documentation did you carry to Irish immigration if you had an eVisa? Did they accept a printout of the eVisa confirmation?

I've already sent a query to the Irish Consulate in San Francisco but haven't heard back yet. Trip is in early June so trying to sort this out ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help!