The Irish government advises against all non-essential international travel. All passengers arriving in Ireland must adhere to the following legal requirements.
Passenger Locator Form
Complete a COVID – 19 Passenger locator form: https://cvd19plf-prod1.powerappsportals.com/en-us/
Failure to complete the form is an offense. Arrivals via Northern Ireland who have been overseas in the 14 days prior to arrival in Ireland must complete a COVID 19 Passenger locator form. There are exceptions to this requirement for for providers of essential supply chain services (such as hauliers, pilots and maritime staff) and diplomats.
Pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test
Provide evidence that you have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before you arrive into Ireland, or have evidence that you are exempt from this legal requirement. Retain written confirmation of the “not detected” test result for 14 days.
If you arrive in the state without a test result:
- This is an offense.
- You must enter and pay for mandatory quarantine in a hotel until either you receive a negative or ‘not detected’ RT-PCR test result or you have quarantined in the hotel for 10 days.
- If you arrive into Ireland from overseas and enter via Northern Ireland, then you must have a negative / non-detected RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arrival at the point of entry and retain this test result for 14 days after arrival.
Exemptions to pre – departure test
- international transport workers, including workers in aviation, maritime and road haulage sectors are exempt from this requirement where they are travelling in the course of performing their duties
- patients travelling to Ireland for urgent medical reasons, and that reason is certified by registered medical practitioner or person holding an equivalent qualification outside the State
- children aged 6 and under
- passengers whose journey originated in Northern Ireland and have not been overseas in the 14-day prior to arrival.
- a member of the Gardaí or Defence Forces personnel travelling to the State in the course of performing their duties
- a person who travels to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation.
- travel to perform the function of or provide services to an office holder or elected representative, where such travel to Ireland is required to continue providing such services or performing such functions
- if a citizen has a genuine humanitarian emergency requiring urgent travel, and might not be able to obtain the result of a pre-departure RT-PCR test in time, they should contact the nearest embassy or consulate immediately for advice and consular assistance before commencing their journey.
Post Arrival Quarantine
Mandatory quarantine requirements apply to all persons who have been overseas in the 14-days prior to entering Ireland. If travelling from or transiting a designated State then you must pre-book and pre-pay for a place in a designated facility of mandatory hotel quarantine.
Arrivals from all non-designated countries must quarantine in the following ways:
- a 14-day quarantine period must be undertaken at the address specified on the Passenger Locator Form
- passengers who travel from another country to Ireland, and arrive via Northern Ireland, must also observe the mandatory quarantine regime.
- you may only leave your place of residence during the quarantine period for unavoidable reasons of an emergency nature to protect a person’s health or welfare, or to leave the State.
- you can end your period of quarantine if you receive written confirmation of a ‘non-detected’ RT-PCR test result taken no less than 5 days after arrival. You must retain the written confirmation of your test result for at least 14 days.
- A non-designated country means all countries with the exception of Northern Ireland. Mainland UK belongs to the category of a non designated country and therefore arrivals from the mainland UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland) are subject to the above quarantine arrangements.
- If you do not fulfill the legal requirement for mandatory quarantine you are committing an offence.
Exemptions (full and Partial) from mandatory quarantine
Full
- patients travelling to Ireland for urgent medical reasons
- international transport workers in possession of an Annex 3 Certificate; Drivers of Heavy Goods Vehicles; Aviation and maritime crew
- Gardaí/Defence Forces personnel, while carrying out their duties
- travel to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation
- diplomats, or travel to perform the function of or provide services to an office holder or elected representative
- transit passengers who arrive for the purposes of travelling to another state, and who do not leave the port or airport
Partial
- a person required to carry out essential repair, maintenance, construction or safety assurance of critical transport infrastructure, critical utility infrastructure, manufacturing services, information services, or communication services
- a member of staff of an international organisation, or person invited, carrying out functions required for the proper functioning of such organisations and which cannot be carried out remotely
- a passenger who is participating in a sporting event and has been provided with written certification by Sport Ireland
- journalists, carrying out their professional functions
Designated States: Mandatory Hotel quarantine
Travel to Ireland from specific designated States is now subject to mandatory hotel quarantine. This must be pre-booked in advance of travel.
The arrangement applies to any passenger who has been in any designated country within the past 14 days travelling from that designated state as a point of origin or as a transit passenger even if remaining airside. These arrangements apply to all passengers even if travelling onto Northern Ireland
The list of states designated for mandatory Hotel quarantine by the Minister for Health is always provisional and may be altered at any time.
Pre-booking information may be found on the following links:
- https://www.quarantinehotelsireland.ie/
- https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a6975-mandatory-hotel-quarantine/
We provide a listed of current designated countries in a separate post.
Limited exemptions to mandatory hotel quarantine
The Health (Amendment) Act 2021 identifies those who are exempt from mandatory hotel quarantine. If your trip to Ireland is not in any of the categories below, then you must complete mandatory hotel quarantine at a designated facility:
- arriving into the State in the course of duty and who hold a valid Annex 3 certificate (ensuring the availability of goods and essential services)
- arriving in the State in the course of duty and are drivers of a heavy goods vehicle
- airline pilots, aircrew, maritime master or maritime crew and who arrive in the State in the course of performing duties
- travelling to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation
- a member of An Garda Síochána or Defence Forces (or their equivalents from another state) and travelling to the State in course of duty
- travelling to the State for unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive medical reasons and these reasons are certified by a registered medical practitioner or person with equivalent qualifications outside the State
- having been outside of the state to provide services to or perform the functions of an office holder (under any enactment or the Constitution) or a member of either house of the Oireachtas or the European Parliament
- diplomats and certain other categories of persons entitled to privileges and immunities in the State
- Regulations will also exempt transit passengers who do not leave the port or airport before travelling out of the State and who have a ‘not detected’ COVID-19 PCR test result, following a test taken within 72 hours of their arrival into Ireland.
