The Department of Foreign Affairs has announced that the AVATS online visa-application system will undergo scheduled maintenance on Thursday, 20 November 2025, between 10:30 and 14:30 GMT. During this window applicants will be unable to create new visa applications, upload supporting documents or pay fees.
AVATS is the sole channel for short-stay C visas and long-stay D visas, including Study, Join Family and Employment categories. The downtime therefore affects time-sensitive corporate moves, particularly as the Christmas travel peak approaches.
![Irish online visa portal AVATS to be offline for four hours during 20 November maintenance]()
Irish consulates and visa-processing centres have advised employers to submit applications either before 09:00 GMT on 20 November or after the portal reopens. Files already saved in draft will remain intact, but payment links issued before the outage will expire if not used in time.
Companies with assignees needing entry by year-end should build the four-hour outage into planning timelines and monitor for any unanticipated extension. In previous upgrades, minor glitches delayed reactivation of the payment gateway by several hours.
The upgrade is expected to add two-factor authentication and improve document-upload bandwidth—welcome changes for frequent users who have complained of time-outs in recent months.
AVATS is the sole channel for short-stay C visas and long-stay D visas, including Study, Join Family and Employment categories. The downtime therefore affects time-sensitive corporate moves, particularly as the Christmas travel peak approaches.
Irish consulates and visa-processing centres have advised employers to submit applications either before 09:00 GMT on 20 November or after the portal reopens. Files already saved in draft will remain intact, but payment links issued before the outage will expire if not used in time.
Companies with assignees needing entry by year-end should build the four-hour outage into planning timelines and monitor for any unanticipated extension. In previous upgrades, minor glitches delayed reactivation of the payment gateway by several hours.
The upgrade is expected to add two-factor authentication and improve document-upload bandwidth—welcome changes for frequent users who have complained of time-outs in recent months.
