Passports and Visas for Motorcycle Touring in Ireland

If you’re coming from the U.S.A, Canada, or Australia, you can stay in Ireland for up to 90 days, in a 6-month period, without a visa. Plan to stay any longer than this, however, and you’ll need to apply for a visa. Although Ireland isn’t in the Schengen zone, it is in the EU. So, if you are a citizen of an EU member state, you don’t need a visa to go motorcycle touring in Ireland.

Bike Permits and Carnets

According to ATA Carnet, Germany is listed as a country which requires a carnet. Although the ATA Carnet website states, “If goods are properly imported into one EU carnet country and re-exported from a second EU carnet country, the Carnet holder is unlikely to encounter any claims fees.”.

Registration/Ownership Documents

You may be asked to produce several documents if motorcycle touring in Ireland, these include:

  • Your licence
  • Proof of insurance
  • A sticker showing your country of origin (unless you have an EU licence plate)

Insurance

You are required to have motor insurance when motorcycle touring in Ireland. Before you leave, contact your insurance company and inquire about your coverage abroad or contact the Irish branch of your motor insurance company.

Roads

Motorways in Ireland are in very good condition, as are most of the national roads. Venture off the beaten track, however, and it’s a different story. Road conditions can quickly become very bad, with tufts of grass lining the middle of the roads.

You don’t need a vignette for Irish roads but there are tolls on parts of Irish motorways and the price depends on what vehicle you’re using, and what section of the motorway you’re travelling on. You can pay at tollbooths on the motorway. If you use the M50, however, a motorway which runs around Dublin city, you must pay online using eFlow – thankfully, for motorcycles, the M50 is free.