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The 15 Schengen countries that receive the most applications in Ireland all take them in Dublin, but each in its own way. Some use a visa centre company — VFS Global, BLS International or VisaMetric — and many take applications at the embassy itself, each with its own booking method: an online portal, a government booking system, even an email sent at a set time.
This guide lists who takes the applications for the 15 Schengen countries that receive the most in Ireland, how each booking system works, the waiting lists, and what to do when there are no dates. For the application itself, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from Ireland.
Who takes each country’s applications
For the 15 most-applied-for countries, as listed on the embassies' and providers' own pages in November 2026:
- France
- Embassy of France — at the embassy’s visa service, with appointments booked through TLScontact
- Spain
- BLS International — at the BLS office in Dublin
- Germany
- VisaMetric — appointments allocated from a waiting list
- Netherlands
- VFS Global — at the Dublin centre
- Portugal
- Embassy of Portugal — at the consular section, booked through Portugal’s e-visa portal
- Austria
- VFS Global — at the Dublin centre
- Italy
- Embassy of Italy — booked through the Prenot@mi portal
- Belgium
- Embassy of Belgium — booked through VisaOnWeb
- Czech Republic
- Embassy of the Czech Republic — appointments requested by email on set dates
- Finland
- VFS Global, for Denmark — Denmark has taken Finland’s short-stay applications since 26 January 2026
- Greece
- Embassy of Greece — booked through the embassy’s own online system
- Croatia
- VFS Global — at the Dublin centre
- Poland
- Embassy of Poland — booked through e-Konsulat
- Hungary
- VFS Global — at the Dublin centre
- Bulgaria
- Embassy of Bulgaria — consular office, by appointment made by phone or email
Wherever you hand in the application, the embassy decides it. One change to note: since 26 January 2026 Finland's VFS Global page in Ireland sends short-stay applicants to Denmark's, which says it also represents Norway and Sweden.
How the booking systems work
VFS Global: the Netherlands, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Denmark for Finland
Each country has its own page, under visa.vfsglobal.com/irl/en followed by the country's code — the Netherlands' is /nld, for example. You create an account, choose the Dublin centre and the visa category, add each applicant and pick a date. Hungary's page asks you to apply at least 20 working days before you travel.
BLS International: Spain
Spanish applications are taken only by appointment at the BLS office in Dublin, booked on ireland.blsspainvisa.com, and the Spanish embassy accepts them only from legal residents of Ireland. BLS says appointments must be booked only on its own website.
VisaMetric: Germany
Since 20 May 2026 Schengen applicants register on VisaMetric's appointment waiting list and get a confirmation by email. In November 2026 the German embassy put the wait at about three months for tourism, family and friends visits and transit, and about one month for the other categories. VisaMetric's €30 service fee is paid in advance by card when you register; the date it then gives you cannot be changed, and the fee is refunded only if you cancel at least 72 hours before the appointment.
At the embassy
- France: appointments are booked online through TLScontact, on a new platform since 12 May 2026, and the application is lodged at the embassy. Book only once France is your main destination, your file is complete and you have validated the form on France-Visas.
- Italy: through the Prenot@mi portal only. The embassy says bookings are personal, nominative, non-transferable and completely free, and that any booking made another way is invalid.
- Portugal: through Portugal's e-visa portal. Family members of EU citizens can ask the consular section for a priority appointment by email.
- Belgium: with the “Make an appointment” feature in VisaOnWeb. Appointments are free, and cancellations and new dates appear there, so check it often; embassy staff cannot book an earlier date for you.
- Czech Republic: by email, sent on the date and at the time the embassy announces, to the address for your purpose of travel. The order of requests is random, and an appointment cannot be changed, only cancelled and requested again.
- Greece: on the embassy's own booking system, after registering with an email address. A slot is for one applicant or a family of up to two; write your travel dates and purpose in the comments.
- Poland: through e-Konsulat, where new slots open every Friday at 3 pm and every Tuesday at 6 pm.
- Bulgaria: the embassy's consular office sees visitors by appointment, made by phone between 2 pm and 4 pm on working days or by email.
When there are no dates
An empty calendar does not mean the route is closed. New dates appear when an embassy or centre releases them or someone cancels — Belgium's embassy says so outright — and most systems have no published schedule; Poland, with its fixed release times, is the exception. These are the options:
Check the visa centre portal yourself
Free
Who books: You
Log in, choose the centre and category, and look at the calendar. New dates appear when the centre releases them or someone cancels, so this means checking again and again.
Visa Catcher free channel (@UKVFSBot)Our service
Free
Who books: You
Posts new dates on Telegram for Finland, Hungary, Iceland and the Netherlands; you book them yourself.
Visa Catcher personal alertsOur service
€30 / 30 days
Who books: You
Telegram alerts for the route you choose, including routes the free channel does not carry. No passport details needed.
The routes we check are on the Ireland appointment board page.
Waiting lists, postal applications and urgent cases
- Germany's waiting list. Schengen appointments at VisaMetric are allocated from it, so register as soon as your dates are known.
- Denmark by post. If your fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa application, to Denmark or another country, within the last five years, Denmark's VFS Global page in Ireland lets you apply by post instead of attending an appointment; you confirm it in questions 26 and 27 of ApplyVisa and arrange it with VFS's customer care. The notice does not say whether this also covers Finnish applications lodged through Denmark, so ask VFS before you rely on it.
- Urgent cases are narrow. France grants emergency appointments only in exceptional circumstances and does not treat tourism, weddings or last-minute business trips as urgent; Belgium's embassy says tourism is never an emergency.
Booking is free: beware of appointment sellers
Several embassies in Dublin say this plainly. Italy's says it does not use external agencies or intermediaries to manage appointments and asks applicants to be wary of anyone offering paid assistance or alternative booking methods. Belgium's says it is not necessary to apply through an agency, and that an agency will not get you an earlier appointment or a quicker outcome. Germany's works with VisaMetric only and warns against third parties that charge for booking. BLS International asks applicants not to buy appointments from third parties. Book on the official system, in your own name, and pay only the fees it lists.
On the appointment day
- Bring the appointment confirmation, your passport, your IRP card and the full document set, with copies.
- Check the embassy's own format: Greece, for example, asks for the documents in an A4 envelope, in the order of its checklist, with a printout of the confirmation email.
- Expect fingerprints and a photo unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months.
- Pay the visa fee, and the service fee where a visa centre takes the application, if not paid already.
After that the embassy decides, usually within 15 calendar days. For the application itself, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from Ireland.
What applicants reported
Applicants in Ireland have reported 28 visa outcomes to Visa Catcher's statistics. Across all of them, the median time from appointment to passport back was 15 days, and 100% of those with a known outcome were approved. The most-reported destinations:
- Spain
- 6 reports, median 14 days · guide
- Germany
- 5 reports, median 15 days · guide
- Netherlands
- 4 reports, median 17 days · guide
- France
- 3 reports, median 5 days · guide
- Denmark
- 3 reports, median 21 days
How often new dates appear on the routes we check
Our monitors record every time new dates appear on a route we check in Ireland. These were the busiest over the last 90 days; each route's page has its own pattern.
- Dublin → Austria
- 208 releases on 82 days, typically about 6 hours apart
- Dublin → Switzerland
- 208 releases on 82 days, typically about 6 hours apart
- Dublin → Liechtenstein
- 208 releases on 82 days, typically about 6 hours apart
- Dublin → Slovenia
- 208 releases on 82 days, typically about 6 hours apart
- Dublin → Hungary
- 35 releases on 28 days, typically about 1.5 days apart
- Dublin → Netherlands
- 25 releases on 15 days, typically about 15 hours apart
- Dublin → Iceland
- 15 releases on 11 days, typically about 35 hours apart
Questions
- Which Schengen countries take visa applications at their embassy in Dublin?
- Of the 15 countries that receive the most applications in Ireland, France, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Bulgaria take them at the embassy. The Netherlands, Austria, Croatia and Hungary use VFS Global, Spain uses BLS International, and Germany uses VisaMetric.
- Where do I apply for a Finnish Schengen visa in Ireland?
- Since 26 January 2026, short-stay applications for Finland are lodged through Denmark, using VFS Global’s Denmark service in Ireland.
- Why are there no appointment dates?
- All released appointments are taken. New dates appear when the embassy or visa centre releases more or someone cancels, usually without a published schedule.
- Do I have to pay to book an appointment?
- No. The official booking systems are free: Italy says Prenot@mi bookings are completely free, and Belgium says its appointments are free. You pay the visa fee and, where a visa centre takes the application, its service fee.
Sources
- EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
- European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
- France-Visas: applying from Ireland
- TLScontact: France visa appointments in Dublin
- Embassy of Spain in Ireland: Schengen visas
- BLS International: Spain visas in Ireland
- German Embassy Dublin: short-term visa for Germany
- VisaMetric: Germany visas in Ireland
- VisaMetric Ireland: Schengen visa and the appointment waiting list
- VisaMetric Ireland: visa fee and service fee
- NetherlandsWorldwide: making an appointment in Ireland
- VFS Global Netherlands, Ireland: centre
- Embassy of Portugal in Dublin: consular section
- VFS Global Austria, Ireland: centre
- Embassy of Italy in Dublin: visas
- Embassy of Belgium in Ireland: visa FAQ
- Embassy of the Czech Republic in Dublin: visa appointments
- VFS Global Finland, Ireland: short-stay applications through Denmark from 26 January 2026
- VFS Global Denmark, Ireland (also representing Finland, Norway and Sweden)
- VFS Global Denmark, Ireland: postal application process (20 August 2026)
- Embassy of Greece in Dublin: visas
- VFS Global Croatia, Ireland
- Embassy of Poland in Ireland: C-type Schengen visa
- VFS Global Hungary, Ireland
- VFS Global Hungary, Ireland: centre
- Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: the embassy in Dublin and its consular office
Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.