The mandatory hotel quarantine information line is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Please call +353 1 613 1744
Mandatory Hotel Quarantine is a temporary and exceptional measure which was introduced given the risks of COVID-19 to human life and public health. On your arrival into the State, you must quarantine in a designated hotel if you:
- have been in, or transited through, a designated State within 14 days prior to your arrival; even if you have a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to your arrival or
- have been in any other country and arrive without valid evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to your arrival or
- do not have valid evidence that you first tested positive for COVID-19 with a RT-PCR test taken no more than 180 days and less than 11 days prior to your arrival or
- are not an exempt traveller
It is important to note that the list of designated States will be subject to change at short notice and passengers are required to check the list before travelling to Ireland, to be sure of their obligations.
Before you travel, you must book and pay for your accommodation in a designated hotel. If you are unable to pay, you can apply to an Irish Embassy or Consulate for authorisation for a deferral of payment. You may subsequently apply for an exemption from charges on grounds of financial hardship.
| If you have been in: | Mandatory Hotel Quarantine if: | Duration |
| A designated State within 14 days prior to your arrival into Ireland, even if you only transited through that State | You arrive without proof of either full vaccination or recovery or other exemption. A negative test result alone is not sufficient. | You must quarantine in the hotel for a full 14 days. This may be ended early if your ‘Day 10’ test result is negative. If you receive a positive test, you may be required to remain in quarantine in the hotel for a further 14 days from the date of the test or from the date you first experience symptoms, provided you are fever-free for the last 5 days. This 14-day period can be reduced if, following assessment by a public health doctor, it is determined that you no longer pose a risk to others of infection from COVID-19 |
| Non-EU/EEA States which are not designated | You arrive without valid proof of either full vaccination, recovery or a negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. | If your ‘Day 1’ result in quarantine is negative, you will be released once your result is confirmed (usually within 2-3 days). If your ‘Day 1’ result in quarantine is positive, you will have to remain in quarantine in the hotel for 10 days beginning on the day of your arrival or for a shorter period if following assessment by a public health doctor it is determined that you can isolate in your place of residence. |
| EU + EEA Countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) | You arrive without valid proof of either full vaccination, recovery or negative RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. | If your ‘Day 1’ result in quarantine is negative, you may be released once your result is confirmed (usually within 2-3 days). If your ‘Day 1’ result in quarantine is positive, you will have to remain in quarantine in the hotel for 10 days beginning on the day of your arrival or for a shorter period if following assessment by a public health doctor it is determined that you can isolate in your place of residence. |
On your arrival into the State, you must quarantine in a designated hotel if you:
- have been in, or transited through, a designated State within 14 days prior to your arrival; even if you have a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to your arrival or
- have been in any other country and arrive without valid evidence of a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to your arrival or
- do not have valid evidence that you first tested positive for COVID-19 with a RT-PCR test taken no more than 180 days and less than 11 days prior to your arrival or
- are not an exempt traveller
Unless you are exempt, if you arrive from Northern Ireland and if you have been in a designated State in the previous 14 days, you must pre-book your stay in a designated facility. You are responsible for making your own way to the facility within four hours of your arrival in the State. This is the case in addition to any hotel quarantine requirements which you may have been required to fulfil in Great Britain, before arriving to Ireland or Northern Ireland.
If you have a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate, you do not have to undergo Mandatory Hotel Quarantine once the certificate is based on valid full vaccination (see below table for conditions), a negative RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival or if it proves you first tested positive for COVID-19 no more than 180 days and no less than 11 days prior to your arrival into the State.
You do not have to enter Mandatory Hotel Quarantine if you are fully vaccinated, per the conditions summarised in the below table. In this situation, any dependents travelling with you, including children under the age of 18, will also be exempted from Mandatory Hotel Quarantine.
| Vaccine | Regarded as vaccinated after: |
| 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech Vaccine: BNT162b2 (Comirnaty®) | 7 days |
| 2 doses of Moderna Vaccine: CX-024414 (Moderna®) | 14 days |
| 2 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine: ChAdOx1-SARS-COV-2 (Vaxzevria® or Covishield) | 15 days |
| 1 dose of Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Vaccine: Ad26.COV2-S [recombinant] (Janssen®) | 14 days |
You are not obliged to enter Mandatory Hotel Quarantine if you have valid evidence that you have recovered from COVID-19. This could be a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate or a COVID-19 certificate that has been issued by a non-EU Member State and has been officially recognised as equivalent to the EU Digital COVID Certificate through an implementing Act of the EU Commission.
Other valid proof of recovery may also be accepted if it contains certain data such as full name, date of birth, date of first relevant positive test result, country in which the test was carried out, certificate issuer, dates certificate valid from (not less than 11 or more than 180 days after the date of first positive test result) and expiry date.
The exemptions to the requirement to undergo Mandatory Hotel Quarantine are for those who are:
- in possession of a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate based on full vaccination or other valid evidence of full vaccination
- in possession of a valid EU Digital COVID Certificate based on recovery from COVID-19 or equivalent evidence
- the dependant of, and are accompanying a person with a valid certificate of vaccination or valid evidence of recovery
- arriving in the State in the course of their duties and who hold a valid Annex 3 certificate (ensuring the availability of goods and essential services)
- drivers of heavy goods vehicle arriving in the State in the course of their duties
- airline pilots, aircrew, maritime master or maritime crew and who arrive in the State in the course of performing their duties
- travelling to the State pursuant to an arrest warrant, extradition proceedings or other mandatory legal obligation
- member of An Garda Síochána or Defence Forces travelling to the State in course of their duty
- a person 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
- a person 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
- transit passengers who do not leave the port or airport before leaving the State
- persons travelling to the State to compete in a Sports Ireland certified sports event
- an adult resident of Ireland who is accompanying a child who was not born in the State and has never previously been in Ireland, travelling for the purpose of becoming ordinarily resident in Ireland
- a person who is returning to Ireland having gone abroad for unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive medical reasons and in possession of medical certification of this. Cosmetic procedures are highly unlikely to meet this standard
To qualify for the exemption on medical grounds, the medical reason for travel to the State must be all of the following:
- unavoidable: that is, not elective
- imperative: that is, urgent and essential
- time sensitive: that is, the medical condition or medical need which is the reason for travel is such that a delay in treatment would cause irreparable or very significant harm
A registered medical practitioner or person with equivalent qualifications outside the State must assess and certify the medical reasons claimed. Practitioners should bear in mind that all three conditions must be met – the reason must be unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive. Not all medical needs or treatments will meet these conditions, so it is important to consult your doctor before travelling to confirm that he or she will be able to provide the appropriate certification.
If your medical situation does not meet this test or if you do not have appropriate medical certification, you would not be exempt from Mandatory Hotel Quarantine. Both elements must be satisfied – you must have medical certification and must also be able to satisfy border control staff that your treatment was ‘unavoidable, imperative and time-sensitive’. Cosmetic procedures, for example, are very unlikely to meet this standard.
However, you can still, after entering Mandatory Hotel Quarantine, request a review of your quarantine on grounds of your medical needs. Further information on the review (appeals) procedure is set out below.
RT-PCR test means a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test, the purpose of which is to detect the presence of COVID-19, or the virus SARS-CoV-2, in the person to whom it is administered.
Lateral flow tests (LFT) and rapid antigen diagnostic tests (RADT), commonly referred to as antigen tests, are not sufficient for this purpose and therefore are not acceptable.
Unless you are exempt, on your arrival into Ireland, if you are over the age of 12, you must provide evidence of a negative (‘not detected’) result from a RT-PCR test conducted within the 72 hours prior to your arrival in the State.
Alternatively, if you have recovered from COVID-19, a valid positive RT-PCR test may be accepted, including evidence of the first positive test result being no more than 180 days and no less than 11 days prior to your arrival.
The evidence will need to be in English or Irish (or an official translation) and will need to include data such as:
- full name
- date of birth
- date of first relevant positive test result
- country in which the test was carried out
- certificate issuer
- dates certificate valid from (not less than 11 days or more than 180 days after the date of first positive test result)
- expiry date
A person in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine is required to take an RT-PCR test for COVID-19 within 36 hours of arrival at the designated facility; and again on the tenth day of Mandatory Hotel Quarantine, calculated on the basis of 24-hour periods from the time of your arrival at the designated facility. COVID-19 testing is free of charge for all persons in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine.
You may be guilty of a criminal offence if you:
- fail to pre-book accommodation in a designated facility prior to your arrival
- fail to present for Mandatory Hotel Quarantine on your arrival
- resist being brought to quarantine
- leave a designated facility without authorisation
- given false or mis-leading information to a relevant person in connection with Mandatory Hotel Quarantine
If you are found guilty of any of these or other relevant offences, you can be fined up to €2,000, imprisoned for one month, or both.
Book your mandatory hotel quarantine using the link below.
Every person in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine has the right to seek a review of their quarantine and to seek an early release. See information on the grounds on which requests for review may be made.
Requests for review can be based only on a limited number of grounds and public health remains a paramount consideration.
If you are currently in Mandatory Hotel Quarantine, and the country from which you have travelled is removed from the list of designated States, you are required to complete the full period of hotel quarantine required.
However, you will be entitled to a full refund if after your pre-booking has been made, the country you intended to travel from or through has been removed from the list of designated States prior to your arrival.
You will also be entitled to a full refund if you the country you have travelled from or through has been removed from the designated States list on the day of your arrival and you have not been in or transited through any other designated State in the 14 days prior to your arrival.
The list of designated States will be subject to change at short notice and passengers are required to check the list before travelling to Ireland, to be sure of their obligations.
Mandatory Hotel Quarantine is a 12 Day non-refundable package. If you receive a negative (‘not detected’) Day 10 RT-PCR test result that allows you to depart prior to the expiry of the 12-day period, no refund will be due. If your test result is delayed there will be no additional charges. Any room service deliveries, or purchases that you make will be at your own expense.
If you receive a positive (‘detected’) result from your Day 10 RT-PCR test, your period of quarantine will be extended. If your period of quarantine is extended in this way, the cost of your accommodation for any extended period of quarantine will be covered by the State. However, throughout your full stay, any additional room service deliveries, or purchases that you make will be at your own expense.
If you are no longer travelling, and if you cancel your booking at least 48 hours prior to the time and date of your expected arrival using the cancellation link on your confirmation email, you will be entitled to a full refund.
If you cancel your booking with less than 48 hours notice prior to the time and date of your expected arrival, you will incur a charge of €200 and the remaining balance will be refunded. Cancellations within 48 hours must be made via email to reservations@quarantinehotelsireland.ie
If you become fully vaccinated prior to your expected date of arrival, you are no longer required to enter Mandatory Hotel Quarantine, and you will be entitled to a full refund.
If you were correctly obliged to go into Mandatory Hotel Quarantine but subsequently you were free to leave on appeal for another reason (for example: on humanitarian or medical grounds) then the unused balance of nights will be refunded.
If an Appeals Officer, or a Court of law rules that you should not have been subject to Mandatory Hotel Quarantine in the first place, then a full refund will be given regardless of how long you have already stayed in mandatory quarantine. You will still be liable for any additional room service deliveries or purchases that were made during your stay.
If you depart the designated facility early and without permission, you will not be entitled to a refund. A person found guilty of this offence and/or other relevant offences may be liable for a fine of up to €2,000, imprisonment for one month, or both.
Department of Health Mandatory Hotel Quarantine Handbook
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