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Welcome to the Irish SOLVIT Centre

SOLVIT is an informal problem-solving network created to solve problems that EU citizens or businesses are experiencing with the public administrations of EU Member States. These problems must be associated with a denial of their Internal Market rights due to Internal Market law not being applied correctly.

How SOLVIT works

Unfair rules or decisions and discriminatory red tape can make it hard for you to live, work or do business in another EU country. Thus, if you, as an EU citizen or business from another EU country, face extra obstacles caused by a public authority which isn't doing what is required under EU law -- then SOLVIT can help. SOLVIT will contact the authorities to find practical, out-of-court solutions to your problem. This video explains how SOLVIT works, what to do to use it and what assistance you can expect from SOLVIT.

Latest News

Taking Care of Business: Free advice and information for businesses Thirty State bodies and services will be ready to give expert advice and information to SMEs, start-ups and entrepreneurs at Taking Care of Business, a free one-stop-shop event taking place on Wednesday November 8 in the Printworks Conference Centre in Dublin Castle.
Register now at www.takingcareofbusiness.ie.

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Travel Notice

SOLVIT Ireland has been in contact with the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) regarding the delay in processing EU Treaty Rights applications at the Dublin Visa Office and at the Embassies and Consulates. INIS are making every effort to process EU free movement applications on an accelerated basis, however, processing times can vary and due to an extreme volume of applications, and there is now a backlog which they are working hard to address.


SOLVIT presently cannot offer any additional assistance with these cases as no EU application will be prioritised by INIS over any other. All EU applications are being dealt with in turn, and will be processed to a conclusion in due course.

SOLVIT was set up as an informal problem solving network and it has no legal or enforcement powers. SOLVIT cannot insist or take an action against any Irish authority in areas where they will not meet the requirements of EU law.

The next option available for applicants is to submit a formal complaint to the European Commission in relation to the Irish authority's inability to meet the terms of the Directive and issue visas for qualifying family members under the accelerated process. Please follow the link below:
http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/applying-eu-law/make_a_complaint_en.htm

There are SOLVIT Centres in each EU country and in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. SOLVIT aims to solve people's problems within a 10 week deadline.

As SOLVIT represents an informal approach to problem solving, the SOLVIT system would not be used in situations where:

  • Legal proceedings are under way
  • The problem relates to a legal obstacle e.g. where the problem concerns an obstacle which results from a legal provision of national law. In this situation, it is unlikely that an informal system such as SOLVIT will be able to provide redress
  • Where deadlines under national law need to be respected

The Irish SOLVIT Centre is not an information service. If you require further information please click on the external links to relevant organisations and bodies on the right of our home page.

Please also note that the Centre is not a public office.

Please note that the disclosure of citizens’/businesses’ details and documentation by the Irish SOLVIT Centre are, in almost every case, essential to the handling and resolution of the problem.