About Northern Ireland

Key facts

If you want to find out more information about Northern Ireland, you'll find lots of useful and interesting statistics on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) website.

Public and bank holidays

Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public Holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice, such as Christmas Day. 

Find out about the bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland:

• Bank holidays

Nationality and citizenship

Northern Ireland is part of the UK. The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement) was based on a series of fundamental principles. These include the birthright of the people of Northern Ireland to identify and be accepted as British or Irish, or both, and to hold both British and Irish citizenship.

You can find out more about the different types of citizenship at the following links.

• British citizenship
• Irish citizenship 
• Dual citizenship

Government

There are different levels of government in Northern Ireland. For example:

• local councils that look after things like bin collections and leisure centres
• the Executive and Assembly who run the government and pass laws
• the UK Parliament at Westminster
• Overview of government in Northern Ireland

Coming to Northern Ireland to visit, study or work

If you want to come to Northern Ireland to visit, study or work, you may need to apply for a visa through UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI).

You'll find a handy tool on the GOV.UK website to check if you need a visa.  Simply enter the country that issued your passport or travel documents and what you want the visa for, for example work, study or visiting. The checker will tell you if you need a visa and give you information on how to apply. 

• Check if you need a UK visa

You may also find the following links useful.

• Working in Northern Ireland
• Permission to work in Northern Ireland
• Visiting Northern Ireland to marry or form a civil partnership

Visiting Northern Ireland

There are lots of things to see and do in Northern Ireland. You'll find everything here, from natural wonders like the Giant's Causeway, to stunning lakelands in Fermanagh and magnificent sandy beaches along the coastlines. There's also the great food, culture and warm welcome that awaits you in the cities and towns.

• Discover Northern Ireland

Get statistical information about your neighbourhood

You can search the Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS) using a postcode, street or area to view summary statistics for that area.

• Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service (NINIS)

You can also view statistics by searching for topics or themes, for example, births or census. 

Postcodes

You can find a list of Northern Ireland postcodes at the following link:

• Northern Ireland postcodes