Sinn Féin renews call for Irish passport office in Northern Ireland amid record application numbers

Figures released by the Department of Foreign Affairs show residents of Northern Ireland lodged more than 120,000 Irish passport applications in 2024—a 15 % year-on-year increase. In response, Sinn Féin MP Dáire Hughes today reiterated party demands for a dedicated passport office north of the border, arguing that applicants face unnecessary delays and travel costs when compelled to use Dublin, Cork or London.

The surge is driven by post-Brexit mobility needs: an Irish passport restores EU freedom-of-movement rights for UK-based professionals who frequently travel to client sites across the single market. Employers in Belfast’s growing fintech cluster report that holding an Irish passport cuts visa-paperwork for business visits to EU partners and simplifies staff secondments.



Currently, urgent one-day processing requires an in-person visit to Dublin, a logistical headache for companies sponsoring last-minute travel. Establishing a Belfast office would mirror the UK Passport Office model, decentralising services and improving resilience during weather or security-related transport disruptions.

The Department says online renewals average 16 working days, but first-time or lost-passport applications still take up to 12 weeks. Stakeholders argue a Belfast counter could halve those times by eliminating courier legs and enabling same-day biometrics. A feasibility study is expected early next year.

If approved, the new office would be Ireland’s first passport facility outside the State—another sign of deepening cross-border integration and a potential model for future satellite centres in high-demand diaspora hotspots such as New York and Sydney.