In a bid to ease summer travel worries for thousands of non-EEA nationals living in Ireland, Minister for Justice and Migration James Brophy has issued a special Travel Confirmation Notice that carriers and immigration authorities must accept alongside a recently expired Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. The measure, announced on 13 July 2026, recognises that the Burgh Quay Registration Office in Dublin is facing renewal backlogs of up to 17 weeks. Holders who submitted an online renewal application before their card expired may now leave and re-enter Ireland between 13 July and 31 August 2026 by presenting three documents: the expired IRP, the printed Travel Confirmation Notice, and the e-mail receipt that shows the renewal was filed on time. The Department of Justice has written to all airlines and foreign missions advising them of the temporary arrangement. Travellers are still urged to contact carriers in advance and to check whether any third-country transit points will honour the notice. Emergency re-entry visa services remain available for unplanned departures that fall outside the initiative’s parameters. For global mobility managers the notice removes a major pain-point: employees with pending renewals can continue to undertake business travel without waiting for their new cards to arrive. However, companies should update travel policies to ensure staff carry the correct paperwork and should diarise the 31 August cut-off, after which the concession lapses. The department has hinted that further digital upgrades to the registration system are underway, but warned that processing times may remain high through the autumn as volumes remain “exceptionally strong.”
Source: Immigration Service Delivery
