The Border Management Unit (BMU) is responsible for frontline immigration functions at Dublin Airport. Other airports and other ports of entry are the responsibility of An Garda Síochána.
Dublin Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe and handled over 18 million arriving passengers in 2025. There is significant pressure to ensure consistent delivery of service at all points of entry, in particular Dublin airport which accounts for approximately 85% of all air passenger arrivals into the State.
Immigration officers are responsible for carrying out border management functions in order to protect the integrity of the State’s immigration system and ensure compliance with immigration law. In performing these functions, officers may briefly question passengers, including Irish citizens, for the purpose of confirming identity, nationality, and travel history, and to establish the circumstances of their arrival, where necessary. Such checks are routine and form part of standard operational procedures and are intended solely to support the safe and efficient management of the border.
While Irish citizens have an unrestricted right to enter the State, all persons arriving at the border are required to engage with immigration officers and comply with reasonable requests made in the course of these checks.
All these measures ensure that border controls operate fairly, consistently and efficiently for all passengers.
The BMU welcomes customer service feedback and will facilitate improvements in the provision of service where this is deemed to be necessary. Further information regarding the Border Management Unit’s customer feedback procedure can be found on the Immigration Service Delivery website at www.irishimmigration.ie/at-the-border/bmu-customer-service-feedback/.
