Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2026
42. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration his views on the ongoing delays in the processing of Irish Residency Permit renewal applications, in view of delays currently being experienced by applicants and taking into account that it may take up to a further 15 business days from when the application is completed to receive the new approved IRP card by post [48685/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Registration Office of my Department is currently experiencing an exceptionally high demand for first time registration appointments and immigration permission renewal applications.
I understand that the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, and I can assure the Deputy that my Department is exploring every avenue available to facilitate as many customers as possible and to increase processing capacity.
The Registration Office is open seven days a week to facilitate customers to process both first time registration appointments and online renewals. Additional staff have been assigned to this work, which has now begun to reduce the processing time for renewals. For certain categories of renewals, the processing time is now approximately 6 - 8 weeks from the time of initial application, with no category exceeding a wait time of 16 weeks.
The Registration Office provide a live application processing date broken down by stamp category, which is updated every Monday, and is available at the following link:www.irishimmigration.ie/registering-your-immigration-permission/how-to-renew-your-current-permission/renewing-your-registration-permission-if-you-live-in-the-republic-of-ireland/
While my Department endeavours to process applications as quickly as possible, processing times may vary due to a number of factors, such as the number of applications on hand, individual circumstances, the complexity of applications, whether further information is required, and peak application periods.
When an online renewal application or first time registration is successfully processed, the applicant can expect to receive their new Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card within the following 10-15 working days. If an applicant has not received their IRP card after 15 working days, they can contact the Registration Office using my Department’s Customer Service Portal.
Applicants can also directly check the status of their immigration application on the Portal, which can be accessed at the following link: https://portal.irishimmigration.ie/en/
The Registration Office has issued a notice to employers regarding the legality of employing someone awaiting renewal. If an employee’s IRP card has expired and they are unable to obtain a new one by the expiry date of their current IRP card, they are still legally permitted to remain in the State on their existing IRP card for a maximum of 12 weeks. This is subject to the applicant submitting their renewal application prior to their current IRP card expiring. Further information on this notice can be found here: www.irishimmigration.ie/notice-to-employers-regarding-employees-awaiting-renewal-of-their-irp-card/
In addition, customers may submit their renewal applications up to 12 weeks prior to expiry of permission, to allow sufficient time for an application to be reached and processed prior to a current permission expiring.
It is also open to any person to request to have their renewal application expedited due to extenuating circumstances, and they can do so by contacting the Registration team of the Department via the Customer Service Portal. They will need to explain their circumstances and the urgent need to travel and will be required to submit proof of travel, for example a flight booking and the reason of the emergency. All such requests are considered on a case by case basis.
