Ireland’s Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) has brought back its popular Christmas-season travel waiver to ease pressure on the country’s over-stretched residence-permit system. From 8 December 2025 until 31 January 2026, non-EEA residents whose Irish Residence Permit (IRP) cards have expired may exit and re-enter the State – provided they submitted an online renewal application before the card ran out, carry the expired card, and show both the emailed renewal acknowledgement and ISD’s official Travel Confirmation Notice. Airlines, ferry operators and the Border Management Unit have already been briefed via IATA’s Timatic database, reducing the risk of refusals at check-in or the immigration desk.
The waiver is being re-introduced because plastic-card production backlogs have stretched to six weeks, and postal delivery can add a further fortnight. Last year’s pilot scheme covered about 12,000 travellers; officials expect more than 18,000 to use the facility this season as first-time registrations hit record highs. ISD says a public tender for next-generation biometric cards and automated fulfilment lines will be launched in Q2 2026 to prevent repeat bottlenecks.
One way to navigate those bottlenecks more smoothly is to enlist expert help. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) tracks ISD updates in real time, pre-screens renewal applications and can organise courier delivery of passports or supporting documents, giving both employers and travellers extra peace of mind when deadlines are tight.
![Ireland revives Christmas travel waiver for residents holding expired IRP cards]()
For employers, the notice is a critical safety-valve: December is peak home-leave time for foreign professionals, and the risk of staff being stranded abroad while waiting for a new card can derail projects. Global mobility teams are being advised to circulate the waiver quickly, ensure that renewal receipts are saved offline, and remind travellers changing planes in Heathrow, Dubai or other hubs that the Irish waiver does not override third-country visa rules.
Advocacy groups such as the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland welcome the practical relief but argue that the annual stop-gap highlights deeper structural issues in registration capacity. They want the Department of Justice to dedicate ring-fenced funding for extra staff and to accelerate the roll-out of self-service kiosks outside Dublin.
Practically, travellers should print the two-page Travel Confirmation Notice, keep it with their passport and expired IRP, and allow extra time at departure gates in case airline staff need to verify the policy. The Department’s dedicated helpline (+353 1 616 7700) will operate extended hours throughout December to deal with queries.
The waiver is being re-introduced because plastic-card production backlogs have stretched to six weeks, and postal delivery can add a further fortnight. Last year’s pilot scheme covered about 12,000 travellers; officials expect more than 18,000 to use the facility this season as first-time registrations hit record highs. ISD says a public tender for next-generation biometric cards and automated fulfilment lines will be launched in Q2 2026 to prevent repeat bottlenecks.
One way to navigate those bottlenecks more smoothly is to enlist expert help. VisaHQ’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) tracks ISD updates in real time, pre-screens renewal applications and can organise courier delivery of passports or supporting documents, giving both employers and travellers extra peace of mind when deadlines are tight.
For employers, the notice is a critical safety-valve: December is peak home-leave time for foreign professionals, and the risk of staff being stranded abroad while waiting for a new card can derail projects. Global mobility teams are being advised to circulate the waiver quickly, ensure that renewal receipts are saved offline, and remind travellers changing planes in Heathrow, Dubai or other hubs that the Irish waiver does not override third-country visa rules.
Advocacy groups such as the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland welcome the practical relief but argue that the annual stop-gap highlights deeper structural issues in registration capacity. They want the Department of Justice to dedicate ring-fenced funding for extra staff and to accelerate the roll-out of self-service kiosks outside Dublin.
Practically, travellers should print the two-page Travel Confirmation Notice, keep it with their passport and expired IRP, and allow extra time at departure gates in case airline staff need to verify the policy. The Department’s dedicated helpline (+353 1 616 7700) will operate extended hours throughout December to deal with queries.
