The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFA) hosted its flagship Consular Forum at Iveagh House on 11 December, bringing together officials from the US State Department, the EU External Action Service, NGOs and the travel sector to exchange best practices on assisting nationals overseas. Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond opened the event, whose theme was “Crisis Planning and Response, Collaboration, and Consular Assistance.”
Discussions centred on lessons learned from recent global crises—including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Sudan evacuations and extreme-weather events—that have tested Ireland’s consular services. DFA officials outlined upgrades to the TravelWise app, new rapid-deployment teams and a strengthened 24/7 Emergency Assistance Unit designed to handle simultaneous incidents.
For multinationals with Irish assignees, the Forum’s outcomes signal tighter coordination between government and the private sector during crises. Corporate security managers will gain clearer points of contact and faster access to evacuation support when incidents occur. The DFA also previewed a pilot programme to share anonymised traveller-location data (with consent) during high-risk events—a move welcomed by travel-risk consultancies.
![Consular Forum focuses on crisis-response lessons for Irish citizens abroad]()
Businesses looking to streamline travel documentation in tandem with these enhanced crisis-response measures can turn to VisaHQ. The platform’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a one-stop service for up-to-date visa requirements, e-visas and passport renewals, ensuring travellers remain compliant while organisations focus on duty of care during fast-moving situations.
The travel industry used the event to push for more real-time border-control information, citing confusion during the recent Storm Bram flight cancellations. DFA officials committed to closer liaison with Dublin Airport and airlines to ensure that alerts reach both holiday-makers and business travellers sooner.
Companies are advised to review their crisis-management plans in light of the new DFA capabilities: verify that emergency-contact information for travelling staff is up to date, integrate TravelWise alerts into duty-of-care platforms and consider signing up for the pilot data-sharing scheme once details are published in early 2026.
Discussions centred on lessons learned from recent global crises—including the Israel-Gaza conflict, Sudan evacuations and extreme-weather events—that have tested Ireland’s consular services. DFA officials outlined upgrades to the TravelWise app, new rapid-deployment teams and a strengthened 24/7 Emergency Assistance Unit designed to handle simultaneous incidents.
For multinationals with Irish assignees, the Forum’s outcomes signal tighter coordination between government and the private sector during crises. Corporate security managers will gain clearer points of contact and faster access to evacuation support when incidents occur. The DFA also previewed a pilot programme to share anonymised traveller-location data (with consent) during high-risk events—a move welcomed by travel-risk consultancies.
Businesses looking to streamline travel documentation in tandem with these enhanced crisis-response measures can turn to VisaHQ. The platform’s Ireland portal (https://www.visahq.com/ireland/) offers a one-stop service for up-to-date visa requirements, e-visas and passport renewals, ensuring travellers remain compliant while organisations focus on duty of care during fast-moving situations.
The travel industry used the event to push for more real-time border-control information, citing confusion during the recent Storm Bram flight cancellations. DFA officials committed to closer liaison with Dublin Airport and airlines to ensure that alerts reach both holiday-makers and business travellers sooner.
Companies are advised to review their crisis-management plans in light of the new DFA capabilities: verify that emergency-contact information for travelling staff is up to date, integrate TravelWise alerts into duty-of-care platforms and consider signing up for the pilot data-sharing scheme once details are published in early 2026.
