Your documents: IRP, passport & ISD3 min readReviewed

Lost or stolen IRP card: how to replace it

Report it to the Gardaí first and get a PULSE reference number. Then send ISD a query on the Customer Service Portal with that number, and a replacement can be posted to your home address. ISD can only do this while you're in Ireland.

Plan my replacement Read the guide
1 Garda report
For the PULSE number ISD asks for
3 months
How recent your proof of address should be
1 portal query
With your PULSE number, to ask for a new card
Plan my replacement

The short answer

  1. Report it to the Gardaí as soon as you can, and get a Garda PULSE reference number.
  2. Send ISD a query on the Customer Service Portal with that number.
  3. If ISD approves it, a replacement card is posted to your home address.

It’s the same for a lost card and a stolen one. ISD can only re-issue a card while you’re in Ireland.

Plan your replacement

Answer a few questions to see your steps in order, what to have ready, and what changes if you’re travelling or abroad.

Replacement planner

Your steps to a new IRP card, in order, for where you are and what's coming up.

What happened to your card?
Where are you now?
Do you need a visa to enter Ireland?
Did you lose your passport too?
Travelling abroad before a new card could arrive?

    Have these ready

        Worked out in your browser: nothing you enter is sent to us or saved. Based on ISD's guidance for lost, stolen and missing cards; ISD decides each request.

        Step 1: report it to the Gardaí

        Go to a Garda station: ISD says to check garda.ie to find yours, using the station directory. The Gardaí record the loss or theft and give you a PULSE reference number. Keep it safe: ISD needs it, and it’s useful if anyone asks for your card before the new one comes.

        Step 2: send ISD a query

        1. Log in to the Customer Service Portal and click Submit Query on your dashboard.
        2. Choose Registration & Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Cards, then Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Cards.
        3. Pick “My IRP card has been lost or stolen” and include your PULSE number.
        4. Have recent proof of your current address ready. ISD’s example is a utility bill dated in the last 3 months.

        Step 3: the new card comes by post

        If ISD approves a replacement, it’s posted to your home address. You can’t collect it. ISD doesn’t give a separate time for replacements; for new cards it says about 15 business days after approval.

        If you’re travelling soon

        • You don’t need a visa to enter Ireland: ISD says you can travel and ask for entry at the border without a valid card.
        • You need a visa: ask for an emergency re-entry visa through the portal, before you leave: choose Re-Entry Visas, then the emergency request for an adult. A lost or stolen card is one of the reasons ISD lists. Send a picture of your passport’s biometric page and your flight tickets, including connections. If ISD agrees, you get an appointment at the Dublin Registration Office to put the visa in your passport.

        ISD only considers this for a genuine, unforeseen urgent need, and only if your permission lasts until your return date.

        If you’re abroad

        ISD can’t re-issue a card to someone outside Ireland: ask for the replacement once you’re back.

        • You don’t need a visa: you can travel and ask for entry at the border without the card.
        • You need a visa: contact the nearest Irish embassy, consulate or visa office to apply for an emergency “D” entry visa to come back. ISD can’t give you a re-entry visa from abroad.

        If your passport went too

        Apply for a new passport through your own country’s embassy. When it arrives, tell ISD: choose My circumstances have changed, then “I have obtained a new passport”. ISD says you’re legally required to give it new passport details.

        If you need to renew while you wait for the passport, ISD says to upload your embassy’s confirmation that you’ve applied. You’ll likely get a shorter permission, and the rest once the new passport arrives. ISD’s renewal checklist also asks for a copy of your most recent IRP card: if yours is gone, ask ISD through a portal query what to send instead.

        Common mix-ups

        Common questions

        What do I do first if my IRP card is lost or stolen?

        Report it to An Garda Síochána as soon as possible. They record the loss or theft and give you a Garda PULSE reference number, which you need for your query to ISD.

        How do I ask ISD for a replacement?

        Submit a query on the Customer Service Portal: Registration & Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Cards, then Irish Residence Permit (IRP) Cards, then “My IRP card has been lost or stolen”. Include your PULSE number.

        How do I get the replacement?

        If ISD approves it, the replacement is posted to your home address. ISD may ask for recent proof of your current address, such as a utility bill dated in the last 3 months.

        I lost my card abroad. Can ISD send me a new one?

        No. ISD can't re-issue a card to someone outside Ireland. Ask for one after you're back. If you need a visa to enter Ireland, contact the nearest Irish embassy, consulate or visa office for an entry visa to return.

        I need to travel before the replacement arrives. What can I do?

        If you don't need a visa, ISD says you can travel and ask for entry at the border without a valid card. If you do, ask ISD for an emergency re-entry visa through the portal before you go. Your permission must last until you return.

        My passport was lost too. What else do I need to do?

        When you get your new passport, tell ISD through a portal query: My circumstances have changed, then “I have obtained a new passport”. You're legally required to give ISD new passport details.

        Is there a fee for a replacement card?

        ISD's guidance on lost and stolen cards doesn't mention one. ISD decides each request and will tell you if anything is needed.

        Sources

        All sources checked on 3 Oct 2026.

        1. Frequently asked questions for registration (lost or stolen cards, outside Ireland, travel, passports)Immigration Service Delivery
        2. Submitting registration or renewal queriesImmigration Service Delivery
        3. Travel and re-entry visasImmigration Service Delivery
        4. Renewing your registration if you live in the Republic of IrelandImmigration Service Delivery
        5. Immigration Act 2004, section 12 (production of documents), as amendedLaw Reform Commission (Revised Acts)
        6. Station directoryAn Garda Síochána
        Guidance, not advice. This guide explains the published rules in plain English. Rules and processing differ by case, so always check the current official instructions before you apply. On Path is not affiliated with Immigration Service Delivery or the Department of Justice.

        Plan your replacement.

        Your steps in order, for where you are and what's coming up.

        Plan my replacement