What is an IRP card?

The short answer

When you register your immigration permission, ISD posts you an Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card. It:

• proves you’re in Ireland legally;
• shows your stamp number, which sets what you can do here;
• lets you leave Ireland and come back while it’s in date.

It isn’t an ID card, it doesn’t give you new rights, and it doesn’t let you travel to or live in other EU countries. It used to be called the GNIB card.

Read your card

Tap a number to see what each part means, then choose your stamp and enter the expiry date on your card.

What’s on it

ISD says the card shows:

• your name, signature, photo, date of birth and registration number;
• a short description of your permission, including your stamp number;
• the date your permission expires;
• a microchip holding a copy of your photo, your fingerprints and your personal details.

The current design was introduced on 1 March 2022. The card in the reader above is an illustration, not the real design.

What it does, and doesn’t do

• It proves your permission. ISD says you should always carry it and show it to the authorities if asked.
• It’s your travel document for coming back. With an in-date card, visa-required nationals don’t need a re-entry visa: the card and your passport are enough. ISD says airlines accept it as proof of permission, and it replaces any need for a passport stamp.
• It isn’t an identity card.
• It doesn’t add rights. What you can do comes from your stamp and any conditions in your permission letter.
• It doesn’t open Europe. It doesn’t let you travel to or live freely in other EU countries.

Getting your card

• After a first registration, your passport is stamped at the appointment and your card comes by post.
• After an online renewal, ISD emails you to confirm, and your new card comes by post.
• It arrives in about 15 business days, not counting weekends and public holidays. One older ISD page says 10 working days for a first registration.
• You can’t collect it. Cards are made and posted by a third party, and ISD says it can’t speed up delivery.
• While you wait, your passport stamp (first registration) or confirmation email (renewal) shows you have permission.

How long it lasts

It depends on your permission. ISD gives examples: English language students get 8 months, and permissions based on an employment permit run to the permit’s anniversary. If your permission would end after your passport expires, ISD may register you only to the passport’s expiry date.

You can renew online up to 12 weeks before the card expires, and you lose nothing by renewing early.

If something goes wrong

• Not arrived after 15 business days: send a query on the Customer Service Portal. ISD may ask for proof of address dated in the last 3 months, and can reissue the card.
• An error on the card: send a query with the full details, and ISD can reissue it.
• Lost or stolen: report it to the Gardaí first and get a PULSE reference number, then send a query with that number. ISD can’t reissue a card to someone outside Ireland; if you need a visa, you’d need an entry visa from an Irish embassy to get back.
• Need to travel urgently without a card: if you don’t need a visa, you can travel and ask for entry at the border. If you do, contact ISD through the portal with proof of travel and the reason.

Children under 16 don’t register, so they don’t get a card. While re-entry visas for under-16s are suspended, they can travel with a parent or guardian who has permission to live here.

Common mix-ups

Common questions

Sources