# Irish passport card
The **Irish passport card** is a travel document the size of a credit card that Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs issues, allowing Irish citizens to travel without their passport book to every EU Member State, to the EEA countries (Iceland, [Liechtenstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/liechtenstein), and Norway), to Switzerland, and to the United Kingdom.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) It is a passport in card format, fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations concerning requirements for passports in card format, and it is available only to citizens who already hold a valid [Irish passport](https://www.edgepedia.org/irish-passport) book.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) • [2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | A credit-card-sized Irish travel document, valid instead of the passport book in the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and the UK[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) • [3](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/passports/irish-passports-an-overview/) |
| Launched | Applications opened online on 2 October 2015[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/) |
| Validity | 5 years at most, matching the passport book's expiry if less than 5 years remain[2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/) |
| Fee | €35; the fee schedule also lists passport-plus-card bundles[5](https://www.dfa.ie/passports/fees/) |
| Application | Online only, through the website or a free mobile app[6](https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/january/irish-passport-card/) |
| Standards | Fully compliant with ICAO requirements for passports in card format[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) |
| Issuance | Rose from 12,559 cards in 2015 to a peak of 162,096 in 2022[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) |
## History and introduction
The card was announced by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2015 as available from mid-July 2015 to Irish citizens over 18 who hold a valid Irish passport, with a maximum validity of 5 years (or the remaining validity of the holder's passport book) at a cost of €35.[6](https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/january/irish-passport-card/) In the event, online applications opened on 2 October 2015, when [Minister](https://www.edgepedia.org/minister-government) for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan launched the card for travel within the thirty countries of the European Union and [European Economic Area](https://www.edgepedia.org/european-economic-area).[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/) Contemporary coverage described it as the first of its kind in Europe.[7](https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/1005/1531990-passport-card/)
The passport book remains required for all other foreign travel, including to the United States.[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/)
## Physical and security features
The card is a polycarbonate document supplied by HID in Galway, produced by a consortium led by DLRS with security design and app development by Absolute Graphics and Purple Pod; photographs were checked by biometric algorithms against ICAO standards.[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/) Security features incorporated advice from An Garda Síochána and included an embedded hologram photo on a strip on the reverse of the card, described at the time as the first use of this security feature on travel documents.[6](https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/january/irish-passport-card/) Coverage of the launch also noted thermochromic ink among features designed in Ireland.[7](https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/1005/1531990-passport-card/)
**Specification documented in 2021.** According to the PRADO registry maintained by the Council of the EU, the version recorded on 14 October 2021 had a reverse bearing a "SealCrypt" 2D barcode for data verification, replacing the optically variable silver reflective strip, alongside a second image of the holder done in laser engraving and an overprint in red ultra-violet ink.[8](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/prado/en/IRL-TO-01003/index.html) The card is fully compliant with ICAO regulations concerning requirements for passports in card format.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/)
## Validity and where it can be used
The card is valid for travel to all EU Member States, the EEA members (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.[2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/) It lasts 5 years at the most, and matches the expiry date of the holder's passport book if less than 5 years of validity remain.[2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/) Because EU member states cannot make extra rules about what makes a passport or identity card valid, or for how long, the card need not meet a minimum remaining-validity threshold to enter another EU state.[3](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/passports/irish-passports-an-overview/) The passport book must still be used for all other foreign travel, including to the United States.[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/)
## Application, fees, and renewal
Applications can be made only online or through the free mobile app on a phone or tablet.[6](https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/january/irish-passport-card/) The card is available to all Irish citizens who hold a valid Irish passport book, and the personal details on the card must be an exact match of the details in the passport book.[2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/) At launch, the passport book had to have at least 30 days of validity for a card application, and the Passport Service estimated processing within 20 to 25 working days, with capacity for 3,000 applications per week.[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/)
The fee is €35.[5](https://www.dfa.ie/passports/fees/) The Department's fee schedule lists standard and large passport-plus-card bundles, alongside a standard 10-year passport at €75.[5](https://www.dfa.ie/passports/fees/) At launch the fee was €35 plus a credit-card transaction cost, with delivery outside Ireland costing approximately €5 extra.[4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/) The advertised turnaround time for card-only applications is 10 working days, and the average processing time in August 2026 was 4 working days.[9](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-09-16/79/)
## By the numbers
Annual issuance recorded in parliamentary answers shows overall growth from launch, despite a decline in 2020, followed by a post-pandemic plateau at a much higher level: 12,559 cards in 2015, 24,801 in 2016, 37,674 in 2017, 56,360 in 2018, 87,123 in 2019, 66,945 in 2020, 120,540 in 2021, and a peak of 162,096 in 2022.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) Volumes since then have remained near that peak: 150,004 in 2023, 157,375 in 2024, 154,994 in 2025, and 125,437 up to 14 October 2026.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/)
## How it compares with other travel documents
Against the Irish passport book, the card differs in format and scope: it is credit-card sized and usable only within the EU, EEA, Switzerland, and the UK, while the book is required for all other foreign travel.[3](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/passports/irish-passports-an-overview/) • [4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/) The UK Home Office characterizes it as a travel document, similar in size to a credit card, that Irish citizens can use for certain travel instead of the standard passport book when traveling in the European Union and the European Economic Area.[10](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ireland-knowledge-base-profile/ireland-knowledge-base-profile) The card is tied to an existing passport book and cannot be held on its own.[2](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/)
## What has changed since 2023
Issuance has stayed close to the 2022 peak, with 150,004 cards in 2023, 157,375 in 2024, and 154,994 in 2025.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) In June 2026 the Minister for Foreign Affairs launched a next-generation passport book and card, and border authorities worldwide were advised of the updates.[1](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/) The card fee remains €35, with an advertised turnaround of 10 working days as of September 2026.[9](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-09-16/79/)
## References
1. [Passport Services – Parliamentary Questions (34th Dáil), 20 October 2026, Oireachtas](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-10-20/186/)
2. [Passport Card, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland.ie](http://www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/passport-card/)
3. [Irish passports – an overview, Citizens Information](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel-and-recreation/passports/irish-passports-an-overview/)
4. [Minister Flanagan Launches Irish Passport Card for Use in 30 European Countries (2 October 2015), Department of Foreign Affairs, archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211005055337/https:/www.dfa.ie/news-and-media/press-releases/press-release-archive/2015/october/minister-flanagan-launches-irish-passport-card/)
5. [Passport Fees, Department of Foreign Affairs](https://www.dfa.ie/passports/fees/)
6. [Minister Flanagan announces Irish Passport Card, Department of Foreign Affairs](https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/our-work/casestudiesarchive/2015/january/irish-passport-card/)
7. [RTÉ Archives | Society | Passport Card](https://www.rte.ie/archives/2025/1005/1531990-passport-card/)
8. [Document IRL-TO-01003, PRADO, Council of the European Union](https://www.consilium.europa.eu/prado/en/IRL-TO-01003/index.html)
9. [Passport Services – Parliamentary Questions (34th Dáil), 16 September 2026, Oireachtas](https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2026-09-16/79/)
10. [Ireland: Knowledge Base profile, GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ireland-knowledge-base-profile/ireland-knowledge-base-profile)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › International relations › Diplomatic practice › Diplomacy concepts and methods › Protocol, precedence, and diplomatic terminology*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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