Ireland: Temporary Residence Permission Renewal Measures Extended Amid Processing Delays

July 23, 2026

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

  • Ireland has introduced temporary measures to address delays in Irish Residence Permission (IRP) card renewal processing, allowing eligible individuals with pending renewal applications to continue traveling and, where applicable, living and working in Ireland until August 31, 2026, even if their IRP card has expired.  
  • To benefit from these measures, individuals must have applied to renew their permission before their current IRP card expired and, for travel, must carry the Immigration Service Delivery travel notice alongside their expired IRP card; employment permit holders must also maintain a valid employment permit throughout the renewal process. Update – July 23, 2026. Irish authorities have further announced that Stamp 1 permission holders who applied for a Stamp 4 permission may continue to work pending finalization of the Stamp 4 application – even if both their Stamp 1 permission and their work permit have expired in the interim. 
  • These temporary arrangements end on August 31, 2026, after which expired IRP cards can no longer be used for travel or re-entry, and the standard 12-week Notice to Employers policy for pending renewal applicants will resume. 

The situation 

Ireland has introduced temporary measures to mitigate the impact of delays in Irish Residence Permission (IRP) card renewal processing, allowing eligible individuals to maintain their immigration status and certain travel and work rights while their renewal applications are pending. 

A closer look 

Amid extended processing times for Irish Residence Permission (IRP) card renewals, IRP card holders who have applied for renewal are subject to the following rules:  

New rule 

Impact 

Travel with expired IRP card. They can travel with an expired IRP card between July 13, 2026 and August 31, 2026.  

    • Affected individuals should both print the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD)’s travel notice and carry it with them when traveling, as well as check with their airline carrier prior to traveling to ensure the airline is aware of the travel notice and will accept both the notice and expired residence permission.  

 
  • Before August 31, 2026. Affected nationals will benefit from the interim provision by gaining the ability to travel with their expired IRP card, which currently takes 7-17 weeks to process. 
  • After August 31, 2026. Affected individuals will not be able to rely on their expired IRP card for travel purposes, and this may particularly affect visa-required individuals, whose IRP cards double as their re-entry visa for returning to Ireland.  

 
  • Remaining in Ireland. They can remain in Ireland and continue to work until August 31, 2026 even if their IRP card expires prior to that date, provided that they also have a valid employment permit or do not require an employment permit.  
  • This interim provision is subject to the employee providing proof that they have applied to renew their registration, including when changing stamp category, prior to their current IRP card expiring, and that all required documents, including a valid employment permit (where applicable), were uploaded with the application. 
  • Update – July 23, 2026. Expired work permit. Irish authorities have further announced that Stamp 1 permission holders who applied for a Stamp 4 permission may continue to work pending finalization of the Stamp 4 application – even if both their Stamp 1 permission and their work permit have expired in the interim. To be eligible, the applicant’s Stamp 1 status and their separate work permit must have not expired at the time of submitting their Stamp 4 application. 
  • Before August 31, 2026. Affected nationals will benefit from the interim provision by being able to remain and work in Ireland on an expired IRP card, as long as they apply to renew it. 
  • After August 31, 2026. Affected individuals will not be able to rely on this interim provision and instead the prior policy (called the 12-week Notice to Employers system, which allows employees to remain in Ireland for 12 weeks on their existing conditions while their renewal application is processed) will go into effect from that date. 

 

It is important to note that both the interim measure and the existing Notice to Employers policy will only apply where an individual has applied to renew their permission prior to the expiration of their current permission. Individuals currently on an employment permit will need to ensure their employment permit remains valid throughout the duration of their residence permission renewal to maintain their right to work. 

Background 

Processing times for IRP cards have been consistently increasing since the end of 2025 across all categories of stamp numbers, with the Stamp 4 category taking approximately 17 weeks to be processed. In December 2025, the ISD had extended the Notice to Employers grace period from eight weeks to 12 weeks to address the concerns of both employers and foreign nationals.  

Looking ahead 

Continued digitisation of the immigration system is expected in the coming months. Currently, all renewal applications for IRP cards have been centralised in Dublin through the ISD’s online application platform. Despite the centralisation, processing times have not decreased. It remains to be seen how further digitisation, alongside work towards a Single Permit procedure, will impact processing times. 

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen. 

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