Thousands of Irish passports have been recalled after they were found to fall short of international travel standards. Irish citizens who had travel documents issued between December 23 and January 6 have been warned they could face problems at border control because of a “technical issue with a software update”. Ireland‘s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the issue could impact up to 12,904 passports distributed between the two dates in a statement on Saturday.
While government officials did not elaborate on the details of the technical fault, the Irish Times reported that the relevant documents were missing the letters “IRL”. The DFA said the error could cause issues for travellers at eGates and apologised for the inconvenience caused.
The government department said affected customers would also be contacted via email to inform them of the issue and have their passports reissued in the coming days and weeks.
Those impacted have also been asked to return their passports by post to the Irish Passport Service in Dublin.
Irish passport holders living abroad or with imminent travel plans can alternatively contact the DFA’s customer service team for further guidance.
“Due to a technical issue with a software update, passports issued between December 23, 2025, and January 6, 2026, inclusive, are not fully compliant with international travel standards and there is a possibility that some passport holders may have an issue at eGates and border control when travelling,” a government spokesperson said.
“The passport service sincerely regrets this issue and apologises to affected citizens for the inconvenience caused,” they added.
“In order to mitigate against any possible travel issues, the passport service has notified border authorities worldwide through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as well as Irish Border Management.”
