Ireland’s passport service is to introduce a new reminder system next year to alert people when their passports are approaching their expiry date.
The service, expected to launch in 2027, will be available to people applying for their first passport as well as those renewing an existing document.
However, the new system will not be able to remind holders of passports issued before 2027. Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee said data protection requirements mean the reminder service can only apply to passports issued after the new system is introduced.
At present, there is no dedicated system notifying Irish passport holders that their documents are due to expire. Travellers are responsible for checking their own passport validity before travelling.
Minister McEntee said the Passport Service already uses public information campaigns to encourage people to check their documents and apply for renewals well ahead of planned travel.
She confirmed that, from 2027, applicants will have the option of signing up for electronic communications, including reminders about passport expiry dates.
“Along with other upgrades to the passport service’s systems, in 2027 citizens applying for a passport for the first time or renewing their passport will be able to opt in to receive electronic communications, including passport expiry reminder notices,” she said.
The minister said the opt-in arrangement was necessary because of data protection obligations surrounding personal information.
“My department has a statutory obligation from a data protection perspective to only use personal data, which may include home addresses or email addresses, where it is satisfied the data is accurate and up-to-date,” she said.
She added that the department could not simply rely on contact details provided when a passport was issued many years earlier.
“Unlike car tax or travel insurance, adult passports expire every 10 years and individuals’ circumstances or contact details may have changed in the interim,” Ms McEntee said.
The announcement comes shortly after the Government unveiled a redesigned Irish passport and passport card featuring a range of new security measures.
Almost €8 million has been invested in new security technologies, printing equipment and designs as part of the overhaul. The changes include a completely redesigned data page and new artwork throughout the passport.
The updated document features hand-drawn illustrations of native Irish wildlife, including a red fox, hare, puffin, pine marten, badger, blue tit, otter, red squirrel and robin.
The passport pages also contain features that become visible under ultraviolet light, alongside additional security elements designed to make the documents more difficult to counterfeit.
An Irish wolfhound is featured inside the passport cover, with the image produced using tactile raised ink as part of the new design.
