Irish Passport Renewal in UK

Can I Renew my Irish Passport in the UK?

If you are living in the UK and have an Irish passport, you can renew your passport from the UK as long as you meet the eligibility criteria for doing so.

Note that the process for renewing a passport is not the same as first time applicants applying for their first passport.

If your passport for Ireland expired over five years ago, you will have to submit a first Irish passport application, rather than use the renewal passport service.

Adult Irish passports are valid for ten years from the month of issue. Your passport will be ready for renewal if:

• You have lost or damaged your current passport
• Your passport has been stolen
• You have changed your name
• Your passport will expire within the next 6-12 months.

Travelling with Less Than 6 Months Validity on Irish Passport

It is important to know that many countries around the world require that you have a minimum of 6 months validity on your passport before allowing you through immigration. This applies to popular tourist destinations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE), Bali (Indonesia), Thailand and Egypt.

Therefore, if you intend to travel to one of over 70 countries that hold this requirement, it is highly recommended that you renew your passport within the final 12 months of its validity.

Please note you can travel to and from Ireland from the UK, and within the EU, without a minimum validity requirement so long as your travel document is in date.

Different Types of Irish Passport Renewal Options

For most Irish citizen passport renewal applications, you will have to select one of the following routes:

• Adult passport renewal
• Child passport renewal
• Complex passport renewal

Child passport renewals tend to take longer than adult passport renewals as further documentation may be required as they age. Complex adult passport renewals are renewal options whereby additional documentation is required.

There are three types of Irish travel documents that you can apply for or renew:

• Standard electronic passports 
• Passport cards
• Second passports for business travellers.

Standard Electronic Passport

Standard Irish passports allow citizens of Ireland to travel internationally, and can be used as a document to confirm their personal and national identity as a citizen of Ireland and the European Union.

Adult passports are usually valid for 10 year periods and come in a standard or large (66 page) size. Child passports are issued to children under the age of 18 and are usually valid for only 5 years and also come in a standard and large size.

Passport Cards

You can apply for a passport card during your standard electronic passport renewal. Passport cards are the size of a credit or debit card and allow you to travel from Ireland and the UK to countries in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. These countries allow you to enter by just providing your passport card – you do not need to bring your passport book.

Second Passports

Second passports are available for individuals who travel frequently, usually for business purposes or who work in foreign affairs. This is because the embassies of certain nations sometimes need to keep a passport for an extended period whilst they process a visa application, so a second passport allows the frequent traveller to continue travelling during that timeframe.

How to Renew Irish Passport in the UK?

There are a few ways you can renew your Irish passport in the UK, including online, by post and in person if your renewal is urgent.

Renew Irish Passport Online

The easiest way to renew your Irish citizen passport from the UK is to apply online through the Passport Online service.

On the Passport Online service, the Passport Online service, you will have to give some basic details such as the type of passport you wish to apply for, the reasons for the renewal and if you are using the same name as was on your previous passport.

The entire online application process should take about ten minutes.

You will only require the following documents to submit a passport renewal application:

• Your current or expired Irish passport
• An up-to-date digital passport photo of yourself, taken recently to prove identity
• Your email address
• Fee payment (debit or credit card).

Usually, renewal passport applications don’t require other supporting documents, though the passport service reserves the right to request additional documents or evidence of the original documents at any stage of the application process.

Renew Irish Passport by Post

If you cannot use the Passport Online service, it is possible to submit a paper application through the Post Passport service.

To submit a passport renewal application using Post Passport, you must first obtain an APS 2E passport application form. This can be acquired from any of the following locations in the UK:

• An Irish centre
• The Passport Office, 114A Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4ES
• Consulate of Ireland, Edinburgh

Alternatively, if you contact the Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain, they will be able to post a form to you.

Once you have received your APS 2E form, you will have to fill it out completely. Once complete, you will have to take it to one of the following post offices:

• Cardiff Post Office, 83 – 85 Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 2NX
• Glasgow Post Office, 140 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2RD
• Liverpool Post Office, 1 – 3 South John Street, Liverpool, L1 8BN

You will only be able to deliver your form to these post offices in person.

Once you have submitted your form to the post office clerk, you will be asked to pay the application fee. The fee can be paid with cash or with a debit or credit card.

You will then be given a receipt with a tracking number on it.

Renew Irish Passport in Person

If you’re in the UK and you need to renew your Irish passport urgently, you can use the Urgent Appointment Service for Passport Renewal at the Irish Passport and Visa office in London. The full address for the office is 114A Cromwell Road, London, SW7 4ES.

To take advantage of this service, you must first make an appointment to visit the office online. Appointments are limited however, and are strictly offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you choose to use this service, the London office will offer a 5-day turnaround service.

Appointments should be made via the following website: https://urgentpassportappointment.dfa.ie/

Note that using this service will also incur an additional €75 appointment fee on top of the standard fee for renewing your passport.

How Long Does it Take to Renew an Irish Passport?

Turnaround time for renewing an Ireland passport depends on the type of application process you take.

Generally, the turnaround time for an online application will be as follows:

Adult renewal: 2 weeks (10 working days)
Child renewal: 3 weeks (15 working days)
Complex Adult renewal: 3 weeks (15 working days)
Passport card: 1 week (3-5 working days)

Ordinary or registered post office applications could take up to 8 weeks to process.

An online application tracking service is available to track the progress of your passport application renewal.

Though unlikely, please note that the Passport Service may request further documentation or amendments to your application form during the application process, which could cause delays in your anticipated application timeline.

You can also apply with us at IAS – our team can handle the entire process for you and offer any additional legal support you may require. Contact us online or call us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or +353 (0) 61 518 025.

How Do I Renew My Irish Passport If Lost, Damaged or Stolen?

If you are in the UK or overseas and have lost or damaged your passport, or if your passport has been stolen, you will need to get in touch with your nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate as soon as possible to report the issue.

You can also report your passport as lost, damaged or stolen during the online renewal application.

If you wish to speak with someone in-person or to renew your visa through paper form, in which you will be required to detail how your passport was lost, stolen or damaged by filling out Section 6 of the application form, you can book an appointment with your nearest Irish Consulate in the UK below:

England

Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain

17 Grosvenor Place
London
SW1X 7HR

Irish Embassy Passport and Visa Office

114a Cromwell Road (Ground Floor)
London
SW7 4ES

Consulate General of Ireland

14th Floor, 17 Marble St,
Manchester
M2 3AW

Scotland

16 Randolph Crescent
Edinburgh
EH3 7TT

Wales

2 Caspian Point
Caspian Way
Cardiff Bay
CF10 4DQ

If you are in a complicated situation with regards to your lost or stolen passport and require legal advice, support, or representation, IAS have a team of expert immigration lawyers that can help. Contact us online or call us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or +353 (0) 61 518 025 today.

How Much Does Irish Passport Renewal Cost?

When applying Irish passport online from the UK or another country abroad outside Ireland, there is an additional fee of €15 for postage.

Please note these prices do not include any potential additional fees, such as fees for obtaining or printing documents, travel, or legal fees. 

How Can IAS Help?

In most cases, renewing your Irish passport from the United Kingdom is a simple, quick and straightforward process, with minimal complications.

However, emergency circumstances or complications with the law can sometimes make passport renewals difficult. This can sometimes occur if you were born abroad or have citizenship in more than one country, or are facing legal or immigration issues. In these cases, you may require thorough legal guidance and support in order to navigate your passport challenges. If you are not in the United Kingdom and are in a country without an Irish consulate, your situation may be particularly challenging.

That’s why IAS is here. We have a team of expert immigration lawyers who are here to listen to your case and support and guide you through the entire process, and if necessary can represent your case if you find yourself in challenging legal circumstances.

Contact our expert team of immigration lawyers today by contacting us online or calling IAS on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or +353 (0) 61 518 025.