13,000 Irish Passports Recalled: Will Technical Glitch Block International Travel?

January 10, 2026 at 01:31 AM•2 min read

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has recalled 12,904 Irish passports issued between December 23 and January 6 due to a software error, warning holders may face travel issues at border control.

Key Points

112,904 Irish passports issued between December 23, 2025, and January 6, 2026, were recalled due to a software error.
2The passport service technical issue resulted in documents not being compliant with international travel standards, risking failure at eGates border control.
3The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued an ICAO notification to border authorities worldwide to mitigate passenger travel disruption.
4Affected citizens must return their documents for a free replacement, which the Passport Service aims to issue within ten working days.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has issued a major recall notice. This action affects nearly 13,000 recently issued Irish passports. The recall is due to a passport service technical issue involving a software update. This error means the documents are "not fully compliant with international travel standards".

Key Details of the Passport Recall

The DFA confirmed that 12,904 passports were impacted. These documents were printed and issued between December 23, 2025, and January 6, 2026. The core technical fault is believed to be a misprint. Specifically, the letters 'IRL' are reportedly missing from the Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ). This crucial data is required for automated border processing.

Passport holders are warned they "may have an issue" at eGates border control. This is a significant risk for those with imminent travel plans. The error could cause major passenger travel disruption at airports globally.

Mitigation and Aviation Industry Notification

The Passport Service has apologized for the inconvenience caused. To mitigate potential travel problems, the DFA took immediate action. The service notified border authorities worldwide through the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This ICAO notification aims to inform global border management systems. It helps ensure affected travelers are processed manually if necessary. The DFA also notified Irish Border Management directly.

This incident highlights the importance of strict compliance with ICAO standards. Non-compliant travel documents can severely slow down airport operations. For more information on regulatory issues in travel, visit our commercial aviation news section.

Instructions for Affected Citizens

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has contacted all affected citizens via email. Holders do not need to submit a new passport application. They are instructed to return their faulty passport book and card (if applicable) immediately. The Passport Service aims to reissue the corrected documents swiftly. Replacements are expected to be issued within a maximum of ten working days. A new passport number will be assigned to all reissued documents. SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan urged those impacted to return their passports quickly. He stressed the need for the Passport Office to prioritize replacements.