The Irish government has announced that it is recalling nearly 13,000 passports due to a software error. The letters IRL are missing from these documents, which may result in them being refused at border controls.
The problem occurred with passports issued between December 23, 2025, and January 6, 2026. According to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, a technical problem arose during a software update, but exactly what went wrong has not been specified. The affected passports do not fully comply with international travel standards and must therefore be replaced.
A total of 12,904 passports issued during that period are not valid. These were not the only problems, as Ireland had previously also experienced a major malfunction in the Passport Online system. In November 2025, more than 50,000 applications were delayed due to a database synchronization error, according to The Irish Times.
Other countries have been informed
The ministry has informed all countries worldwide via the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Irish border control has also been notified of the problem. This measure is intended to prevent travellers with incorrect documents from encountering problems at eGates and border controls.
Affected customers have been informed by email and will receive a new passport in the coming days and weeks. Each new document will have a different passport number, so those affected should check this with any authorities where they have already used their current number. The Passport Service advises anyone who has recently received a passport to check the issue date on the page containing their personal details and photo.
The cost to the Passport Service of rectifying the error is still unknown. The ministry has not provided an estimate of the total cost of reissuing the thousands of travel documents.