Thousands of Irish passports invalidated by software issue

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Passports issued between 23 December 2025 and 6 January 2026 are missing the letters “IRL” and are therefore not compliant with international rules, according to The Irish Times.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said the problem was due to a “technical issue with a software update”.

As a result of the missing text, “there is a possibility that some passport holders may have an issue at eGates and border control when travelling”, the spokesperson added.

“The passport service sincerely regrets this issue and apologises to affected citizens for the inconvenience caused,” they continued.

Border authorities worldwide have been notified of the issue, as well as border officials in Ireland.

The spokesperson added: “The Passport Service has contacted affected customers by email to inform them of the issue and will be reissuing passports to them in the coming days and weeks.”