Making an application for international protection
To make an application for asylum, you can start the application as soon as you arrive to Ireland at the immigration control desk at the airport or the seaport, where you can request to seek asylum.
If you are already in Ireland, you can apply at the IPO on Mount Street in Dublin if you are travelling without children. If you travelling with children under the age of 18, you should apply at CityWest in Dublin.
The addresses are:
International Protection Office (IPO)
78-83 Lower Mount Street
Dublin
D02 ND99
Ireland
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 9.00 - 14.30
Citywest Convention Centre
Garter Lane
Saggart
Dublin 24
D24 KF8A
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 - 14:30
The ports of entry to Ireland include airports, such as Dublin Airport and Cork Airport, or sea ports, such as Rosslare. If a person crosses the land border with Northern Ireland, they may encounter ‘ad hoc’ (spontaneous) immigration checks by An Garda Síochána (Irish police), to whom they can request asylum. Otherwise, the person can visit the addresses above.
There is no difference in how an application is treated depending on where it is made and Ireland does not have a border procedure. For applications made at Dublin Airport, an initial application for international protection is registered and finger prints and a photograph are taken. The person is then referred to the IPO, where this step is repeated in a preliminary interview.
Preliminary interview
The first step in the international protection process is a preliminary interview. This typically happens as soon as you ask for asylum.
This preliminary interview collects basic biographical details (including name, gender, date of birth, nationality), general information about your reasons for seeking protection and your route taken in traveling to Ireland. Your fingerprints and a photograph will be taken. You will also be asked to provide ID documents, where possible. This information is collected in a form (IPF1), and you should check this form to make sure all the information is correct. You will then be requested to sign the form, confirming it is correct.
This preliminary interview will also examine your application’s admissibility to the international protection procedure. An application is not admissible to the international protection procedure in Ireland where any of the below situations apply:
- The applicant was granted refugee status or subsidiary protection status in another EU Member State;
- Another country that is not an EU Member State is a ‘first country of asylum’ (i.e. the person could have applied for asylum in that country before coming to Ireland);
- The applicant has travelled to Ireland from a safe third country. This includes the UK.
If it is found that your application is inadmissible, the decision can be appealed within 10 working days to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT).
As part of this preliminary interview stage, there is also an assessment to decide if the Dublin III procedure applies, this includes through checking fingerprints against the Eurodac database. Where it is found that you were previously in another EU Member State, your application will enter the Dublin procedure and you may get a transfer notification (see section on the Dublin procedure).
Typically after the preliminary interview, you will be given a Temporary Residence Card (TRC) and a copy of the IPF1 form.
Questionnaire
Once the preliminary interview is finished, you will be given a questionnaire to complete and this must be completed on the same day as the preliminary interview. You should stay at the IPO/CityWest to complete this questionnaire.
This questionnaire is currently only available in English. Cultural mediators are present at the IPO offices to assist applicants in completing the questionnaire. Interpreters are not always available.
This questionnaire collects much more detailed information on your claim for international protection, it asks questions about your life, including your family, your education and previous employment, and it asks for much more detail on your reasons for seeking protection in Ireland. Any relevant evidence (e.g. photos, police reports etc.) can also be submitted with the questionnaire.
This questionnaire is very important for the examination of your international protection claim, and so you should make sure that all relevant details are included. Nonetheless, you or your legal representative can also submit evidence on the application after the questionnaire is complete.
Accelerated applications
An application may be accelerated where you are from a country that is considered a ‘safe country of origin’. This means your application is processed faster than other applications and it means you might receive a date for the personal interview on the day you apply for international protection.
Please be aware that there are also shorter deadlines for seeking an appeal after the personal interview (see section below on appeals). In 2023, accelerated applications took a median time of 8 weeks to process.
The current list of safe countries of origin (as of 6 November 2024) includes:
- Albania
- Algeria
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Egypt
- Georgia
- India
- Kosovo
- Malawi
- North Macedonia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Serbia
- South Africa
Additionally, applications from the two top countries of origin of applicants are also accelerated. As of 6 November 2024, the two countries of origin are Jordan and Nigeria. This changes very frequently and so you should check the IPO website (www.ipo.gov.ie).
It should be noted, however, the IPO can decide that any application must be accelerated/prioritised where it considered this necessary.
Prioritised applications
An application can be prioritised for one of the following reasons:
• an applicant’s health,
• age (an unaccompanied minor or an elderly person),
• the existence of a medical-legal report in support of their case,
• country of origin (the list as of November 2024 includes Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen).
This means that the waiting time for an interview and a decision on the application is shorter. In some cases, there may not be an interview, with a decision made on the questionnaire alone.
If a person thinks their application should be prioritised and has not been, they should contact their legal representative who will contact the IPO.
Personal interview
If you are not in the accelerated procedure, you will receive the date for your personal interview by post. It is important that your consult a legal representative before you go to this interview and they should attend the interview with you.
The interview is held at the International Protection Office in Dublin or it can be held online, and it can last for a number of hours. If it is held online, you should use a laptop to connect and you should make sure you are in a quiet place so that you are not disturbed. If you do not have a laptop, you should ask your legal representative for help.
In the interview, there will be specific questions about your reasons for fleeing your home country and for seeking protection in Ireland. There are also questions on your life in your home country, your family, education, your previous employment and on the route you took to travel to Ireland. Your answers are checked against information submitted in the questionnaire and the documentation submitted. The questions will start slowly and will then get more in-depth. Take your time in answering the questions, and let the interviewer know if you need a break at any stage.
If your interview is in person, you will enter the room with your legal representative and there will also be an interpreter present, if necessary.
Decisions
After the interview, your entire application is examined by an international protection officer and a decision (called a ‘recommendation’) is taken on whether the your qualify for refugee status, subsidiary protection status or for humanitarian permission to remain.
First, a recommendation is made, and this is followed by a decision letter issued by the Ministerial Decisions Unit to the applicant. This decision will arrive by post.
If the decision is a refugee status declaration, a subsidiary protection status declaration or humanitarian leave to remain, you can proceed to register your status at your local Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) or an Immigration Office. You will then be issued with a Stamp 4 permission and an Irish Residence Permission (IRP) card. Depending on what status you were issued, you will have to renew this permission every year, every two years or every three years.
If you receive a decision that is negative or that your think is incorrect, you can make an appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. Appeals can be made where:
- You were not granted a refugee status declaration but you were granted a subsidiary protection status declaration – you can appeal the decision to refuse refugee status.
- You were not granted refugee status nor subsidiary protection status.
If you were in the regular procedure, you have 15 working days to launch the appeal and you should consult their legal representative in making an appeal. If your application was in the accelerated process, you have 10 working days to file an appeal (see section below on appeals).
Dublin Procedure
The Dublin procedure is the system to determine which Member State is responsible for processing an international protection application and for transferring an applicant to another EU Member State under the Dublin III Regulation.
The Dublin procedure applies if it is found that you were previously in another EU Member State prior to arriving in Ireland. This is determined on the basis of fingerprints, which they check against an EU-wide fingerprint database, as well as the information that you provide in your interviews and questionnaire.
If this procedure applies, a separate interview will be conducted with you. If they decide that another country is responsible for processing your application, the Irish authorities send a request to that country’s authorities. If they accept the request, then you will be notified of a decision to transfer you to that country and you may be required to go to an An Garda Síochána (police) station to sign a form every few weeks until you are transferred.
The Dublin procedure can also be used for family reunification if you wish to reunite with family members who are in another EU Member State.
Procedure
Ireland has six months to transfer you from the notification date. If this does not occur, you’re your international protection application is processed in Ireland. If a person absconds (does not report to authorities), after 18 months, Ireland is responsible for processing the application.
The decision to transfer can be appealed to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) within 10 working days. If the applicant appeals, it has suspensive effect. That means you cannot be transferred while the appeal is still happening. You can access legal assistance for the Dublin procedure (see the section on legal advice and representation).
People in the Dublin procedure are entitled to access accommodation while the process is ongoing.
The UK is no longer in the Dublin procedure system, however, there is a now similar system in place for transfers from Ireland to the UK. If it is found that you were previously in the UK, your application may be considered inadmissible and a return order to the UK may be issued. This system was suspended until mid-2024, but has since restarted. It is unclear, as of November 2024, how many persons had been transferred to the UK under this procedure.
Legal advice and representation
All international protection applicants can apply for free legal aid, including for legal representation for the personal interview.
An application must be made to the Legal Aid Board (LAB). There is an application form on the website (click here). You may have to pay a 10 euro fee, but this is often waived for international protection applicants.
The Legal Aid Board may give you an immediate appointment with a legal representative or they may schedule an appointment for a future date with you, depending on your case and when your personal interview is scheduled.
Appeals
Appeals are made to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT). Their office is located in Dublin:
International Protection Appeals Tribunal
6/7 Hanover Street East
Dublin
D02 W320
Ireland
Phone: 1800 201 458
When you receive a decision on your international protection application, and you are not happy with the decision, you can appeal it. In your decision letter, there will be a Notice of Appeal form. You must complete this form stating why you think the decision was incorrect. You should consult a legal representative when doing this.
There are different deadlines for appeals, so you should make sure you know the timelines that apply to your procedure.
Appeals must be made within the following timeframes (correct as of 14 November 2024, check for updates):
• Admissibility: 10 working days from decision.
• Accelerated: 10 working days from decision
• International protection/Leave to remain: 15 working days from decision.
• Dublin III Regulation: 10 working days from decision.
Depending on the type of appeal, some hearings are held in person and others are held online by a video link. You should use a laptop to do the appeal online and make sure you are in a quiet place. You can ask your legal representative if you can use their laptop. Note that some appeals are decided based on the papers submitted.
You should attend the hearing with your legal representative, an interpreter will also be present. There will also be a representative of the Minister of Justice who will present the reasons for the decision in your case. The hearing will be run by a Member of the Tribunal who will make a decision on the appeal case.
Please refer to the International Protection Appeal Tribunal’s website for further details: protectionappeals.ie/how-to-appeal/international-protection-appeals.
Where an applicant seeks to appeal the decision of the IPAT, this may be through a judicial review in the High Court. The applicant should consult their legal representative.