Patrick Costello
Question:828. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 746 of 11 July, if she will consider reducing the cost of IRP cards under budget 2024. [36057/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
Questions (828, 833, 890)
Patrick Costello
Question:833. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 476 of 11 July 2023, if she will provide details of the ongoing review of the fee structure, the form it takes and the outcome of the most recent review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36237/23]
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Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Question:890. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice the projected cost of reducing the Irish residence permit to €75; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37037/23]
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 828, 833 and 890 together.
I can inform the Deputies that the standard registration fee of €300 payable by an applicant is designed to reflect the effort and cost, above and beyond the cost of producing the card itself, in processing registrations. An applicant is exempted from the fee if they -
- Have refugee status
- Have subsidiary protection status
- Have leave to remain under Section 49 of the International Protection Act 2015
- Are under 18
- Are resident based on your marriage to an Irish citizen
- Are a family member of an EU citizen
The Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, granted following a successful registration, certifies that a person is legally registered with the Irish immigration authorities and provides details of the immigration permission held, for example a Stamp 1 or 4, etc. In addition where a person has an in date IRP card, there is no requirement to apply for a re-entry visa when returning to the State after a short period abroad.
The Registration Office of my Department also provides an online renewals portal that speeds up the renewal process and a customer service team that is available to support customers.
The cost of registration has not increased since 2012; however, the fee structure is kept under ongoing review by my Department, as part of ordinary financial planning and budgeting.
Insofar as the question of reducing the cost for application and issuance of an IRP from €300 to €75 is concerned, this would result in a 75% reduction in fees generated. It is estimated that this would cost approximately €42m at 2022 levels of registration activity.
Question No. 829 answered with Question No. 779.