Eligibility Quiz
Application Process
You apply for refugee status in person at the point of entry to Ireland or at the International Protection Office in Dublin. The process unfolds in several stages: an initial interview where you provide basic information, completion of a detailed questionnaire, a substantive interview where you explain your claim, and finally a decision by the Minister for Justice based on the International Protection Officer's recommendation. If refused, you can appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal within 10 working days.
Initial Application and Preliminary Interview
Apply in person as soon as possible after arriving in Ireland, either at your port of entry (airport or seaport) or at the International Protection Office, 79-83 Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2, D02 ND99.
If you're a family with a child under 18, you must apply together at the Citywest Convention Centre, Dublin 24 (requirement in effect since 8 October 2025).
During this interview, an International Protection Officer will ask you about:
- Whether you wish to apply for international protection and your general grounds
- Your identity, nationality, and date of birth
- Your country of origin or former habitual residence
- How you travelled to Ireland and by what means
- Why you came to Ireland
- Your legal basis for entry or presence
The officer will collect your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph) and check it against EURODAC, the EU fingerprint database, to see if you've previously applied in another European country.
Questionnaire Completion
On the same day as your preliminary interview, you'll complete the International Protection Questionnaire (IPO2) with help from an interpreter or cultural mediator provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This questionnaire asks you to explain in detail why you're seeking international protection. Take your time with this—your answers form the foundation of your claim.
Temporary Residence Certificate (TRC)
Once your application is accepted as admissible, you'll receive a Temporary Residence Certificate (TRC). This document proves you've applied for protection and gives you permission to remain in Ireland while your case is processed. It contains your name, date of birth, nationality, and photograph.
Personal Interview (Substantive Interview)
This is your main opportunity to tell your story. An International Protection Officer or trained panel member will conduct a private interview, either in person or by video conference, in a language you understand.
What happens during the interview:
- You provide a full account of why you fear persecution
- A written record is made of everything you say
- The record is read back to you so you can correct any errors
- You must sign each page to confirm accuracy
- If you have a legal representative, they may attend to observe but cannot answer questions for you
- If you're under 18, a guardian or TUSLA representative must be present
Important: If you fail to attend an interview without reasonable cause and don't provide an explanation within 3 working days, the IPO will make a decision based only on information you've already submitted. This can seriously harm your case, so attend all scheduled interviews.
IPO Recommendation
After your interview, the International Protection Officer writes a report recommending one of three outcomes:
- You should be given a refugee declaration
- You should not be given refugee status but should be given subsidiary protection (for people facing serious harm but not persecution)
- You should be given neither refugee nor subsidiary protection status
This recommendation goes to the Ministerial Decisions Unit of the Department of Justice.
Ministerial Decision
If the IPO recommends refugee status, the Minister for Justice will normally follow that recommendation and issue a refugee declaration. You'll receive written notification of the decision.
If the IPO recommends refusal, you'll receive written notification with the reasons and information on how to appeal.
Appeals Process
If your application is refused, you can appeal to the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT). You must lodge your appeal within 10 working days of receiving the refusal notification.
Note: Under the International Protection Bill 2026 (expected to become operational by 12 June 2026), IPAT will be replaced by a new Tribunal for Asylum and Returns Appeals (TARA), with expanded use of video hearings and the same 10-day appeal deadline.
Fees
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Application for refugee status | Free |
| Registration of Stamp 4 (Refugee) permission | Waived |
| Irish travel document (if needed) | €55 |
Total estimate: €0 for the application and registration; €55 only if you need to travel outside Ireland and cannot obtain a national passport.
Does not include: Private legal representation (available free through the Legal Aid Board if your income is under €18,000 per year), document translation costs, or accommodation (free through the International Protection Accommodation Services, though working asylum seekers have been required to contribute up to €238 per week towards accommodation costs since November 2025).
Processing Time
Current processing times (as of March 2026, under the International Protection Act 2015):
Standard cases (non-accelerated):
- First-instance decision: approximately 74 weeks (17 months)
- Appeal decision: 11–14 months
- Total end-to-end: approximately 2 years 8 months
Accelerated cases (applicants from designated safe countries):
- First-instance decision: approximately 21 weeks (5 months)
- Appeal decision: 11 months
- Total end-to-end: approximately 15 months
Designated safe countries of origin (subject to accelerated processing): Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, South Africa, Algeria, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, India, Malawi, and Morocco. If you're from one of these countries, you must demonstrate serious grounds for considering your country not to be safe in your particular circumstances.
Processing times under the International Protection Bill 2026 (expected operational by 12 June 2026):
- First-instance decision: 3 months (target)
- Appeal decision: 3 months (target)
- Total target: 6 months for standard cases
- Border procedure (for manifestly unfounded claims from safe countries): 12 weeks total
During a pilot phase in summer–autumn 2025, cases from designated safe countries were processed in an average of less than 60 days.
Factors that affect processing speed:
- Whether you cooperate fully with the process (attending all interviews, providing requested information)
- How complete your application is (missing documents cause delays)
- Your country of origin (safe country applicants are prioritized)
- Complexity of your case (cases involving judicial reviews take longer)
- Availability of interpreters in your language