- Over 500,000 Irish passports issued in January-June 2026.
- Dublin county recorded 93,223 passports, the highest total.
- Six counties issued 50,000 passports combined.
- Antrim ranked third nationally with 17,986 passports.
- Online passport service available to 100pc of citizens worldwide.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has issued over 500,000 Irish passports during the first six months of 2026, with county-level data revealing Dublin as the primary source of applications. Figures released for the period January to June showed 367,471 passports issued, with the six counties accounting for 50,000 of that total. This compares with annual issuance of 65,000 British passports in the six counties.
Dublin county recorded 93,223 passports, the highest of any county, followed by Cork on 35,257 and Kildare on 17,571. Antrim registered 17,986 passports, the third-highest figure across all 32 counties and the largest in the north.
The distribution across the six counties showed Down with 13,004 passports, Derry with 8,019, Tyrone with 5,769, Armagh with 5,021 and Fermanagh with 1,935. In the 26 counties Galway issued 16,543 passports, Meath issued 14,774, Limerick issued 12,524 and Wicklow issued 10,736. Counties with lower totals included Leitrim on 1,923 and Longford on 2,361. The data confirmed that urban centres and commuter belts around Dublin generated the highest application volumes, reflecting population densities and travel patterns.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee appealed to citizens to verify passport validity before making travel bookings. The Department confirmed that the online passport service remains available to all citizens worldwide and that applicants since late June have received the newly designed passport book and card. The Passport Service processed applications rapidly, with the Minister advising that checks should occur well in advance of departure dates and ideally before flight reservations.
