A new Freedom of Information release from the Department of Foreign Affairs and reporting by the "7LÁ", a current affairs show on the Irish language TV station, TG4, reveal a striking split in passport trends last year. The total number of passport applications in 2025 fell to 933,121 from 1,061,629 in 2024, a decline of about 12 percent, while applications from citizens living outside the State rose from 200,609 to 270,077, an increase of almost 35 percent.
Officials point to the lingering effects of Covid 19 travel restrictions and the five year validity of children's passports as factors in the drop in domestic renewals. The Department note that the policy changes and pandemic era renewals mean fewer child passport applications reappeared in 2025, but the surge in overseas demand suggests a rebound in international travel and administrative updates by the diaspora.
Use of the Irish language on passport applications remained extremely rare. Only 302 applications were made through Irish in 2025 compared with 372 in 2024. That equates to roughly 0.03 percent of the nearly one million applications processed last year.
The data also include a county by county breakdown of passports issued in 2025:
Antrim - 27,971
Armagh - 8,175
Carlow - 7,196
Cavan - 9,087
Clare - 13,808
Cork - 64,559
Derry - 14,377
Donegal - 18,821
Down - 20,521
Dublin - 165,430
Fermanagh - 3,354
Galway - 31,138
Kerry - 16,465
Kildare - 31,274
Kilkenny - 10,932
Laois - 9,800
Leitrim - 3,652
Limerick - 23,186
Longford - 4,596
Louth - 16,852
Mayo - 14,932
Meath - 26,395
Monaghan - 7,206
Offaly - 8,809
Roscommon - 7,569
Sligo - 7,617
Tipperary - 18,104
Tyrone - 10,582
Waterford - 14,367
Westmeath - 10,550
Wexford - 18,410
Wicklow - 19,290
Gender splits in 2025 were close with 451,335 applications confirmed female and 481,786 confirmed male. Reports also show 32,230 lost passports replaced and 2,712 stolen passports replaced. A small number of passports were revoked or refused due to fraud or other reasons. The figures sketch a picture of an Irish state still adapting to pandemic era effects while a globally dispersed citizenry updates travel documents in growing numbers.
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