245. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the basis on which the €300 fee for Irish Residence Permit (IRP) renewals is determined; the total revenue generated from IRP renewal fees annually over the past five years; whether he is considering any reduction or restructuring of these fees, particularly in cases where individuals hold multi-year employment permits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44698/26]

I can advise the Deputy that Section 9 of the Immigration Act 2004 provides that a register of non-nationals who have permission to be in the State (in general for a period of 3 months or longer) shall be established and maintained by registration officers. It also provides that a non-national is required to pay a fee to the registration officer for the issue of a registration certificate.

The Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card provides a person with a secure immigration document that includes individual biometrics indicators protected by a sophisticated encryption system and showing the holders’ immigration status in the State. This high-quality secure document is easily recognisable for employers and Government agencies alike. It certifies that a person is legally registered with the Irish immigration authorities and provides details of the immigration permission held.

It is normal practice throughout EU Member States to charge a fee for immigration services. The current registration fee has remained unchanged since 2012 and is subject to a range of exemptions insofar as certain groups of applicants are concerned.

An applicant is exempted from the fee if they:

• A minor under 18 at the time of registration

• A spouse, widow or widower of an Irish citizen

• A civil partner or surviving civil partner of an Irish citizen

• A spouse or dependent of an EU national who has a residence permit

• A Programme Refugee or a person granted Refugee Status under Section 47(1) of the International Protection Act 2015

• A person granted Subsidiary Protection under Section 47(4) of the International Protection Act 2015

• A person granted Permission to Remain under Section 49(4)(a) of the International Protection Act 2015

• A family member reunited with a recognised refugee in Ireland under Section 56 of the International Protection Act 2015

• A person who has been granted a change of permission due to domestic violence

The issuance of the IRP card is the final act of a legal and administrative process involving consideration of the applicant’s particular circumstances and reason for wishing to reside in the State, by a number of different Units in Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) of my Department. The registration fee of €300 is designed to reflect the totality of that effort and cost in processing immigration residence permissions. These costs are above and beyond the cost of the physical production of the card itself.

While all immigration matters are kept under constant review, currently, there are no plans to reduce the fees as suggested by the Deputy.

I can inform the Deputy that, since 13 January 2025, all nationwide first-time registrations of Irish immigration residence permissions are the responsibility of the Registration Office of ISD of my Department. Furthermore, since November 2024, all renewals of immigration permissions transferred to ISD and are done using my Department’s online platform, meaning that applicants from across the country no longer have to attend in person at their local Garda Station.

The table below details the total revenue generated for both first time registrations and immigration permission renewals from 2021 to 2025. These figures include applications processed by both my Departments Registration Office and An Garda Siochana, prior to the transfer of registration functions.

A breakdown between first time registrations and renewals is not readily available.

see note, figures are correct at time of issue, however, all statistics may be subject to data cleansing. Figures rounded to the nearest thousand,