Ireland’s Passport Recall: The Missing ‘IRL’ Code

Recently, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs faced a significant issue as nearly 13,000 passports had to be recalled due to a printing defect caused by a software update.

This printing error rendered the passports non-compliant with international travel standards, posing potential readability issues at automated border gates.

Issue with ‘IRL’ Code

According to government statements, passports issued between December 23 and January 6 may fail at eGates and border control systems worldwide due to the missing ‘IRL’ code. This prompted a global alert via the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and initiated a mass re-issuance program.

The government confirmed that 12,904 Irish passports issued during this period may not meet international travel standards fully due to the software update issue.

Affected holders are advised to return their passport books (and cards, if applicable) for a free replacement, with new documents expected within approximately 10 working days to avoid any future travel disruptions.

While the exact location of the missing “IRL” code hasn’t been specified, references to ICAO compliance and potential failures at eGates strongly suggest that the error impacts the machine-readable zone (MRZ) of the passport.

Understanding the MRZ

The MRZ, located at the bottom of the passport’s bio page, contains essential data scanned by various systems, including airline and border control. It encodes information such as document type, issuing country, passport number, nationality, date of birth, and checksums for document integrity verification.

If the “IRL” code is missing or incorrect in the MRZ, automated systems may reject the passport, regardless of its visual appearance or embedded chip.

For immediate assistance, travelers can contact the Passport Office customer service via email at passportreturn@dfa.ie or by calling +353 (0) 1 613 1780.

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