GNIB card renewal 2026: how to renew your IRP

The GNIB card no longer exists. It was replaced on 11 December 2017 by the Irish Residence Permit (IRP), so if you are searching for “GNIB card renewal” what you need is an IRP renewal — done entirely online, for €300, through Immigration Service Delivery.

Renew at inisonline.jahs.ie, run by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Here is the process, the real waiting times, and the concessions about to run out.

Read this first: two concessions expire on 31 August 2026

ISD is working through a serious backlog, and two temporary measures announced on 13 July 2026 are holding people up meanwhile. Both end on 31 August 2026.

The Summer Travel Confirmation Notice lets you travel internationally on a recently expired IRP between 13 July and 31 August 2026, provided you applied to renew before your card expired. Print the notice and carry it with your expired card and renewal confirmation email.

The interim Notice to Employers lets you keep working and remain in the State on your expired card’s conditions until 31 August 2026 — regardless of how many weeks have passed — as long as you applied before expiry and uploaded all required documents, including a valid employment permit where one applies.

After 31 August the standard Notice to Employers resumes, covering 12 weeks from your card’s expiry date. The travel notice simply ends: if you plan to return to Ireland after 31 August 2026 and you are a visa-required national, you will need a “D” entry visa from the nearest Irish embassy or consulate to get back in.

What the IRP card is

A credit-card-sized plastic card proving you are legally resident in Ireland. It shows your name, signature, photo, date of birth and registration number, a description of your permission including your stamp number, and a microchip holding your photo and fingerprints.

ISD is explicit that it is not an identity card, that it gives you no new rights (your permission does that; the card records it), and that it does not let you travel to or live in other EU countries. Carry it at all times and show it if asked.

How to renew your IRP

All renewals in the Republic are online — no in-person appointment, no Garda station visit.

Apply up to 12 weeks before expiry and use that window: your new permission runs from your current expiry date, so nothing is lost by applying early. Stamp 2 students must wait until their course has started. You must be in Ireland to apply, and if two family members are renewing, each submits separately.

Log in at inisonline.jahs.ie, select the Registration Renewal form, upload digital copies of your documents (a scan or clear photo is fine), pay any fee by card, and submit.

Everyone needs the biometric page of their passport and the front and back of their current IRP. Beyond that it depends on your stamp — students need enrolment letters, fee receipts, attendance records and private medical insurance (travel insurance is not accepted for renewals); employment stamps need the permit and contract.

After submitting, you get an acknowledgement email with a unique OREG number and payment receipt. Keep it. When approved, a separate “application completed” email arrives — that is your proof of registration while you wait for the card.

What it costs

€300 per person, by credit or debit card only, for both first registration and renewal.

You pay nothing as a minor under 18 (16-to-18-year-olds are exempt across all stamps); a spouse, widow, widower or civil partner of an Irish citizen; a spouse or dependant of an EU national with a residence permit; a Programme Refugee or person with Refugee Status, Subsidiary Protection or Permission to Remain under the International Protection Act 2015; a family member reunited with a recognised refugee; or someone granted a change of permission due to domestic violence.

Watch this trap: Stamp 4 as the de facto partner of an Irish national, and Stamp 4 as the parent of an Irish citizen child, both cost €300. The waiver is narrower than people assume. If your application is rejected, ISD refunds the fee.

How long renewal actually takes

Longer than the official pages suggest. ISD says processing exceeds 17 weeks for some categories, then adds up to 15 business days more for the card to arrive by post. The useful number is not an average — it is the submission date ISD is currently working on, published per stamp and updated every Monday. As shown on 1 August 2026:

Stamp category	Processing applications submitted on	Roughly
Stamp 1, 1H	21 July 2026	~2 weeks
Stamp 1G	5 May 2026	~12 weeks
Stamp 2, 2A, 1A	2 May 2026	~13 weeks
Stamp 4	21 March 2026	~19 weeks
All other categories	12 May 2026	~12 weeks

Applications are processed strictly in date order within each stamp category, so there is no queue-jumping and no point chasing. Check the live figures on the ISD renewal page before planning around a date, and track your own at the Customer Service Portal. Do not request expedited processing for a holiday — ISD only considers that in genuine, unforeseen emergencies, with proof such as a flight booking.

What to do if your IRP has expired

It hinges on one question: did you apply to renew before the card expired?

If you applied in time, you are covered. Until 31 August 2026 you can keep working on your old card’s conditions however long you have waited, and travel using the Summer Travel Confirmation Notice. From 1 September, the standard protection is 12 weeks from expiry. Show your employer the OREG acknowledgement email and the ISD notice.

If your permission expired before you applied, the interim notice does not apply. Contact the Registration Office through the query system.

One useful extra: if you were eligible for a Stamp 4 upgrade when you applied — for example after 57 months on a General Employment Permit or 21 months on a Critical Skills Employment Permit — and hold a recently expired Stamp 1 while your Stamp 4 renewal is queued, you are covered and do not need an employment permit to keep working.

Registering for the first time

First registration is not online-only. Your landing stamp gives you 90 days to register. Book through the ISD customer portal — you can create the account before you travel. Appointments are at the ISD Registration Office, Burgh Quay, Dublin, normally available within two to three weeks. If you cannot get one inside the 90 days, ISD will not cancel your permission or expect you to leave while you wait.

Travelling on an IRP

An in-date IRP lets you leave and return to Ireland freely. A visa-required national holding a valid IRP needs no visa to come back; a non-visa-required national needs neither visa nor card, but should carry evidence of a submitted renewal at the border.

Two hard limits: a digital copy is not accepted for travel — you need the physical card — and the IRP gives you no free movement in the EU, so every destination’s own entry rules still apply. If you are relying on the Summer Travel Confirmation Notice and transiting a third country on the way back, check that country will accept the notice before buying tickets. ISD flags this specifically, and it is where people get stranded.

Frequently asked questions

Is the GNIB card the same as the IRP?

In effect, yes. The Garda National Immigration Bureau card was replaced by the Irish Residence Permit on 11 December 2017. ISD no longer uses the GNIB name, so search for “IRP”.

How much does it cost to renew a GNIB or IRP card?

€300 per person by credit or debit card. Many categories pay nothing, including spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens, family members of EU citizens, refugees, people with subsidiary protection, and under-18s.

Can I renew my IRP at a Garda station?

No. All renewals in the Republic are online at inisonline.jahs.ie. In-person renewal appointments are no longer part of the process.

How long does IRP renewal take in 2026?

It depends on your stamp. As of 1 August 2026, Stamp 1 renewals run about two weeks and Stamp 4 about 19 weeks, plus up to 15 business days for the card to arrive.

Can I work or travel if my IRP card has expired?

Only if you applied to renew before it expired. Until 31 August 2026 an interim notice lets you keep working however long you have waited, and the Summer Travel Confirmation Notice lets you travel on the expired card. After that, work cover reverts to 12 weeks from expiry and the travel notice ends.

When can I apply to renew, and do I still get a passport stamp?

Up to 12 weeks before expiry, with no downside — your new permission is dated from your existing expiry date, and Stamp 2 students must wait until their course starts. You do not get a passport stamp when renewing online.