New Irish passport will contain world-first security technology

Minister Helen McEntee at Balbriggan Passport Office, launching the new generation of Irish passport. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins

The newly designed Irish passport will contain security features and techniques used for the first time in the world.

The Government has spent nearly €8m on new security techniques, printing machines, and designs, but insisted that the price of the new booklets will remain at €75.

Foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee unveiled the new passport, which entered production on Friday.

While the outside remains the same, the data page, which contains the picture and personal details, has been overhauled.

In addition to a black and white photograph on the main page, a colour picture has been added to the opposite page, with a unique identifier number.

There is a new “transparent window” on the page, making it harder to replicate, as well as the date of birth being printed under the picture in metallic ink. It also contains “temperature-changing ink”.

While it is invisible to the naked eye, when a UV light is shone over the page, graphics reading “Éire” and “Ireland” appear, alongside designs.

Artwork in the new passport is inspired by Ireland's heritage, history, and culture - with designs chosen by the public as part of a nationwide consultation involving 15,000 people. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

Irish flora and fauna 

The visa pages of the passport have also been redesigned to feature Irish flora and fauna. As the pages are turned, animals associated with autumn, winter, spring, and summer appear.

The hand-drawn art includes a red fox, hare, puffin, pine martin, badger, blue tit, otter, red squirrel, and robin, amongst others.

The pages all light up under the UV light and contain additional security features.

The Irish wolfhound appears inside the cover page and is printed in tactile raised ink.

The Irish passport is currently ranked the fourth strongest passport in the world, with Ms McEntee suggesting that the enhanced security features in the newly designed books and cards could help improve that ranking.

The minister said some of the features contained in the passports have never been used before.

Undisclosed security features

“For anybody to be able to try and replicate this, I think they would be very hard-pressed, and I think a huge amount of work has gone into ensuring that that is the case,” she said.

A sample of Ireland's new passport, which is being described by the Government as "one of the world's most advanced travel documents". Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA

“What you won't see is me telling you all of the different measures, and you won't hear anybody telling you all of those. But it is important that those working at our border security and at our checkpoints, that they have a level of knowledge to be able to identify some of the more basic ones, and then some of the more significant and the newer different technologies that are being used.”

Close to €8m has been spent to design the new passports, develop the security features, and purchase new printing machines.

No increase in cost

However, the cost of producing these new passports will remain the same, and the price for customers will stay at €75 for an adult passport and €25 for a child.

The passport card, which has also been redesigned, costs €35 when bought on its own.

Elsewhere, Ms McEntee acknowledged that people are still struggling with the cost of living but noted that fuel prices have started to drop.

However, she said further “risks and challenges” will need to be addressed as part of the Budget 2027 process.

“We're already having discussions about our budget now,” she said.

“We will look to see where do we need to support people most [and] how do we do it in a more permanent way."