Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the standard registration fee of €300 payable by an applicant is designed to reflect the effort and cost, over and above the cost of production, involved in processing registrations.

An applicant is exempted from the registration fee if they:

• Have refugee status
• Have subsidiary protection status
• Have leave to remain under Section 49 of the International Protection Act 2015
• Are under 18
• Are resident based on marriage to an Irish citizen
• Are a family member of an EU citizen

The Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, granted following a successful registration, certifies that a person is legally registered with the Irish immigration authorities and provides details of the immigration permission held. In addition where a person has an in-date IRP card, there is no requirement to apply for a re-entry visa when returning to the State after a short period abroad.

The Registration Office of my Department also provides an online renewals portal that speeds up the renewal process and a customer service team that is available to support customers.

The cost of registration has not increased since 2012; however, the fee is kept under ongoing review by my Department.