Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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190. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason passport cards issued by his Department are not accepted by the automated passport check gates at Dublin Airport and other airports in the European Union; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18526/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The passport card was launched in October 2015 and offers Irish citizens the convenience of travel, with a credit card sized travel document, to all EU Member States, the members of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Between 2015 and 2024, over 875,000 passport cards were issued.

The Passport Card is fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations concerning requirements for passports in card format.

Ministries of Justice/Home Affairs as relevant in each EU and EEA country, Great Britain and Switzerland have been contacted and informed to ensure that border authorities are fully appraised of the validity of the Irish Passport Card for travel.

The Irish authorities have engaged extensively with our international partners in relation to the card and will continue to do so. However, when travelling through airports abroad, access to e-gates is determined by the local infrastructure.

I am satisfied that the Passport Service has taken necessary measures to ensure that authorities in countries that permit the use of passport cards for border entry are aware of the features of the Irish passport card.

If a passport holder is experiencing a repeated issue with their passport or passport card’s biometric chip, they can contact the Passport Service at +353 1 671 1633 to arrange to submit it for testing. If an issue with the chip is identified, the passport or card will be reissued free of charge.

I encourage Irish citizens to follow the rules and directions given by the country's airport authorities when traveling abroad.