Ireland - COVID-19: Registration Offices Reopen, New Online Passenger Locator Form
Ireland-Reg Offices Open, New Online Pass. Locator Form
Ireland’s Burgh Quay Registration Office reopened 24 August 2020 for appointment-only first-time Irish Residence Permit (IRP) applications. Registration offices located outside Dublin have also reopened and will facilitate both first-time registration and renewal IRP applications by appointment only. Additionally, a new online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form is now available.
Following its recent closure, the Burgh Quay Registration Office reopened on 24 August 2020.1 (For coverage of its temporary closure, see GMS Flash Alert 2020-365 (21 August 2020).) The Burgh Quay Registration Office will continue operating by appointment-only for first-time Irish Residence Permit (IRP) applications. Registration offices located outside Dublin have also reopened and will facilitate both first-time registration and renewal IRP applications by appointment only.
Additionally, the Irish Department of Health has introduced a new online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form available from 26 August 2020.2 This replaces the hard copy Passenger Locator Form that was previously required to be completed and provided at the Irish border.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Employees awaiting their first-time registration will now be able to proceed with booking and attending an appointment at the Burgh Quay Registration Office. Additionally, employers should note that after 26 August 2020, any employees entering Ireland for work or business travel must complete the new online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form prior to their entry.
Employers should make sure that their employees are aware of this change because failure to complete this online form is an offence.
Burgh Quay Registration Office and Local Registration Offices Reopen
The Burgh Quay Registration Office will continue to operate, as it previously did prior to the closure, by appointment only for first-time registration IRP appointments for applicants residing in Dublin. Applicants who had IRP appointments scheduled between 19 August and 21 August 2020, will be contacted by the Burgh Quay Registration Office to schedule a new appointment. All IRP renewal applications for Dublin residents will continue to operate under the new online application process.
Registration offices located outside Dublin have also re-opened and will facilitate both first-time registration and renewal IRP applications by appointment only.
New Online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form
As of 26 August 2020, individuals entering Ireland on or after 26 August 2020, must complete the Department of Health’s new online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form prior to travel (with the exception of air, ship crew, hauliers and accredited diplomats). Additionally, individuals entering from Northern Ireland or from a COVID-19 “green list” country3 are exempt from completing the online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form.
When Self-Isolation Is Necessary
Individuals who are not exempt from completing the online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in Ireland. The information that is provided on the online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form may be used to contact the individual during the 14-day self-isolation period.
KPMG NOTE
Individuals and employers should be aware of these changes as employees will now be able to proceed with attending first-time registration appointments at the Dublin Burgh Quay Registration Office and registration offices outside of Dublin. Additionally, it is important that travellers are aware of the requirement to complete the new online COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form as it is an offence not to do so.
For advice on this changing situation, please contact your local qualified immigration counsel or the Corporate Immigration and Employment Law Team with KPMG in Ireland.
FOOTNOTES
1 For additional information and the announcement, see: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/COVID-19-updates-and-announcements.
2 Irish Department of Health, COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form.
3 See the COVID-19 Green List at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/8868e-view-the-covid-19-travel-advice-list/ .
* Please note that KPMG LLP (U.S.) does not provide any immigration services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.
The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in Ireland.
VIEW ALL
SUBSCRIBE
To subscribe to GMS Flash Alert, fill out the subscription form.
© 2024 KPMG, an Irish partnership and a member firm of the KPMG global organisation of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. All rights reserved.
For more detail about the structure of the KPMG global organisation please visit https://kpmg.com/governance.
GMS Flash Alert is a Global Mobility Services publication of the KPMG LLP Washington National Tax practice. The KPMG name and logo are trademarks used under license by the independent member firms of the KPMG global organization. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee and does not provide services to clients. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any other member firm vis-à-vis third parties, nor does KPMG International have any such authority to obligate or bind any member firm. The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of the particular situation.