Everybody to be treated equally in the country they call home. No-one should be faced with a huge government fee just for registering to live here.
The Irish Residence Permit card (IRP) costs €300, yet it only costs the state €20.44 to issue each card. Most people living in Ireland from outside the EU are forced to pay this fee every year, some even more often.
Non-EU workers such as nurses, chefs, engineers, IT specialists, agri-food workers, truck drivers, international students and each of their family members often have to pay this fee every year.
A standard 10-year passport costs €75 and a driving license costs €55 for first time and renewal. Yet the price of an IRP card is more than three times higher.
The €300 government IRP card fee is unwarranted and extortionate. It takes advantage of people who have no other choice but to pay it. In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, people are forced to make financial sacrifices just to register.
Vanee, Retail Team Lead “I’m a proud mum of two gorgeous boys. This year we had to postpone my son getting new eyeglasses because we had to pay to renew our IRP cards. As a mother it is the hardest thing when you have to make sacrifices that impact on your kids wellbeing.”
A reduction in the IRP card fees would enable people to provide for themselves and their family's health and wellbeing.