Ireland's New Passport Takes Shape as Wolfhounds and Shamrocks Top Public Vote in €13.6m Redesign Project
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is advancing a €13.6 million project to comprehensively redesign the Irish passport, with the results of a public consultation revealing that the Irish wolfhound and the shamrock are the overwhelming public choices for the new imagery — a decision that will shape one of the most visible symbols of Irish identity for the next decade and beyond.
Background
The Irish passport is one of the most powerful travel documents in the world. As of January 2026, it was ranked fourth globally, providing visa-free access to 185 countries — a reflection of Ireland's strong diplomatic relationships and its membership of the European Union. For the more than 900,000 Irish citizens who apply for or renew their passport each year, it is also a deeply personal document, a tangible expression of national identity that is carried across borders and presented at checkpoints around the world.
The current passport design dates back to 2013, making a technological and aesthetic update necessary to maintain its global standing as a secure and reputable travel document. The International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations agency that sets global standards for travel documents, recommends that passports be redesigned regularly to incorporate new security features and to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated forgery techniques.
The €13.6 million investment in the redesign reflects the scale and complexity of the project. A modern passport is not simply a booklet with a photograph — it is a sophisticated security document incorporating biometric data, holographic elements, UV-reactive inks, and a range of other features designed to make it extremely difficult to forge or alter. The redesign involves not just the aesthetic elements but also a comprehensive upgrade of the security technology embedded in the document.
Key Developments
A key part of the redesign process was an extensive public consultation conducted in 2023, which garnered more than 15,000 responses from Irish citizens at home and abroad. The Department of Foreign Affairs has now shared the results of that consultation, revealing the public's preferences for the imagery that will feature in the new design.
For native fauna, the Irish wolfhound ranked first, chosen by 77% of respondents, followed by the red squirrel and the red deer. For flora, the shamrock was the top choice, selected by 66% of respondents, with heather and the bluebell also proving popular. These public choices are set to be integrated into the final design, ensuring that the new passport reflects the preferences of the citizens who will carry it.
The new passport is expected to be launched in 2026, with the first documents incorporating the new design to be issued in the coming months. Alongside the aesthetic changes, the project involves significant technological upgrades to security features, including enhanced biometric data storage and new anti-counterfeiting measures that reflect the latest international standards.
Why It Matters
The passport redesign matters for several reasons that go beyond the purely practical. The passport is one of the most visible symbols of Irish identity, and the choices made about its design reflect something about how the country sees itself and how it wants to be seen by the world. The public's strong preference for the Irish wolfhound and the shamrock — two of the most traditional and recognisable symbols of Irish identity — suggests a desire for continuity and connection with the country's cultural heritage, even as the document itself is updated with the latest technology.
The €13.6 million investment also reflects the economic significance of the Passport Service. The service processes more than 900,000 applications per year, generating significant revenue for the state and supporting a substantial number of jobs in the Department of Foreign Affairs and its contracted service providers. The redesign project will create additional employment in design, printing, and technology sectors, and will position Ireland's passport as one of the most technologically advanced in the world.
The passport's global ranking — fourth in the world for visa-free access — is also a significant asset for Irish citizens and for the country's international reputation. Maintaining that ranking requires ongoing investment in the security and integrity of the document, and the redesign project is a key part of that effort.
Local Impact
For Irish citizens, the most immediate impact of the redesign will be the appearance of the new passport when they next apply for or renew their document. The new design is expected to be significantly more visually striking than the current version, incorporating the public's chosen imagery in a way that reflects both traditional Irish identity and contemporary design sensibilities.
For the Passport Service, which operates offices in Dublin, Cork, and London, the redesign project represents a significant operational challenge. The transition from the current design to the new one will need to be managed carefully to ensure continuity of service for the hundreds of thousands of citizens who apply for passports each year. The service has been investing in digital improvements to streamline the application process, and the redesign project will be integrated with those improvements.
What's Next
The Department of Foreign Affairs is expected to publish further details of the new passport design in the coming months, including the final selection of imagery and the timeline for the transition to the new document. The first passports incorporating the new design are expected to be issued before the end of 2026. Citizens whose current passports are valid are not required to renew them immediately, but those applying for new or renewed passports from the launch date will receive the new design.
