Asylum Process

A person arriving at the Irish frontier (border, seaport, airport etc) or at the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC) may make an application for asylum (Section 8 of the Refugee Act 1996) . All asylum applications are investigated and processed in ORAC.

Applicants are fingerprinted to assist in establishing their identity and personal information may be shared with other EU States. If a person has previously made an asylum application in another Member State or already has residency rights there, then the Dublin II Regulation  may apply and the other Member State may become responsible for examining the asylum application (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland are also party to the Dublin II Regulation).

ORAC investigates each asylum claim and makes a recommendation to the Minister for Justice and Equality on whether an applicant should be granted or refused refugee status. (Section 11 of the Refugee Act 1996) .

Generally, asylum-seekers below the age of 18 have their claims included with that of their parents.

Applications for asylum are examined on their merits, with some applications being prioritised accordingly.

New applicants are given advice and information on the procedures and are informed of their right to consult legal counsel and the UNHCR. They are also advised of their legal obligations to engage and cooperate with the asylum process and are entitled to the assistance of an interpreter.

Note that under the Protocol on Asylum for Nationals of Member States of the EU (C310/362)  Ireland does not accept asylum applications from nationals of other EU Member States.  

A person who has been refused refugee status may only make a new application with the consent of the Minister and only then if new evidence or information has come to light (Section 17 (7) of the Refugee Act 1996) .

Click here to return to main Asylum Policy web page.