Belarusians with expired passports will be able to extend residence permits in Ireland

The issue was raised by Irish Member of Parliament John Connolly. He asked the minister whether the authorities were aware that Belarusian citizens cannot renew their documents without returning to their homeland, where they may face political persecution. The MP also asked whether there were plans to temporarily recognize invalid passports or issue alternative travel documents.

In a written response, Colm Brophy confirmed that the immigration service would consider extending residence permits for people who do not have a valid passport. For this, the applicant would need to convincingly explain why they cannot submit a valid document. Each case will be considered individually.

The Minister also noted that the Irish authorities are aware of the difficulties faced by Belarusians. When submitting an online application for a residence permit extension, they need to attach a special note describing their circumstances.

Leanid Marozau, head of the legal department of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office, explained that a final decision has not yet been made, but representatives of the Irish government have already made important statements. The main requirement for applicants with expired Belarusian passports is to justify the impossibility of obtaining a new document.

The legal department of Tsikhanouskaya's Office is ready to help Belarusians experiencing political persecution prepare such a justification, and, if necessary, a letter of support.

According to Marozau, work on this decision had been ongoing for several months. It involved the Belarusian diaspora in Ireland, including Aliaksandra Ramanava, Tsikhanouskaya's Office, and other organizations of Belarusian democratic forces. Tsikhanouskaya herself raised the issue of Belarusian documents at meetings with the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for European Affairs. Simultaneously, the issue was advanced through parliamentary inquiries.

The exact number of Belarusians who will be affected by the new measure is not yet known. However, the Belarusian community in Ireland is relatively small, so it is likely a matter of several dozen people for whom this decision has direct practical significance.

A meeting is planned in Dublin this year, where the parties will continue to discuss the implementation of the initiative. The next step for Tsikhanouskaya's Office will be to prepare a package of documents with legal and practical justification for the need for alternative travel documents for Belarusians in Ireland. This issue is also planned to be discussed in detail with the Irish authorities.

Ireland is not the first country to relax legalization rules for Belarusians due to the impossibility of exchanging passports at embassies. In January 2026, it became known that Spain began to recognize expired Belarusian documents. In August, Sweden updated its legal position on issuing alien's passports to Belarusians. It has been possible to obtain a residence permit in Sweden with expired documents since 2024. A similar decision was previously adopted by Denmark.

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