Collection
‘Safe Countries’ and International Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Under the International Protection Act 2015, the Minister for Justice can declare that a country is a safe country of origin. This means it can be shown that there is generally no persecution, no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment, or no threat of violence from an armed conflict in that country.
This assessment is based on a range of sources of information, including from other EU Member States, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Council of Europe, and other international organisations as appropriate.
The following countries are designated by Ireland as safe countries of origin:
Applicants from these designated safe countries of origin receive their interview date on the day they apply for international protection reducing their waiting time for an interview to a matter of weeks.
Applicants from safe countries have the opportunity to submit grounds, in writing and at interview, as to why their country is not safe for them. Those grounds are given due consideration.