Identity and documents

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The establishment of a person’s identity and nationality is an important feature of the immigration process. It is especially important in the context of someone entering the State for the purpose of making a claim for international protection.

Immigration officials conduct passport checks on arrival to ensure passengers are properly documented in line with the Immigration Act 2004.

Every person that enters the state is checked against a European centralised secure database used by European countries to share information related to border security and law enforcement.

A person is entitled to apply for international protection even where they do not have official documents. In some cases it is impossible for those fleeing war or persecution to obtain official documents such as a passport.

As part of each application for protection, applicants are fingerprinted and photographed. Fingerprints are checked against a European central database called Eurodac which allows immigration officials to see if a person has previously applied for international protection in another Member State.