Update September 1 2020

Irish public health advice is to avoid non-essential overseas travel to/from Ireland. If you must travel to Ireland, you need to fill out a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form online before you travel. To fill out the form and for further info and advice go to https://gov.ie/locatorform

For US travellers, please note that the US Department of State also continues to advise against all but essential travel. If you must travel to Ireland, you must restrict your movements for 14 days after arrival.  Information on Restricting Your Movements: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/managing-coronavirus-at-home/if-you-live-with-someone-who-has-coronavirus.html

Consulate General of Chicago Office

The Chicago Consulate is fully operational, however the public office is closed until further notice. For all enquiries, please email us through the 'contact us' section or call our office between the hours of 10 am - 1 pm CST at +1 312 337 2700 Mon-Fri. Outside these hours, emergency services for Irish citizens only are available by calling the emergency number +1-312 330 7823. Please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as soon as possible if it is deemed an emergency.

Passports

For those seeking to renew a passport for an adult or child, you must submit using the online service here: https://www.dfa.ie/passportonline/  This process is substantially faster than the paper application, and is available for passport holders whose most recent Irish passport has not expired more than five years ago or whose passport is due to expire within 12 months. Where an applicant is eligible to renew their passport online, they must use this online system. 

The passport office will no longer process paper applications from those who are eligible to apply for their passport online. All paper applications for the US states of IL, IN, WI, MI, OH, MO, SD, ND, KY, NE, MN, IA, KS, TN, OK, TX, AL, MS, LA, AR must be sent by mail to the Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago. Our public office is not open for accepting passport applications at this time.

Visas

The Consulate is currently accepting applications for long stay (D) visas. All application materials, including original passports and fees, must be sent to the Consulate by post. Applications for short stay (C) visas are suspended until further notice, excluding cases of emergency. This policy is in place until further notice. 

Please do not submit a visa application without contacting the Consulate first.

Information on visa services during COVID-19, including the criteria for Emergency/Priority visas, can be found here: http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/COVID-19-updates-and-announcements

Working Holiday Authoisation

The processing of Working Holiday Authorisations is temporarily suspended until further notice. 

Citizenship Enquiries/ Foreign Birth Registration/Citizenship Through Grandparent or Great-Grandparent

The Consulate has no role in the processing of these applications, and thus is unable to advise on the eligibility of an applicant or the content of the applications, nor are we able to provide updates on pending applications. All queries related to FBRs must be directed to the Citizenship Office in Ireland. Please note that processing times are 12-18 months. You can get updates on their operational status by monitoring their website here: https://www.dfa.ie/citizenship/born-abroad/registering-a-foreign-birth/