The Chicago Consulate remains operational, however the public office is closed until further notice. Emergency services are available by calling the emergency number on our website. For all other enquiries, please email us through the 'contact us' section. The processing of Passports (paper applications), Visas and Working Holiday Authorisations is temporarily suspended until further notice. You may still renew your passport online, however usual turnaround times cannot be guaranteed.

Updated Official Travel Advice - 27 March 2020

The Government of Ireland has extended travel advice to all Irish citizens and residents overseas who are on short term temporary visas, including J1's, you are strongly encouraged to return to Ireland at the earliest opportunity. 

Official Travel Advice - 16th March 2020

As of 16th March, the Government of Ireland is recommending against all non-essential international travel, including to the United States. 

While the US Government has introduced restrictions on travel to the US from Ireland, there are no restrictions on flights from the US to Ireland. Irish citizens, and others, are free to leave the US on any scheduled flights from a US airport and transatlantic flights continue to operate, albeit with schedule changes. 

This is a fast-moving situation, however. As such, we strongly encourage all Irish citizens and residents wishing to return to Ireland to make provision to do so now. 

You should book or make changes to your existing bookings directly with your airline, recognising that airlines’ call centers are under significant pressure.  

You should check regularly with your airline’s website for status updates and for any additional information they may require before you can board.  

We strongly recommend that you do not travel to an airport without a confirmed booking. 

On return to Ireland, all travellers will be requested to restrict their movements for 14 days. 

Update on the Coronavirus - 15th March 2020

For Irish citizens in the USA seeking travel advice, Please refer to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation for latest updates on the outbreak at national level and to our Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for Ireland’s official travel advice. In Chicagoland, public health information is available here.

We also recommend that all citizens download the Department of Foreign Affairs TravelWise App which gives advice for Irish citizens traveling abroad.

U.S. Travel Restrictions

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak the US has implemented special entry restrictions for their territory. 

As detailed in the US President's Proclamation of 14 March, from 11.59 EST Monday 16 March, entry into the US will be restricted for those travelling from Ireland and the UK. Non-US nationals, including Irish nationals, who have visited or resided in Ireland or the UK for any period in the 14 days prior to their travel to the US will be denied entry, unless they are legal permanent residents of the US (i.e. green card holders), or are the spouse or child of a US national or permanent resident, or the sibling of same providing both are under 21 years of age. 

This extends the coverage of measures the US President announced in Proclamation of Friday 13 March, restricting the entry to the USA of non-US nationals who had visited or resided in Schengen Area countries over the same period, and Proclamations published on 31 January and 29 February, respectively restricting travel from China and Iran. 

Non-US nationals with legal permanent residence in the US (i.e. Green Card holders) and their immediate family, as well as the immediate family (spouse and children) of US nationals, are not restricted from entering the US. However, if travelling from a restricted country they will now be required to enter the US through one of thirteen designated airports and will undergo additional screening on arrival. Further information can be found here. 

It is important to note that there are currently no restrictions on flights from the US to Ireland or the UK. You should check with your airline for any additional information they may require before you can board.

Consular Assistance

At this time the service window at the Consulate in Chicago will remain open exclusively to Irish citizens in case of emergency. We have taken this step in order to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19.

We remain open for emergency consular services for Irish citizens. We will, however, operate an appointment only service through the week. If you need to make an appointment for emergency services please contact us at email: chicagocongen@dfa.ie. We ask that you declare your travel history for the past 30 days when requesting an appointment.

If you are in need of emergency assistance over the weekend or outside of our office hours, please contact the Embassy at +1-312 330 7823 and leave a message on the answering machine. The answering machine is monitored regularly and a Duty Officer will contact you as soon as possible.

Passports

Passport renewals can be processed online (for adults and children living in the US). The turnaround time for online renewals is approximately 3 weeks including postage to the US. Paper applications are currently taking 6-8 weeks. This information is subject to change.