A record number of Irish passports have been issued this year, with 1,080,000 distributed.
The Irish Passport Service announced in November that it had reached the one-million mark in November, breaking the previous record of 935,000 in 2019.
The number of first-time passport applications from Northern Ireland and Britain was 100,000, out of more than 1.15 million total applications received.
Applications were also received from the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, Spain, Germany and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Irish Passport Service said the most popular surname worldwide was Murphy and the most popular baby girls’ names were Emily, Fiadh and Lily, while Noah, Jack and James topped the baby boys’ list.
The oldest applicant was 102 and the youngest only three days old.
August was the busiest month for Customer Service Hub phone calls, with more than 41,000 calls handled. July was the busiest month for the WebChat service, with more than 23,000 chats handled.
Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheal Martin spoke on the “extraordinary volumes of applications”.
“This was a direct result of pent-up demand due to disruptions to travel throughout 2020 and 2021,” he said, referring to the events surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The government made significant investment over the year to scale up services to meet this demand.”
He added that the Passport Service was set to issue a little under 1.1 million passports by the end of the year.
“Over 99 per cent of all online renewal applications and paper applications are issuing within the standard turnaround times,” Mr Martin said.
He said that the service was expecting another busy year in 2023.
“I want to express my thanks to the staff in the Passport Service who responded to the challenges of 2022 by demonstrating great diligence and resilience,” Mr Martin said.
“The historic achievement of over one million passports issued in a calendar year is down to their commitment to public service and hard work.
“My department will continue to work to ensure that our services meet the needs of our citizens in 2023.”
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- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
