A missing person is anyone whose whereabouts are unknown and the circumstances of the disappearance presents a risk of harm to the missing person or any other person. As soon as you have concerns for the safety and welfare of someone and their whereabouts are unknown you can report them missing, you do NOT have to wait 24 hours to report someone as missing.

 In cases of emergency always Call 999 or 112

To report a missing person  contact any Garda Station and provide as much relevant information as possible including:

• Name, age, gender, home address and employment information.
• Physical description including height, build, hair and eye colour and any identifying features (marks, scars tattoos etc.).
• Date and time person was last seen.
• Their last known whereabouts.
• A description of the clothing they were last seen wearing.
• Any other relevant personal details or information.
• A recently taken photograph if available.

In non-emergency cases members of the public should call to any Garda Station.

Please find missing person updates on the Garda Missing Persons Facebook page. 

• An Garda Síochána Missing Persons Facebook

When a missing person is reported as found An Garda Síochána must speak to the person to ensure that they are safe, that they haven’t been a victim of crime. This will, in most cases, mean that the missing person must be seen face-to-face to establish they are safe and well.

If this person was subject to a Media Appeal while they were missing, under Articles 17 & 19 of the GDPR a person who has been reported missing has the right to request their details are erased from this website and related social media channels. 

For further details on how to apply to do this please contact Pressoffice@garda.ie 

The Missing Persons Unit provides advice, guidance and assistance to Gardaí investigating Missing Person Incidents. The Missing Persons Unit also provides assistance with the investigation of unidentified human remains located in this jurisdiction and internationally. In the course of its work, the Missing Persons Unit liaises with international police forces to develop best practice.  The Unit also assists with international enquiries via Interpol.  

The Missing Persons Unit can be contacted at:

Missing Persons Unit

Garda National Protective Services Bureau

Blanchardstown,

Dublin 15

Tel: +353 1 666 9476

E-mail: missing_persons@garda.ie 

• National Missing Persons Helpline: National Missing Persons Helpline
• Missing Children Europe: Hotline 116 000 - Missing Children Europe
• International Center for Missing and Exploited Kids: Global Missing Children's Network

From 2026 on all press releases related to missing persons will be published here.

Previous missing persons press statements will continue to be hosted in the main press release feed. 

Missing person statistics: Missing Person Statistics - Garda 

Missing Person Reports is a count of missing person incidents recorded on PULSE.

Persons Reported Missing is a count of the unique number of persons reported missing. A person is only counted once regardless of the number of missing person reports relating to them each year.

Persons Still Missing is a count of the number of unique persons each year whose status is still recorded as “Missing” in relation to an incident reported in that year.