Dáil debates

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

Passport Services

9:50 pm

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his suggestions, which are very helpful. His question indicates he is primarily concerned with first-time passports, which is the process that is taking longer at the moment. Since March of this year, the passport service has reduced the processing time for first-time applications from 40 working days to 30. This 25% reduction in processing times is a direct result of the substantial level of investment my Department has made in the service.  It is important to note that the reduction in turnaround times for first-time applications took effect from 19 April. Only fully complete applications submitted on or after that date can be processed within 30 days.

First-time passport applications take longer to process than renewal applications and there are a number of reasons for this. First-time applications are necessarily complex to process, since, in many cases, they are applications for Irish citizenship. The passport service must validate the true identity of the applicant and take measures to confirm his or her entitlement to Irish citizenship. It is the statutory responsibility of the passport service to protect the integrity of the Irish passport. Accordingly, a rigorous analysis process is in place to verify the identity and citizenship status of first-time applicants. In the case of first-time passport applications for children, the consent of guardians must also be thoroughly validated. Due to the intensive analysis and extra measures undertaken by highly trained and experienced staff, first-time applications take 30 working days to process.

There are currently 88,000 first-time online applications in the system. Of these, 57% are complete and being processed by the Passport Office. The other 43% require additional action by the applicant or his or her parent. This means applicants need to submit required documentation such as a witnessed guardian consent form to progress the application.  I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports in plenty of time.

My time is up but I will come back on the Deputy's suggestions.

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