Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the waiting times for the various categories of passport applications. [12283/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service provides a range of channels to Irish citizens wishing to apply for a passport. These include a postal application system, an award winning online passport application service, in person counter application facilities in Dublin and Cork and the network of Irish Missions worldwide. The turnaround timeframe for a passport application will depend in the first instance on the channel through which the application was submitted.

From 1 January – 14 March, the Passport Service received over 198,000 applications in total, an increase of 7% on the same period last year. The highest proportion of applications are submitted through the Passport Express postal channel. The average turnaround time for renewal applications submitted through An Post Passport Express currently stands at 16 working days. The Passport Service is doing everything possible to reduce the processing times for all types of application and to assist people as far as possible that are travelling soon.

I am pleased to say that over 20 permanent staff have recently joined the Passport Service to address the increased demand for passports from Irish citizens worldwide. Further, the Passport Service is also this year employing over 220 temporary clerical officers to assist in processing applications during peak season. I wish to reassure the Deputy the Passport Service monitors the volume of applications on an ongoing basis to ensure that resources are available to meet demand.

The target turnaround time for applications made via the online passport application service is 10 working days plus postage. The vast majority of online applications are currently being processed within 7 working days, well ahead of target. At present, the online service only accommodates adult renewals and passport card applications. It is planned to further extend the online passport application service to all renewals by the end of 2018. This award winning service will continue to make a major contribution to the effective management of exceptionally high application volumes. I would urge applicants wishing to renew their passports, whether residing in Ireland or overseas, to avail of the online passport application service where possible.

The average turnaround time for postal applications submitted through the Passport Office in London is currently 24 working days for renewals and a minimum of 8 weeks for first-time applications. Applicants resident in Great Britain also have the option of submitting Passport Express applications through two selected post offices in Liverpool and Glasgow, with applications submitted through this channel taking an average 17 working days to process.

Applications submitted through the worldwide network of Irish Embassies and Consulates are currently taking a minimum 6 weeks to process from the date the application is registered at the Passport Office. Delivery times will vary depending on the location of the applicant.

The Passport Service operates a counter service in both the Dublin (Mount Street) and Cork offices where applicants who need their passport application processed in timeframes shorter than those offered by the Passport Express and online facility can be accommodated in certain circumstances.

In all cases, applicants should not book travel until in possession of a valid passport and should allow plenty of time for a passport to issue in case any problems with the application arise in the course of processing. I am grateful to Deputies for their continued assistance in advising constituents to visit the Passport Service’s webpage on my Department’s website (www.dfa.ie/passport) before applying, and to sign up for our passport renewal reminder service at www.eforms.gov.ie/en/reminder/passport/.