Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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595. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average time it takes for a naturalisation applicant’s passport to be returned after receipt by the INIS. [39883/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under normal circumstances, passports are returned approximately 10 days after their receipt. However, the current limits on staff attendance in the office due to COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in delays in the return of some passports. Unfortunately it is not possible to give a current average timeframe for the return of a passport submitted with a citizenship application.

It is a requirement of the naturalisation process that a current passport must accompany every application. The identity of every applicant must be confirmed to the greatest extent possible and a passport is a primary identifier.

Applicants are advised not to send in their application during the pandemic if they anticipate that they may have to travel at short notice. However, I fully appreciate that people may have to travel at short notice for emergency reasons. The citizenship website advises that in these circumstances, applicants should email the citizenship helpdesk with the relevant details. Any request must be accompanied by appropriate scanned supporting material detailing the reasons for travel, such as medical information. Any request of this nature is dealt with promptly.