Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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671. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if there are plans to extend the validity of signatures already witnessed for passports at the passport office specifically in relation to children past the current six months in certain situations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31709/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Passport applications for children have specific witnessing requirements in respect of establishing the child applicant’s identity and establishing that consent for the issuance of a passport from all the child’s guardians has been granted.

Applications are only valid for six months primarily due to International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Regulations on the requirement for a recent photograph. The ICAO is a UN specialised agency which defines in detail the required format for a passport.

Where additional documentation has been requested and has not been received within this timeframe, these applications are cancelled. Where documentation has been received and is now more than six months old the Passport Service has and will continue to show flexibility where possible until such time as the backlog of passport applications due to Covid 19 is cleared.