Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Where a child's guardian is deceased, the Passport Service requests the original death certificate of the deceased guardian, consent of the surviving guardian and a Sole Guardian Affidavit from the surviving guardian confirming that they are the only guardian of the child, in order to satisfy guardian consent requirements. A Sole Guardian Affidavit is requested with each subsequent passport application for the child in order to confirm that the guardianship of the child has not changed since the last application.

While the Passport Service of course recognises the difficulties this may present for bereaved families, in order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport and the rights of the child and their guardian(s), it is important that the Passport Service is satisfied that all relevant guardians have given their consent to the issuance of each passport to a child. This is set out under Section 14(1) of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. I would encourage people who find themselves in this unfortunate situation to contact the Passport Service for guidance and support.