Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service is meeting its turnaround times which are at or well-ahead of target, with no backlogs. The majority of online adult renewal applications issue within two working days and over 90% of applicants now apply online.

There are currently 147,000 passport applications in the system. 83,000, or 56%, of these applications, are with the Passport Service for processing. The remaining 64,000 are awaiting further action by the applicant before they can be progressed. This means that the Passport Service is waiting for the applicant to submit supporting documents in order to move the application forward. It is the experience of the Passport Service that it can take weeks or months for Passport Online applicants to submit the documents required in order to progress their application.

The number of passport applications currently with the Passport Service for processing for 1 to 3 months since the last correspondence with the applicant is 5,293. This includes Post Passport applications that have a turnaround time of 8 weeks.

The number of passport applications currently with the Passport Service for processing for 4 to 6 months is 93.

The total number of passport applications currently with the Passport Service for processing over 6 months is 180.

The number of passport applications that are with the Passport Service for processing six months or more represents 0.001% of the total number of applications in the system. These are very complex or sensitive cases that may involve citizenship, guardianship or legal issues. These require very thorough examination by experienced staff and can take longer to process. There are often multiple interactions between the Passport Service and the applicant or their guardians during this time, as well as with other government departments and agencies if required.

2024 is expected to be another busy year for the Passport Service and the Passport Service is in an excellent position to meet the demand forecasted for this year.