Written answers
Wednesday, 20 March 2024
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Passport Services
Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in instances in which a person has recently changed their name to its Irish version by deed poll and therefore cannot provide the requisite proof of two years' habitual usage or more of their Irish name, if such a person may legally continue to travel on their old passport which displays the English version of their name during the interim two year period only after which they can provide evidence of two years' habitual usage; if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty which current rules on habitual usage timeframes present to such individuals when travelling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12488/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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All passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (“the Act“). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and procedures that are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports.
Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his/her birth certificate or naturalisation certificate. However, a name change for a passport from that which appear on a person's birth certificate is permitted under the Act in situations such as marriage, civil partnership etc, where civil or legal documents are available to verify this change.
In cases where a name change arises, other than by marriage or civil partnership etc, the Passport Service requires evidence in respect of the use of this new name and identity over a two year period. Evidence of this for at least two years through documentation such as bills, bank statements or official correspondence is required as a deed poll is not adequate evidence of the constant use of a new name.
The Passport Service has put in place an option for those citizens who wish to use the Irish form of their names, but who lack the full two years proof of use. In these circumstances, the Irish form of the name will be personalised on the passport with the birth name added as an observation on the passport. Once the two year proof of usage has been obtained, the passport holder can re-apply for a new passport in his/her Irish name without any observation.
This policy seeks to protect the integrity and security of the Irish passport against identity fraud, while at the same time balancing the wishes of those citizens, who wish to use the Irish language more frequently in their daily lives. The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. The Irish passport currently ranks third in the Henley Global Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 192 countries.
Further information for citizens who wish to change their name from English to Irish on their passport is available at www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/documentary-requirements/adult.
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