Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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25. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade whether a person who was born in the UK to an Irish mother, and was subsequently adopted by a UK family, is eligible for an Irish passport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39921/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. The Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him/her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.

Irish citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, which is under the auspices of the Department of Justice and Equality. Citizenship may be obtained in a number of ways, including by birth, descent, naturalisation and adoption.

Each passport applicant must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by submitting acceptable documentary evidence of their entitlement when making a first time passport application. If a person or their parent was born on the island of Ireland before 1 January 2005, they are an Irish citizen and they can apply for an Irish passport without making a separate application for citizenship.

The Passport Service cannot offer definitive advice in the absence of an application or any further information on the person in question. However, any person who believes themselves to be an Irish citizen is advised to make a passport application online and submit a letter outlining the details of their specific situation along with the supporting documentation required for a first time passport application, which would include all evidence they have of their entitlement to Irish citizenship. The Passport Service will assess the individual case and will follow up with the applicant directly as appropriate.

Information on what is required for all first time passport applications, including details on documentary requirements, guardianship and consent, are available at my Department’s recently updated website (www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/documentary-requirements).

Our Customer Service Hub agents are available through phone and WebChat services from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. They can be contacted at +353 1 671 1633, or via the WebChat service: www.ireland.ie/contactpassportservice/

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if a first-time passport application will be processed in time for travel on 7 October in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39966/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Passport Service has issued over 883,000 passports to date this year. All passport applications are subject to the requirements of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. First-time applications are the most complex applications due to the necessary checks involved to verify the identity and citizenship status of the applicant. The turnaround time to complete first-time online applications is 20 working days. It is important to note that turnaround times for applications that require supporting documents begin from the date the Passport Service receives the supporting documents are received.

With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputy has enquired, supporting documents were received from the applicant on 25/09/2024, and the Passport Service has now issued the passport to the applicant.