Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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185. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to concerns related to passport photos for young children (details supplied); the actions he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7425/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Passport Service follows the recommended passport guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with regard to children's passports. The ICAO is an UN agency whose guidelines state that, in consideration of the changing appearance of children, a validity period of not more than five years is recommended in the case of children’s passports. Issuance of passports with five years validity for children is the standard in many countries, including Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Border control authorities are aware that it is standard practice for passports of children to be issued with a validity of five years.

In March 2017, in conjunction with the launch of the Passport Online application channel, the validity of passports for children aged three and under was extended from three years to five years. All children aged seventeen years and under are now issued with passports that are valid for five years. This change resulted in considerable efficiencies and savings for families.

The application fee for a child's passport through Passport Online is €25. The standard turnaround time for child renewal applications is 15 days. It is not the experience of the Passport Service that families are reporting issues with children's passports at border control. However, the Passport Service will keep this issue under review and will continue to consider ways in which to enhance this essential citizen service.