Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

110. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will clarify the procedure and-or protocol that is in place to ensure that a person's nationality and-or country of birth is accurately reflected when they are in receipt of an Irish passport document. [26994/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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.

The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. Due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance, the Irish passport has a strong international reputation. Recently, the Irish passport was ranked third in the Henley Global Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 189 countries. Accordingly, a rigorous analysis process is in place to verify the identity and citizenship status of first time applicants.

First time passport applicants are required to submit documentation to validate their identity and entitlement to Irish citizenship.

There is a field on the data page of the Irish passport to record the place of birth of the holder, but nationality is not displayed on the passport.

For applicants born outside of the island of Ireland, the Passport Service issues a passport with the country of birth as recorded on the applicant's birth certificate or naturalisation certificate. Applicants born on the island of Ireland are issued with a passport noting their birth county as their place of birth.

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

111. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will clarify the way in which a person that was born in the city of Jerusalem can have their Palestinian nationality displayed on an Irish passport document. [26995/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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.

There is a field on the data page of the Irish passport to record the place of birth of the holder, but nationality is not displayed on the passport.

Passport Service policy allows for “Jerusalem” or "Palestine" to be recorded as the passport applicant's place of birth if requested and supported by the applicant's birth certificate.

If passport applicants or potential applicants have any queries related to a passport application, 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/.

Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way in which a person can have incorrect information on a passport corrected. [26996/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department is currently in the busiest season of the year for processing passport applications, as citizens prepare for their upcoming summer travel plans. Thanks to operational and staffing plans implemented by my Department, the Passport Service is successfully responding to the current high demand, and has issued over 440,000 passports to date this year. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs.

Over the past three years, a number of improvements were made to the Passport Online platform, which improves the customer experience and minimises mistakes made during the application process. These improvements include a customised list of the supporting documents required for first time applicants, an Eircode look-up tool to facilitate the input of postal addresses, and a new integration feature with the General Register Office. These upgrades help to reduce the administrative burden for these applicants. In addition, the customised list of documents aims to reduce the number of applications for which insufficient or incorrect supporting documents are submitted.

If a citizen's passport contains incorrect details, they can contact the Passport Service Customer Service Hub who can provide advice on next steps. Customer Service Hub agents are available through phone and WebChat services from Monday to Friday, from 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/.

I would ask the Deputy to encourage her constituents to apply for their passports through Passport Online, as the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to apply for a passport. The Passport Online service allows citizens to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Passport Online is available to 99.9% of all applicants globally. As a matter of best practice, applicants should check the validity of their passport before booking travel.