Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for the new passport office in Cork to open; if printing facilities will be available in this new office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42176/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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69. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of four-day turnaround passport applications made through Cork passport office to date in 2025; the number of same-day turnaround passport applications made in the Dublin passport office from the Munster region to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42177/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 69 together.

My Department has worked with the Office of Public Works to identify a new office building in Cork for the Cork Passport Office. Based on current timelines, the new Passport Office will be operational at Navigation Square, Cork City by Autumn 2026.

The public offices of the Passport Service in Cork and Dublin 2 operate an Urgent Appointment service for renewal applications. Our records show that just 1.6% of all passport applicants avail of the Urgent Appointment service.

During 2024, there were an average of 240 urgent appointments for a four-day turnaround service available in Cork each week. In 2024, just 26% of all appointments available in Cork were booked. As of 22 July 2025, there have been 1,316 four day turnaround appointments made in the Cork Passport Office, which represents 19% of available appointments in Cork.

To date in 2025, 5,140 same day turnaround appointments have been processed in the Passport Office in Mount St, Dublin 2. Passport Service figures show that of these, 618 (12%) were booked by applicants with addresses in the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. This figure represents just 0.1% of total passports issued by the Passport Service to date in 2025.

The Passport Service offers a travel emergency service for citizens who require it. In the event of sudden bereavement or serious illness of a family member abroad, the applicant should contact the Passport Office and advise them of the issue. Priority is given to these applications by the Passport Service.

The Passport Service operates three passport book printing machines: two machines are located in the main production facility at the Balbriggan campus and the third machine is located in the Dublin 2 Passport Office. The printing and dispatch of passports is a highly automated process in what is, essentially, an industrial production system.

To have a one-day turnaround in Cork Passport Office would involve purchasing another passport printer, which would be located in Cork. The Passport Service estimates the initial capital cost of purchasing and installing new printer and mailing machine to be approximately €5.3 million. In addition to the capital investment, these highly sophisticated machines require expert engineers to be on-site while the machines are in operation to maintain and service the machines and repair them when necessary. The running and maintenance costs alone are estimated to be €600,000 per year.

For these reasons, at the moment, a business case cannot be made to invest this level of funds to facilitate the very small proportion (currently 0.1%) of applicants who may wish to have their passport renewed within one day in Cork.

The Passport Online service offers citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This award-winning service has allowed for the centralisation of passport processing and has resulted in greater efficiencies for our citizens and for the Passport Service. Passport Online is a user-friendly, efficient service that is currently issuing the vast majority of adult renewal passports within 2 working days. Over 93% of all passport applications are now made through Passport Online which is available to 99.9% of all applicants globally.

I am satisfied that the current Passport Online service and production capacity meets the needs of passport applicants. The Passport Service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance this essential citizen service.

I would ask the Deputy to encourage his constituents who are travelling this year, particularly those with young children who require their first passport, to apply online and in plenty of time.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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70. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the timeframe for when the new passport design will be in place; the stage the procurement process is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42178/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Irish passport is a critical document confirming Irish citizenship and granting visa-free access to 189 destinations worldwide, currently ranking third in the Henley Passport Index.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommend periodic passport redesign and enhancement of security features to maintain the document’s security. With the current design of the Irish passport now over a decade old, a redesign is essential to sustain the document’s integrity and global standing.

Following a competitive and robust tender process, the procurement for the production of the new passport books and cards and the provision of the personalisation machinery is now complete. SKSC were selected as the successful tenderer in December 2024 and the contract has since been agreed and signed.

As part of the redesign process, my Department ran a public consultation on aspects of Ireland’s diverse natural environment. This consultation, which received over 15,000 responses, has played an integral part in developing the design for the new passport book. The full consultation results can be viewed at: www.ireland.ie/en/irish-passport-redesign-consultation-results/

Throughout the first half of this year the Passport Service have worked with secure document designers and artists to incorporate the top indigenous species from the survey into a secure and contemporary passport design.

The next generation passport is anticipated to launch in Q2 2026.