Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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91. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade If he will consider the concerns raised in the correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54256/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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All passport applications are subject to the requirements of the Passports Act, 2008, as amended (the 2008 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 their birth certificate or naturalisation certificate.

In accordance with Section 10(3) of the 2008 Act, if an applicant for a passport applies to have a passport issued in a name other than the name entered in their most recent passport, the Minister shall require the applicant to produce such evidence as appears to him or her to be satisfactory of the use by the applicant of the new name before a passport may be issued to the applicant in that name.

A name change for a passport from that which appears on a person’s birth or naturalisation 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. If an applicant has already been issued with a passport in their birth name since their marriage, the applicant must produce evidence of two years' proof of usage of their married name, along with their original marriage certificate.

With regard to the specific applicant to which the Deputy refers, the Passport Service has liaised with the Deputy's office to obtain the contact details of the citizen to assist them with their application.