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Passport Applications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 December 2013

Thursday, 5 December 2013

Questions (186)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

186. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the procedure to be followed by a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22 who is having difficulty obtaining a homeland passport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52374/13]

View answer

Written answers

The parents of the person concerned were granted temporary permission to remain in the State in September, 1997, under the arrangements then applicable to the non-EEA national parents of Irish born citizen children born in the State prior to 1 January, 2005. The father of the person concerned wrote to the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department in August 2013 in order to regularise his son's position in the State. I understand that some supporting documentation was submitted, however, further documentation was requested from the father by letter dated 15 August, 2013, including documented proof of all efforts made to obtain his son's passport. To date no response has been received. On receipt of the documents requested, the position in the State of the person concerned will be examined further by my officials in INIS.

I should add that in exceptional cases, an application for Irish temporary travel document may be considered in respect of qualifying non-Irish nationals who are resident in Ireland. In all such cases, the INIS must be satisfied that there is no alternative open to the applicant before an Irish temporary travel document will issue. The person concerned has to show that they have made reasonable and formal efforts to obtain a national passport, that it has been formally and unreasonably refused and that their own consular authorities are unable to offer consular assistance to them whilst resident in the State.

It is open to the person concerned to submit an application for a temporary travel document accompanied by the relevant supporting documentation to the Travel Document Unit of INIS which is located at 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. Full information in this regard and the applicable application form is available on the INIS website at "www.inis.gov.ie".

Queries in relation to general immigration matters may be made directly to Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy's view, inadequate or too long awaited.

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