Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 February 2014
76. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if, due to the circumstances of a family (details supplied), a family member can use any other mechanism to resolve their passport problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7304/14]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the provision of Passports Act, 2008 (the Act). The issue of a passport is, therefore, the culmination of an important and legally-binding process. The checks and balances within the passport process embrace the standard principles that are provided for in the Act and help to ensure that the identity of the applicant is known and that the person in question is an Irish citizen. This serves to maintain the worldwide good reputation and integrity of the Irish passport, which, in turn, ensures the safe travel and wellbeing of Irish citizens, as they travel abroad. Moreover, it helps to combat passport and identity fraud.
The Act underpins a long-standing passport policy in regard to the use of verifiable civil documents such civil birth certificates for first-time applicants. These documents confirm the details of a person’s birth name, date and place of birth, all of which are critical components of a person’s identity.
The Passport Service received an application from the person in question on 12 March, 2013. It could not be finalized at that time because the person concerned did not provide their civil birth certificate or passport from country of birth. As advised to Deputy Wall in recent correspondence the Passport Service the Irish Embassy in Vietnam,in their efforts to assist the applicant, has advised that whilst the original records for birth registration were lost, the applicant can have their birth re-registered and obtain their birth certificate at Hai Phong Department of Justice in Vietnam. Once the applicants official birth certificate is received, the Passport Office can progress this Passport application.
