Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 March 2017
138. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if copies of birth certificates are acceptable for passport applications as the originals have not been returned from INIS which were submitted with asylum applications. [10810/17]
View answerThe Passports Act, 2008 (the Act) makes provision for the regulation and issuance of passports. Under section 7(1)(b) of the Act, the Department must be satisfied as to the identity of a passport applicant before a passport can issue. An original birth certificate is a key, primary identity document to support a passport application and therefore a copy is not acceptable.
