Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 May 2021
317. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport application by a person (details supplied); and if the person's documents are in the Irish Consulate in San Francisco or in the Passport Office, Dublin. [28351/21]
View answerThe Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”.
Passport Online will continue to be the priority channel given the efficiencies that are in-built into the system for both the applicant and the Passport Service. The processing of an online application is up to four times as fast as a paper application. In addition, the use of Passport Online can facilitate social distancing, given that a renewal application for an adult does not require the signature of a witness.
Passport Online can be accessed by first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.
In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, they should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of their situation.
Paper applications received at a Mission are, after the appropriate checks have been completed by consular staff, processed and subsequently printed in Ireland before being sent back to the originating Mission for dispatch to applicants.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, staff at the Consulate General of Ireland in San Francisco have been in regular contact with the applicant since the application was received and the application is in process. If the applicant wishes to request the return of any original supporting documentation, the Consulate General would be happy to assist in this regard.
