Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021
654. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the current timeframe for all backlogged applications for passports to be cleared; the emergency procedures in place for persons who must undertake travel to other countries but are affected by the current delays in passport applications processing and also delays in the registration of births as a result of the cyber-attack; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30856/21]
View answer658. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make provisions for parents to apply for passports for their children who are unregistered and without a birth certificate deeming them unable to apply for a passport due to the ongoing HSE hacking issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30952/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 654 and 658 together.
The 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”.
The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we are confident, taking into account measures to ensure a safe workplace that the commitment made to clear all applications on hand at the end of April within 6-8 weeks is on target to be met. Simple Adult Renewals continue to be processed within 10 working days.
All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act, 2008 ("The 2008 Act"). The 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to him or her. In order to meet this requirement, each person must demonstrate an entitlement to Irish citizenship by providing acceptable documentary evidence of this entitlement.
Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.
Accordingly, the Passport Service is obliged to seek documentary evidence of Irish citizenship by birth, parentage/descent, or naturalisation before a passport application can be processed. It is not possible to recognise a person as an Irish citizen in the absence of such evidence.
The onus is on the applicant to provide documentation proving their entitlement to Irish citizenship. Birth Certificates which are issued by the General Register Office (GRO) must be submitted in support of a passport application to prove this entitlement. Neither baptismal certificates nor any other non-civil form of documentation can be considered in support of a first time passport application.
In the event that any applicant has urgent or emergency reasons for requiring a passport, the applicant should contact the Passport Service’s Customer Service Hub, by WebChat, to make the Passport Service aware of the situation.
