Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2021
253. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the practice of requiring details regarding guardianship arrangements for parents applying for passports for their children; if the policy is applied in all cases; if there is a forum to which inconsistencies can be reported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35768/21]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008 ("the Act"). The Act broadly provides that before the Minister can issue a passport, a person must be an Irish citizen and in the case of children under the age of 18 years, the witnessed consent of their guardians must be provided. There is detailed information on the Department’s website in regard to passport applications for children.
In regards to guardianship, the Passport Service is bound by Section 14 of the Act (as amended). Section 14 requires the consent of a child’s guardian(s) before a passport can issue to the child, subject to very limited exceptions
Passport applications for children have specific witnessing requirements in order to establish the child applicant’s identity and that consent for the issuance of a passport from all the child’s guardians has been granted.
Any queries and/or concerns arising from guardianship or any other passport requirement may be directed to our Customer Service Hub. The telephone number for the Customer Service Hub is 01 671 1633 and WebChat can be accessed through the Passport Service's website.
