Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
294. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when a passport will issue in the case of persons (details supplied) whose applications were submitted via post a number of months ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55298/21]
View answerMy Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processing time for Foreign Births Registration (FBR) applications stood at 18 months due to an unprecedented surge in applications as a result of the Brexit referendum in the UK, and the necessary rigorous processing that applies to citizenship applications.
Due to the pandemic, FBR staff have been reassigned to assist in the delivery of essential services. This has resulted in a pause in overall FBR processing. FBR staff have continued to provide an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. In cases of exceptional urgency FBR applicants may continue to contact the Passport Service directly. For other applications, the Department operates a transparent general policy of processing FBR applications in order of receipt.
The applications referenced were registered on 26 February 2020. All documents received are being stored in a secure environment.
The Passport Service is actively preparing to resume processing Foreign Birth Registration applications as soon as possible and an announcement of the resumption date can be expected imminently. My Department is committed to allocating further resources to assist with the high volume of applications, with a focus on reducing turnaround times. In the medium term, changes to the FBR process to increase efficiencies and improve the customer experience will be delivered under the next phase of my Department's Passport Reform Programme.
