Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 January 2022
11. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the measures that are being taken to address the issue of lengthy processing times for first-time passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3904/22]
View answerThe Passport Service is currently experiencing high demand for first time passports.
In order to protect the integrity of the Irish passport, when processing a first time application, the Passport Service must validate the identity of the applicant and confirm their entitlement to Irish citizenship.
In the case of first time passport applications for children, the consent of guardians must also be checked. This ensures that the Passport Service protects the rights of the child and their guardians.
Due to the rigorous checking process in place, the processing time for first time applications is currently 40 working days. This compares to 10 working days for simple adult online renewals and 15 working days for complex and child online renewals.
When passport applicants do not provide all of the required documentation to the Passport Service, unfortunately, it can take much longer to process the application and issue a passport. There are currently 73,000 first time applications on hand with the Passport Service. Of these, 32,000 or 43% are incomplete applications. In these cases, the onus is on the applicants to submit required documentation to complete the application so that their passport can be issued. The experience of the Passport Service is that it can take weeks and sometimes months to receive the necessary documents after an applicant applies online.
It is a priority for the Passport Service to improve processing times for first time applicants in 2022. The ongoing staff recruitment drive and upskilling of existing staff will greatly assist with this. There are also a number of system and website improvements being implemented that will help to enhance customer experience.
Given the level of demand expected by the Passport Service this year, I urge anyone who intends to travel in 2022 to apply online now for their passports.
