Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
558. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the facility that is in place in cases in which an applicant needs to travel aboard during the travel document renewal process for medical treatment given an application for the renewal of travel documents issued under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention requires the return of the current travel document. [7485/22]
View answer557. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the current turnaround times for the renewal of travel documents issued under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention; the number of applications currently being processed; and the number due to be renewed in 2022. [7484/22]
View answer559. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice the time period before the expiration of travel documents issued under the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. [7487/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 558 to 559, inclusive, together.
The Travel Document Unit in my Department processes travel documents for people who are deemed to be refugees under the 1951 United Nations Convention. This Unit also processes a separate travel document for programme refugees and beneficiaries of other humanitarian and family reunification programmes.
While travel documents applications are processed in my Department they are printed by the Passport Office in the Department of Foreign Affairs. This can take up to two weeks once the application is approved and sent for printing. My Department works closely with the Passport Office to reduce any delays.
Unfortunately, processing times have unavoidably been impacted by the restrictions that were imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the standard processing time for a travel document was 16 weeks. Currently, the processing time for a travel document is 28 weeks, upon receipt of a fully completed application. Work is underway to reduce processing times.
Currently,1,810 travel documents applications are being processed. Approximately, 900 of these will be issued under the 1951 Convention. This year, my Department anticipates that it will receive a further 1,400 applications for this type of travel documents. Travel documents issued under the 1951Convention have a validity period of three years.
Applications for subsequent travel documents are not considered as renewals, they are considered as fresh applications. If the applicant demonstrates that they require the urgent processing of their application, the application will be prioritised. In these circumstances, the applicant should alert the Travel Document Unit by emailing INISTravdoc@justice.ie, outlining the urgency of the application.
