Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
160. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason post passport applications are not being processed at the same rate as online passports applications; and if the Government plan to introduce measures to enable both applications (i.e. online and post) to be processed in similar timeframes. [29100/23]
View answerThe Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports, and has issued over 510,000 passports to date in 2023. All turnaround times are at their target level, and over half of all online adult renewals issue within 2 working days. The Customer Service Hub is responding to an average of 15,000 queries per week.
Firstly I would like to highlight the efficiencies of Passport Online, which is by far the quickest way to apply for a passport. It is an award winning online platform, which places the Irish Passport Service amongst the most innovative in the world. Through Passport Online, citizens also have the option of applying for a passport card, which is valid for travel to most EU countries as well as the UK.
I strongly encourage the Deputy to advise his constituents of the advantages of using the substantially more efficient online service, which is now used by over 90% of applicants worldwide.
The Passport Service remains committed to offering a range of application channels for citizens, including a paper-based service for citizens who are not eligible or do not wish to use the Passport Online service.
Paper applications, by nature, will always be a slower process. It is also not possible with paper applications to differentiate between simple adult renewals and the most complex of first time applications as it is the same form for all application types. Therefore the turnaround time for all paper applications is 8 weeks. Given that less than 10% of applicants now use the paper service, it is not the priority service for the Passport Service in the context of strategy and resources. As such, there are no current plans to enable both paper and online applications to be processed within the same timeframe.
The Passport Service will continue to consider ways in which to enhance this essential service for citizens.
