Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
104. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Irish passport applications that were made via the Irish embassies in Singapore and Malaysia in 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2354/24]
View answerThe Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a user-friendly, efficient service that consistently offers processing times up to 4 times faster than paper-based passport renewal applications. Over 90% of all passport applications are made through Passport Online.
The Passport Service rolled out Passport Online for first time applicants to an additional 175 countries in 2023. This means that Passport Online can now be used by 99.9% of all passport applicants worldwide.
Passport Online for first time applicants resident in Singapore went live on November 7, 2021. Since that date all passport applications from residents in Singapore are processed through Passport Online. Applicants can submit any required supporting documentation through the post directly to the Passport Service and their passport is returned directly to them by post.
Passport Online for first time applicants resident in Malaysia went live on 21 September 2023. Since that date, all passport applications from residents in Malaysia are made through Passport Online. Applicants are requested to submit any required supporting documentation to the Embassy of Ireland in Kuala Lumpur, which forwards the documents to the Passport Service in Dublin. Passports are sent back to the Embassy which then arranges for the passport to be picked up or forwarded to the applicant.
The figures requested by the Deputy are outlined below in tabular form.
|
Country & Application Type |
2023 |
|
Singapore (paper applications) |
0 |
|
Singapore (Passport Online applications) |
502 |
|
Malaysia (paper applications) |
22 |
|
Malaysia (Passport Online applications) |
91 |
