James O'Connor
Question:18. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Peace Commissioners can sign all passport applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3391/24]
View answerThursday, 25 January 2024
Questions (18)
Written answers
In order to verify the identity of a passport applicant, and in the case of children, the consent of their guardians, the Passport Service requires certain forms to be witnessed.
While Peace Commissioners are included in the list of approved witnesses accepted by the Passport Service, there are certain applications for applicants resident in Ireland that must be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. These include:
• Certificate of Identity on Post Passport (paper) applications
• Identity Verification Forms for First time adult online applications
• Child Identity and Consent Forms for First time child online applications
Peace Commissioners in Ireland can witness the following:
• Section 7 Consent of Guardians on Child Post Passport (paper) applications and
• Child Identity and Consent Form for Child online renewal applications.
A full list of approved witnesses and guidance for having passport forms witnessed is available at my Department's website - www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/how-to-get-your-application-witnessed/
The 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.
I would ask the Deputy to encourage their constituents to apply for their passports through Passport Online, as the quickest, easiest and most cost effective way to apply for a passport.
Question No. 19 answered with Question No. 11.