Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2024
127. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason there is no phone line available for the travel emergency section of his Department; how individuals experiencing travel emergencies who cannot operate email are able to engage with this section; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8002/24]
View answerThe Customer Service Hub is available to answer applicants’ questions by phone or webchat, Monday to Friday from 9am – 4.30pm. Agents can be contacted at 01 671 1633 (Passports) or 01 568 3331 (Foreign Birth Registration) or via the WebChat service.
The Customer Service Hub handled over 615,000 queries in 2023.
Currently, 100% of calls to the Customer Service Hub are being answered and customers can easily access the information they need through the Hub. The Customer Service Hub responds to an average of 10,000 queries per week.
In the event of sudden bereavement or serious illness of a family member abroad, the applicant should contact the Passport Office and advise them of the issue. Priority is given to these applications by the Passport Service.
In the event that such an occurrence should happen out of office hours, the applicant should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs on 01 408 2000 and request to speak to the Duty Officer. The Duty Officer will advise the applicant in full of the correct procedure.
All passport applications are issued in accordance with the Passport Act 2008. In processing the application, the Passport Service has to establish the identity of the applicant and their entitlement to citizenship under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act.
In such cases of travel emergencies, the Passport Service will require proof of the emergency. As a result, this means that email is frequently used to send and received the required documentation.
The public offices of the Passport Service in Dublin 2 and in Cork operate a four-day Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants. The Dublin office also offers a one-day Urgent Appointment service. Applicants who have already submitted a Post Passport application can book an urgent appointment and visit the Passport Service office to apply for a passport. Once a passport has been issued, their original application will be cancelled and the fee will be refunded.
