Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 May 2024
4. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will ensure passport applicants are informed immediately if there is a problem with their application (details supplied) to allow applicants to rectify the problem earlier; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21983/24]
View answerThe Passport Service has issued over 460,000 passports to date this year and is on track to have issued half a million passports by the end of this month.
Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within advertised turnaround times. All passport applications require supporting documentation to some degree, whether it is a photo uploaded online for an adult's renewal application, or documents necessary to validate the identity and entitlement to Irish citizenship of a first time applicant. In the cases of children's applications, witnessed identity and consent forms are required to ensure that guardians have consented to the issuance of a passport for the child. The Passport Service has a system whereby applications do not go to the back of the queue following a request for further documents. When the Passport Service receives the required additional documentation from the applicant, the application is prioritised for checking. Online applications for which additional photos are requested are processed within a maximum of 10 working days of the receipt of the new photo. All other requests for further documents are processed within 15 working days of receipt of the additional documents, for both paper and online application types.
The Passport Service continually works to enhance the service to provide further efficiencies for customers. A number of improvements were made to the passport online platform in 2023. These include a customised list of the supporting documents required for first-time applicants, an eircode look-up tool to facilitate the input of postal addresses and a new integration feature with the general register office. This integration benefits a significant cohort of first-time child applicants, who are no longer required to submit a physical birth certificate. These upgrades help to reduce the administrative burden for applicants. In addition, the customised list of documents provides a bespoke list for each applicant based on his or her particular situation, which will reduce the number of applications for which insufficient or incorrect supporting documents are submitted.
The Passport Service has also been actively working to reduce the number of original documents required for a passport application, and very positive changes have been introduced in this regard over the past 18 months. In cases where further supporting documents are required from the applicant, every effort is made to let the applicant know as soon as possible. Applications are checked in date order from when they are received and it is not possible to notify the applicant of issues sooner, as a full entitlement check must be done on an application by an qualified checker in order to identify if there are errors in the submitted material or if further material is required.
The Passport Service has public education materials and detailed instructions on the application process, available online: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/how-to-apply-for-a-passport. These materials are regularly communicated to citizens via our social media channels. Additionally, should assistance be required with an application, our Customer Service agents are available through phone and webchat services from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. They can be contacted at +353 1 671 1633, or via the WebChat service: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/contact-us/#webchat 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. Renewal applicants who have already submitted a passport application either through Passport Online or Post Passport can book an urgent appointment and visit the Passport Office to apply for a passport. Once a passport has been issued, their original application will be cancelled and the fee will be refunded. Further information on the Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants is available at: www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/urgent-appointment/
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. Passport Online is now available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.
I would ask the Deputy to encourage his constituents to apply online well in advance of their travel date for the quickest, cheapest and most efficient service.
