In 2020, the Passport Service issued approximately 450,000 passports. Outside the period of the highest restrictions, the Passport Service met the target turnaround times for Passport Online applications. This is 5 working days for simple applications and 10 working days for complex applications, once the supporting documentation has been received and 20 days for first time applicants.
The Passport Service scaled up to more normal operational levels on 4 May 2021, in line with the phased easing of restrictions set out in “COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 – The Plan Ahead”.
The Passport Service has a great deal of experience in dealing with peaks in demand, and we believe that we are well-placed to ensure that those applications on hand will be processed within 6-8 weeks and that turnaround times will be achieved later in the summer.
Passport Online can be accessed by first time applicants, both children and adults, in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. All Irish citizens, including children, can use the online system to renew their passports from anywhere in the world.