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Passport Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 March 2022

Thursday, 24 March 2022

Ceisteanna (243)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

243. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will reduce the price of a passport in the context of the impact of inflation across other aspects of the cost of living. [15730/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The current fees for a standard Irish passport are outlined in the following table.

The fee for a standard ten year adult passport through Passport Online is €75. There is an additional €5 charged for ten year adult passports through An Post’s Passport Express service. The Passport Express fee of €80 has remained unchanged since 2009, when it was raised by €5. When broken down annually across its 10 year validity period, the passport costs €8 per year.

The introduction of Passport Online in 2017 reduced fees for all online passport applications by €5. Passport Online can be accessed by all first time applicants, irrespective of age, 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. The Passport Online Service is four times quicker than paper-based applications for adult and child renewal applications and is the fastest, easiest and safest way to apply for a passport. Over 90% of applicants now apply online compared to 47% of applications received online in 2019.

The cost of the standard online ten year adult Irish passport compares favourably with many other jurisdictions. The fee of €75 breaks down to €7.50 per year, compared with €9.20 per year for a British passport, €8.60 per year for a French passport, €11.80 per year for an American passport and €20.65 per year for an Australian passport.

Given that any shortfall in revenue would have to be met by the taxpayer, a decision to reduce the application fee would require careful consideration.

Passport Online

Passport Express, via An Post

Adult (standard 10-year passport)

€75

€80

Child (standard 5-year passport for those under 18)

€20

€30

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