In October 2021, the Passport Service established a temporary phone line to respond to Oireachtas Members' queries on urgent passport cases.
I appreciate that it can, on occasion, be challenging for Members of the Oireachtas and their staff to access the Oireachtas line given the volume queries that the team are currently handling. Staff on the Oireachtas Line continue to work productively under increasing pressure. They are dealing with record numbers of calls and queries every week and have handled over 12,200 queries from Members since the beginning of this year. Passport Service staff on the Oireachtas Line receive comprehensive general Passport Service training, as well as customer service training.
I am aware that many Deputies are receiving a large number of passport queries from constituents due to the continued high demand for passports. Since last week, the number of staff on the Oireachtas Urgent Query Service team has increased from seven to eleven full time staff. As of last week, up to 20 queries per week from each Oireachtas Member can be facilitated by this team.
In each case raised by an Oireachtas Member, the Passport Service reviews the application in question. However, applications can only be expedited in cases of genuine emergency such as a need for urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad. Such applications are expedited through the Travel Emergency service.
In cases where the estimated issue-by date has passed and all required supporting documents have been submitted, the Passport Service will prioritise the application to ensure that no further delay is experienced.
Non-urgent cases should continue to be dealt with through the existing phone lines and web chat facilities. Passport applications, that are being processed in line with their turnaround times cannot be expedited. Where the estimated issue by date has been exceeded this will result in a query being raised internally in the Passport Service. The Passport Service will work to issue a passport or respond to a request for further information to the customer within two working days.
While Deputies often hear of the most complex and pressing cases, the overwhelming majority of passport applicants have their passport processed without any recourse to their local TD.
The Passport Service is already out-performing any previous year, despite the challenges that it has encountered over the past two years. In 2019, which was the busiest year for passports pre-Covid, the Passport Service had issued 470,000 passports by the end of May. In the same time period this year, over 540,000 passports have been issued. In 2021, 634,000 passports were issued in the whole year. In five months the Passport Service has issued over 80% of the total number of passports that were issued in the whole of last year.
Passport applicants can track the status of their passport application online via the Passport Tracker which is available on my Department's website - www.dfa.ie/passporttracking/. The information on the tracker has recently been upgraded, and is an excellent guide as to where an application is in the system.
I would ask Oireachtas colleagues to ensure that their constituents are aware of the processing times outlined below and encourage them to apply online well in advance of any planned travel.
The current processing times for passport applications are:
- 10 working days for Simple Adult online renewals
- 15 working days for Complex or child online renewals
- 30 working days for First Time Applications on Passport Online (applications received from 19 April)
- 8 weeks for An Post’s mail-in “Post Passport" service
