Passport Services

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 June 2022

Thursday, 2 June 2022

Ceisteanna (251)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Ceist:

251. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason that a person (details supplied) who has been granted Irish citizenship and is also a Polish citizen who has applied for a passport has been told that they must submit their Polish passport with documentation required to finalise their application and that this will be retained for up to six weeks, despite the fact that they have explained that they are employed as an international driver carrying loads from Ireland to France each week via the European Union and that their work is vital to a small Irish food producer; the reason that when they submit the required documentation including their Polish passport a photocopy will not be made of their Polish passport and be returned to them immediately; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28695/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Passport Service requires a number of supporting documents for first time applications to validate the applicant’s identity as well as to establish their entitlement to Irish citizenship. For first time applicants who have been granted Irish citizenship through naturalisation, the Passport Service requests the applicant’s original passport from their country of birth as part of the supporting documents. The applicant can request the return of the supporting document once it has been verified and scanned by the Passport Service.

The Passport Service has contacted the applicant directly to advise them of this.