There are certain passport applications for applicants resident in Ireland that require forms to be witnessed by a member of An Garda Síochána. The witnessing of these forms is a vital element of the identity verification process for the Passport Service, as it provides initial assurance that the person in the photograph is the same person presenting to submit the passport application form. In the case of children's applications, it ensures that the consent of guardians is verified.
Garda stations maintain logs of these witnessed forms for verification purposes. For each application that requires a Garda witness, the Passport Service calls the relevant Garda station to confirm that the Garda witness recorded the witnessed form in the station logbook. Passport Service staff will call the relevant Garda station up to three times to verify the Garda's signature.
During the peak period for passport demand in 2022, a system was established between the Passport Service and An Garda Síochána to verify applications in cases where the Garda signature could not be verified by calling the Garda station. This new system assisted in reducing the number of applications that were delayed due to a failure to verify witness details. During the busy summer months, an average of 15 applications per day were verified in this manner. During this period, the Passport Service was issuing up to 6,000 passports per day. This system was paused at the beginning of September 2022. By that point, demand for passports had fallen significantly, with a 37% drop in the number of applications received in September compared to the number of applications received in June. Turnaround times had also fallen significantly by September, with a return to the normal, pre-Covid processing time of 20 working days for first time online applications.
It is not possible to provide the numbers requested by the Deputy in relation to passport applications that were delayed due to issues verifying the witnessing of Garda signatures on identity and consent forms, as the Passport Service does not record this information. However, it is not the experience of the Passport Service that issues around contacting Garda stations to verify witnesses are widespread.
The Passport Service is continuously looking at ways to make the application process easier for applicants including the digitisation of the records maintained by An Garda Síochána when witnessing applications.
In addition to this, the Passport Service maintains a close working relationship with An Garda Síochána and regularly offers training and guidance to Gardaí on the correct completion of the required identity and consent forms.
The Passport Service has also published a full-page informational advertisement in An Garda Síochána’s magazine, the Garda Review, to assist Gardaí with the process of witnessing passport identity and consent forms. This advertisement includes the information that the Passport Service will ring the Garda station to verify all first time passport applicants’ consent and identity form details.
The Passport Service takes its responsibility to protect the integrity of the Irish passport very seriously. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of the security features within the passport book and the robust processes involved in its issuance. The Irish passport was recently ranked 6th in the Henley Global Passport Index as it provides our citizens with visa-free access to 187 countries.
