Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 April 2023
32. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will clarify whether Irish passport applications received from the North need a member of An Garda Síochána to witness the application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19809/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraPassport applicants residing in Northern Ireland can avail of a broad range of witnesses for the purpose of completing their identity and consent forms. A full list of acceptable witnesses can be found on my Department’s website: How to get your passport application witnessed - Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie).
The Passport Service recently carried out a number of upgrades to the Passport Online portal to provide a more citizen centric user experience for the over 90% of applicants who apply online. The changes included changing the position of the date of birth screen for child and adult applications. This has been introduced to ensure errors in the application process, such as the wrong type of passport or an incorrect date of birth, are captured at an earlier stage of the application process. New screens have also been created for our citizens based on their citizenship type. These screens provide clearer and more specific information about the documentation requirements needed for their application.
Finally, a personalised confirmation page, cover page and confirmation email is created for the applicant based on their citizenship category. This upgrade utilises the information provided by first time applicants to auto-generate a custom coversheet that provides them with a bespoke list, in straightforward language, of the documents that they should submit as part of their application.
The Passport Service is aware that, in the course of these customer enhancements, a cohort of applicants applying from Northern Ireland received identity verification forms that directed them to An Garda Siochána. This was due to a technical issue in the release of these complex upgrades, which resulted in the auto-generation of an incorrect form for applicants resident in Northern Ireland. The Passport Service has since resolved this issue and instructed staff to accept applications received during the short window the issue existed, if completed by an approved witness. The witnessing policy for applications from Northern Ireland remains otherwise unchanged.
