A passport is an internationally recognised travel document confirming your
identity and nationality and you are only entitled to an Irish passport if you
are an
Irish citizen. Your passport is an important legal document. At all times,
you should ensure that it is kept in a secure place. Each Irish passport
carries a unique identification number and you should keep a note of your
number, in the event that your passport is lost or stolen.
As well as allowing you travel abroad, your Irish passport entitles you to
certain diplomatic
support services from Irish embassies abroad should you get into
difficulties. While your Irish passport is an internationally recognised travel
document, it does not give you an automatic right to enter other countries.
Your Irish passport is issued by the Irish Government through the Passport
Office here in Ireland. Irish passports are also issued through Irish embassies
and consulates throughout the world, to whom you apply if you are living
abroad.
From 11 April 2010 passports are no longer free to those aged 65 and
over.
Exchanging a passport
It is no longer possible to obtain a replacement passport (e.g.
if your passport has been damaged or if you have married and want to change the
name on your passport). Instead, you will have to apply for a new one.
Renewing a passport
Whether you want to apply for a new passport for the first time or renew an
old/current passport, the application form and the application procedure is the
same. The Department of Foreign Affairs provides a Passport Reminder Service
which sends you a reminder by email 3 months before your passport is due to
expire. You must register for this service.
If you apply for a new passport before your current one has expired, your
new passport will run from when you apply.
Validity of Irish passports
Irish citizens travelling to destinations outside the EU are subject to the
specific passport controls and requirements of those countries. This means, for
example, when travelling outside the EU, your passport may need to be valid for
a certain period. The arrangements vary from one country to another so contact
the embassy of the relevant country before you travel for the most up-to-date
information on these requirements. We cannot advise on the requirements of any
particular country - you should contact the embassy
directly.
All EU citizens have the right to enter and live in the territory of another
member state of the EU for up to three months. You simply present a valid
passport or national identity card; no other formality is required. EU
countries cannot set additional conditions concerning the minimum validity or
duration of the identity card or passport. Basically this means that your
passport doesn't have to be valid for say, 6 months before you are allowed
enter another EU country.
Machine-readable passports
A machine-readable passport is a passport with two typeface lines printed at
the bottom of the biographical page, which can be read by machine. Look at the
bottom of your Irish passport [the photo page] for two lines that are typeface
lines. These lines have letters, numbers and left angle brackets.
When read, these lines electronically provide identical information to that
provided on the biographical page. (The biographical page is the page on your
passport that illustrates your photograph and carries information about your
name, date of birth, address, nationality, etc.).
All passports issued by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and the
Irish Embassy in London, which represent over 90% of all passports in
circulation, are machine-readable.
Since June 2005 the United States has required that all Irish passport
holders must carry a machine-readable passport when travelling to the US.
Ireland is one of 27 countries where passport holders may enter the US without
a visa for travel or business purposes for a maximum period of 90 days. If you
don't hold a machine-readable Irish passport you must obtain a visa in order to
enter the US.
Since January 2009, Irish passport holders require an electronic travel
authorization (ESTA) before boarding their flight to the US. Further
information is available on the US embassy website.
Electronic passports (ePassports)
In October 2006 the Passport Office began issuing Irish electronic passports
(ePassport). An electronic passport is the same as a normal machine-readable
passport with the addition of a small integrated circuit or chip
embedded in the photo page. The chip securely stores a digitised image of the
photo and personal details of the passport holder as they appear on the data
page of the passport, which allows the use of facial recognition technology at
border controls. The chip incorporates digital signature technology to verify
the authenticity of the data stored on the chip.
You can read more information on electronic
passports on the Department of Foreign Affairs' website.
Rules
You must be an Irish citizen in order to be eligible for an
Irish passport.
You have a right to apply for a passport if you are 18 years or over. If you
are under 18, you will need the consent of both parents or guardian(s) in
writing in order to get your own passport.
Titles such as Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Rev., Sir, Lord, Lady, etc. are not entered
on Irish passports.
If the version of the name to be entered on the passport differs from the
version of the name on the birth
certificate, you must provide evidence of usage for at least two years,
e.g. bank statement, driving licence, credit cards, etc. At least two examples
of such evidence should be enclosed with your application.
A passport may be issued in the married name of an applicant if a civil
marriage certificate is produced.
Passports for children
Since October 2004 all children, regardless of age, must obtain an
individual Irish passport in their own name. Three year passports are available
for children under 3, and five year passports are available for children
between 3-17 years.
If you are or were married to the other parent of your child or if you are a
joint guardian of the child, both parents or guardians must sign the parental
consent section (Section 7) of the passport application form. The situation is
different if you are the sole guardian of a child. Instead of completing the
second part of the parental consent section, you will have to sign an affidavit
stating that you are the sole guardian.
Every application for a passport of a child under 18 years must be
accompanied by the full birth certificate showing the names of the child's
parents.
Children who are already included on a parent’s passport, issued before
October 2004, may continue to travel to most countries up to their 16th
birthday along with that parent. There are, however, some exceptions.
There is more information on applying for a child's passport in our document on passports for
children.
Passport photographs
Four recent identical photographs of the passport holder must be included
with each application. Two of these should be signed on the back by the person
who witnesses the application. The witness should also write the form number
shown in Section 9 of the application form on that photograph.
More detailed information on
passport photographs is available here.
Rates
From 11 April 2011 the fees when applying for an Irish passport using
Passport Express (see below) or through an embassy or consulate are:
- Standard 10-year, 32-page passport (aged 18 and over): €80
- Large 10-year 66-page passport (aged 18 and over): €110
- 5-year passport (children aged 3-17 years): €26.50
- 3-year passport (children aged under 3): €16
When applying in person at a Passport Office or by ordinary or
registered post the fees are:
- Standard 10-year, 32-page passport (aged 18 and over): €95
- Large 10-year 66-page passport (aged 18 and over): €125
- 5-year passport (children aged 3-17 years): €41.50
- 3-year passport (children aged under 3): €31
If you use An Post's Passport
Express service, which guarantees that you will get your passport within 10
working days, there will be an additional charge of €8.50 per application. An
Post also offers a 'Family Application' option at a special rate of €14.50.
(Up to 4 passport applications for a family may be enclosed in one envelope).
This fee includes postage to/from the Passport Office. The Passport Express
service through UK
Post Office branches in Northern Ireland (pdf) costs £6.
If you are an Irish citizen living outside Ireland and are applying for a
passport through your Irish embassy or consulate, there may be additional
administrative costs or handling charges depending on where you live. Check
this in advance with the Irish embassy or consulate in the country in which you
are living.
How to pay
You can pay for your Irish passport through Passport Express, at a Passport
Office public counter, by ordinary post, or through your nearest Irish embassy
or consulate abroad. If you are paying by cheque, it must be in euros and be
drawn on an Irish bank.
If you are using An Post's Passport Express service, you should pay the
passport application fees and the extra Passport Express fee directly to An
Post, either by cash, cheque or Laser debit card.
If you are applying in person at the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork, you
can pay by cash, cheque, credit or Laser debit card, postal order or bank
draft.
Cheques, postal orders and bank drafts enclosed with ordinary postal
applications should be made payable to the Passport Office. You can also pay by
credit or debit card on an ordinary postal application. For security reasons,
you should not include cash with a postal application.
How to apply
It is not possible to apply for an Irish passport online. It is
also not currently possible to download the application forms you need
to complete.
If you are an Irish citizen living in the State, you should
fill out form APS 1. Use this form if applying for a new, renewal or
replacement passport. You will find these forms at every Garda Station and at
any Post Office that displays the "Service Plus" logo.
If you are an Irish citizen living in Northern Ireland or outside
Ireland and you are applying for an Irish passport, you should fill
out form APS 2. Use this form if applying for a new or renewal of your
passport. You can get the application form from the Irish embassy or consulate
in the country where you live (or the closest embassy or consulate). The
Passport Express service including forms is available through certain
UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland (pdf).
When you get the form, you should read the detailed notes provided with it,
to help you complete your application correctly.
In all cases, you will need to return the appropriate application form with
the appropriate fee as well as 4 approved-size passport photographs (2 must be
signed by witness as per instructions with form), proof of your Irish
citizenship (where required) and your most recent Irish passport (if you have
one).
Since January 2011, first-time adult applicants must include the following
with their application:
- Four photographs, two of which must be signed by witness as per
instructions with application form
- Birth certificate of the applicant
- Civil marriage certificate, if appropriate
- Evidence of entitlement to Irish citizenship ,where applicable
- An additional form of photo-identification, such as a copy ofyour drivers
licence, work ID, student card, social club membership, passport from
another country
- Documentary evidence to show use of your name, such as payslips, records
of unemployment or disability payment, bank statement, college
registration
- Evidence of residency at the application address, such as utility bills,
official correspondence from public or private sector
You may also be required to provide further information and/or attend for
interview.
Lost Irish passports
Complete Section 6 of form APS 1 (if you live in Ireland) or of APS 2 (if
you live abroad). Submit the form together with your original full birth
certificate, photographs and fee as if it was your first application for a
passport. (View detailed information on
how to replace a lost or stolen Irish passport here).
Processing times for Irish passports
Applicants are encouraged to use the Passport Express service operated by An
Post and through Northern Ireland post offices. Applying through the Passport
Express service ensures that properly completed applications will be processed
in 10 working days.
If you make your application by ordinary post, you should allow at least 8
weeks for your passport to be processed.
If you call in person to any of the Passport Offices in Ireland, your
application will take a minimum of 2 weeks to process.
If you require a passport ugently, you should contact the Passport Service.
Applications in Ireland with proof of travel (e.g. airline tickets) are
guaranteed to be processed within 3 working days. There is an extra charge for
the urgent service - €55 for an adult and €30 for a child.
In cases of genuine emergency, the duty officer at the Department of Foreign
Affairs can issue an emergency passport of limited validity. Examples
of such emergencies are:
- Situations of substantial distress such as the deaths or funerals of
relatives abroad
- Urgent business abroad, particularly where Ireland is the beneficiary
- Urgent medical attention abroad
- Marriages abroad or where a partner in a couple going on honeymoon finds
a passport to have been lost or mislaid
There is a charge for this out-of-hours emergency service - €110 for an
adult and €55 for a child. The emergency passport is valid for a limited
amount of time. An application for a regular passport will have to be made
subsequently.
If living abroad, in general you should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the
processing of your passport via your local embassy or consulate.
Tracking the progress of your passport application
In December 2006 the Passport Office launched their Passport Tracking Service.
This service allows you to check the status of your application online. In
order to do this, you must have the application number from your form
(available in the top left-hand corner of the form) to do this.
Where to apply
If applying from within the State, you should use Passport Express. Hand in
your application at your nearest Service Plus Post Office. Applying in person
at a Passport Office should only be done by those who have immediate travel
plans or a necessity to travel for reasons of family emergency.
If applying from outside the State, send the completed application to the
nearest Irish embassy or consulate, or hand it in at the nearest participating
Norther Ireland Post Office if using Passport Express.
Passport Office
1a South Mall
Cork
Ireland
Tel:
+353 21 494 4700
Locall:
1890 426 900 (outside the (021) area)
Email:
passportcork@dfa.ie
Passport Office
P.O. Box 9718
Dublin
Ireland
The above information has been kindly provided by http://www.citizensinformation.ie