Government records ‘surge’ in passport applications

The Department of Foreign Affairs has said there has been a “surge” in passport applications this year and urged those who need passport renewals to use a new online application system.

The department, which runs the Passport Office, said there had been “a significant increase” in demand for Irish passports this year.

It has encouraged applicants who wished to renew their passports to use the new online service for such applications.

A spokesman said 20,000 such online applications had been received since the introduction of this service on March 30th, with a current average processing time of just six working days.

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The current average waiting time for passport renewals is 16 working days.

The department also warned that longer waiting times apply to those seeking first-time passports or replacements for lost or stolen ones, due to security checks.

The current waiting time for first-time or replacement passports is currently between four and five weeks, with applications from the UK for first-time passports taking up to 12 weeks to process.

The department said that applicants who wish to submit their applications in person at a passport office must first make an appointment online, due to the ending of the drop-in service for passport applications.

It is hoped this new process will avert the long queues which used to form outside the Passport Office’s former premises on Molesworth Street in Dublin during summer. The office is now based in Mount Street.

Emergencies

Emergency and “rapid-renewal” applications are also handled through appointments made online.

While the department said the availability of such appointments is limited, rapid-renewals can be expedited within three days.

Figures on its website reveal a 96 per cent increase in passport applications from Britain, from 4,228 applications in March 2016 to 8,297 in March 2017.

Applications from Northern Ireland rose by 75.5 per cent, from 6,396 to 11,225, over the same period.

The department said it had taken action “to mitigate the impact of the surge in applications”.

This included the recruitment of temporary staff to cope with demand, and the introduction of the online application system.

Full details on applying for a passport are available online.