The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is reminding Irish citizens to check their passports and lodge an early renewal application.
The Department’s Passport Service will be represented at Holiday World in the RDS this weekend, to provide advice and assistance to citizens.
Director of the Passport Service, Joseph Nugent said:
“Last year, the Department issued 630,000 passports, more than half of which were processed over the summer period. Currently the passport service is receiving 8,000 applications a week, compared to 19,000 applications per week in July. Now is a good time to renew your passport if necessary and benefit from a shorter turn-around time.
“We recommend you use the Passport Express Service and the appointment system at the Dublin and Cork passport offices. The Express Service is a courier-type service operated by An Post exclusively for passports, with a turnaround time of ten working days. The Department also operates an appointments system for people who need a passport in fewer than ten days.
“The Passport Service is working to make the application system as easy as possible for Irish citizens, who can help us by taking a few simple steps.”
Mr Nugent advised citizens to:
· Make sure you know where your passport is - don’t risk missing out on a holiday by waiting until the last moment to look for it.
· Know when your passport expires - check that your passport is valid for the duration of any planned travel. A small number of countries require a validity of 6 months from the date of your departure.
· Know when your child’s passport expires - a child’s passport has a shorter duration than an adult passport.
· Get a reminder - register now with the reminder service on our website www.dfa.ie to receive an email three months before your passport is due to expire.
· Bear in mind the processing time – Turnaround time is shorter in February than in July.
The Passport Service will be at the Holiday World expo in the RDS from 24-26 January. Anyone who uses the expiry reminder service on www.dfa.ie during those dates will be entered into a draw for a free holiday for two to Turkey with Irish holiday company Sunway.
The Department offers regularly updated travel advice including visa requirements and local information from our Embassy network on the Department’s website – www.dfa.ie and over the phone at (01) 408 2000.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
A guide to How to Apply for a Passport, which takes Irish citizens through each step of their passport application and answers the most frequently asked questions, is available at www.dfa.ie.
On our website, you can also access a Passport reminder service and a Passport Tracking service to allow customers to track the status of their application.
A new appointment service is in operation at the Passport Office in Molesworth Street, for those travelling at short notice (within 3-10 working days). Customers not travelling within 3-10 working days should use Passport Express. Priority at public counters is given to those travelling at short notice and the fastest turnaround time for such applications is three working days.
Passport Express is an easy-to-use, courier type service operated by An Post exclusively for passports. It is available throughout the post office network and has been in use since 1995.
Applications reach us quickly and more securely
It costs less than ordinary mail or over-the-counter applications
Guaranteed turn-around time (currently 10 working days)
Better tracking of your application so you can plan your trip