New Passport Application Guidelines Produced

New guidelines have been produced on completing the Irish passport application.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, announced the new guidelines, which will accompany all new application forms, which are available from post offices and Garda stations.

"The Passport Office receives 80,000 incomplete applications each year. It is hoped that the new guide, which gives clear and concise instructions, will greatly reduce the most common errors and speed up processing times. The guide includes sample screenshots of the more complex sections of the application form, with information on how to complete them properly," Minister Flanagan said.

"In the first six months of 2015 the number of passport applications received increased by almost 5% from the same period in 2014. In 2014, a total of 629,446 passports were issued.

"I am confident that this new guide will greatly assist people in applying for their passport, whether they are first time applicants or renewing their passport. The new guide has been designed to clarify the process of filling in the passport application form with a view to minimising errors and ensuring that passports are issued as quickly as possible."

The application form has also been updated to include the Eircode, however, older versions of the form will still be accepted.

Minister Flanagan also confirmed that the new Passport Card will be available from the end of September 2015. The Passport Card will be available to all those with a valid passport book.

"Those travelling within the EU and EEA will be able to use the Passport Card. Frequent travellers will find this particularly useful if their Passport Booklet is with an embassy as part of a visa application. The Passport Card will also be very useful for young people who will be able to use it as identification instead of their Passport Booklet, especially on nights out," Minister Flanagan said.

Minister Flanagan also reminded citizens to check the validity of their passports and apply in plenty of time.

"I urge all passport holders to check that they know where their passport is, and that it is in date. I also recommend that parents check the validity of their child or children’s passports as they are only valid for three or five years."

(MH)