Catherine Murphy
Question:112. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he plans to allow first-time applications online to be available to Irish passport holders located in Thailand. [33788/23]
View answerTuesday, 11 July 2023
Questions (112)
Written answers
The Passport Service is pursuing a Digital First strategy and promoting Passport Online as the best way to apply for a passport. Passport Online is a multi-award-winning online platform, and places the Irish Passport Service amongst the most innovative in the world. It is certainly the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to apply for a passport. It is the priority channel for the Passport Service, as it has allowed for the centralisation of passport processing resulting in greater efficiencies for the Service and for customers.
Passport Online is accessible for passport renewals from every country in the world, and for first time applicants in over 70 countries worldwide. Since last month, first time applicants living in Thailand can now apply for their passport online.
The Passport Service continues to rollout the expansion of Passport Online for first time applicants worldwide, and aims to complete the expansion by the end of this year. Most recently, as well as to Thailand, the service has been expanded to first time applicants residing in Bahrain, China, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Over 90% of applicants across the globe now apply online and this number will continue to grow.
Through Passport Online, citizens also have the option of applying for a passport card, which is valid for travel in the EU, EEA, Switzerland and the UK.
I encourage Deputies to advise their constituents of the advantages of using the substantially more efficient online service when applying for their passport.