Passport Services

Wednesday, 1 May 2024

Questions (77)

Matt Carthy

Question:

77. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of appointments available for urgent passport renewal in Cork, Dublin and London, by month, in each of the years 2019, 2023 and 2024, by month; the number of which were availed of, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19730/24]

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Written answers

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Passport Service has issued over 400,000 passports to date this year. The majority of simple online adult renewal applications issue within two working days and over 90% of applicants now apply online.

The Passport Service strongly encourages Irish citizens to use the Passport Online service as the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to apply for a passport. The Passport Online service offers Irish citizens the ability to apply online for their passport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is available to 99.9% of all applicants across the world.

The public offices of the Passport Service in Dublin 2 and in Cork operate a four-day Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants. The Dublin office also offers a one-day Urgent Appointment service. The London office offers a five-day Urgent Appointment service.

As of 19 March 2024, an additional 55 appointments per week have been made available to applicants seeking the same-day turnaround passport service in the public office in Dublin.

Renewal applicants who have already submitted a passport application either through Passport Online or Post Passport can book an urgent appointment and visit the Passport Office to apply for a passport. Once a passport has been issued, their original application will be cancelled and the fee will be refunded.

Further information on the Urgent Appointment service for renewal applicants is available at www.ireland.ie/en/dfa/passports/urgent-appointment/ .

In the event of sudden bereavement or serious illness of a family member abroad, the applicant should contact the Passport Office and advise them of the issue. Priority is given to these applications by the Passport Service. In the event that such an occurrence should happen out of office hours, the applicant should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs on 01 408 2000 and request to speak to the Duty Officer. The Duty Officer will advise the applicant in full of the correct procedure. In cases of travel emergency, the Passport Service will require proof of the emergency.

Please note that the Urgent Appointment service became available in 2021. The number of urgent appointments available with the Passport Service, by location, by month and the number of appointments availed of, in 2023 and 2024 to date are outlined below in tabular form.

2023	Dublin Same-Day	Booked	Dublin Four-Day	Booked	Cork Four-Day	Booked	London Five-Day	Booked
January	639	426	1113	383	966	189	280	193
February	627	400	1007	365	920	138	280	138
March	726	655	1166	559	1012	282	280	200
April	594	564	954	607	828	286	280	115
May	726	696	1166	865	1012	409	280	163
June	693	658	1113	899	966	653	280	142
July	693	666	1113	914	966	402	280	151
August	726	679	1166	596	1012	234	280	121
September	693	638	1113	291	966	167	280	91
October	693	651	1113	314	966	170	280	112
November	726	549	1166*	240	1012	134	280	92
December	627	522	1007*	324	874	169	280	104
Total	8,163	7104	13197	6357	11500	3233	3360	1622

2024	Dublin Same-Day	Booked	Dublin Four-Day	Booked	Cork Four-Day	Booked	London Five-Day	Booked
January	726	677	1166	434	1012	205	280	116
February	660	627	1060	466	920	172	280	124
March	715	715	1000	651	874	327	280	141
April	924	856	1050	682	874	259	280	120
Total	3025	2875	4276	2233	3680	963	1120	501

* Please note that there was a slight error in the number of four day appointments available in Dublin in November and December 2023 provided to the Deputy in the reply to PQ 14848/24 on 9 April 2024. This discrepancy has been corrected in the table above.