Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 June 2024
41. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider amending the rules to allow the issuing of passports of shorter durations in view of some extenuating circumstances (details supplied). [25621/24]
View answerThe standard Irish passport issued to adults is valid for 10 years. Passport fees were last updated in June 2019 and set out in Statutory Instrument No. 259/2019 - Diplomatic and Consular Fees. At that time the fee for adult passports applied for through the Passport Online service was reduced from €80 to €75. The fee for passports applied for through postal service providers remained at €80.
In 2023 the Passport Service received 11,272 applications from applicants aged 80 years or older. Of these, 10,062 were online applications and 1,210 were Post Passport paper applications.
Given that the production cost of a passport is the same, irrespective of validity, and that any shortfall in revenue or additional costs would have to be met by the taxpayer, there are no plans to offer the option of a passport with a shorter period of validity at a reduced cost.
I am satisfied that, at a cost of €75 for an online application, which breaks down to €7.50 per year, the Irish passport fee compares favourably with the services offered elsewhere.
