Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2025
195. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the number of passport applications processing 6+ months; 12+ months; 18+ months, 24+ months, as of October 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57068/25]
View answerThe Passport Service is successfully responding to demand, and has issued over 805,000 passports to date this year. Virtually all complete passport applications are being processed within or before advertised turnaround times.
The turnaround times for passport applications are:
• 10 working days for simple online adult renewals
• 15 working days for complex or child online renewals
• 20 working days for first time online applications
• 8 weeks for post passport or paper applications
The vast majority of applications are processed within these turnaround times. Turnaround time applies to fully complete and correct applications, and begins from the date that supporting documents are received by the Passport Service, not the date the online application is made. Applications that are incorrect or incomplete will take longer to process.
Since 2022, the Passport Service has operated a document management system whereby incomplete applications that require further supporting documents are prioritised once the additional documents are received by the Passport Service. These applications are then processed within 15 working days.
An application is valid in the Passport Service system for a period of 6 months from when the online application is made. From the time that the supporting documents are received, the Passport Service works with the applicant to process the application and ensure all required documents have been submitted to prove the applicant's entitlement to Irish citizenship, to verify their identity, and in the cases of children, to ensure that consent of guardians is verified.
In a small number of cases, it can happen that all required supporting documents are not received by the Passport Service during the 6 month validity period. In such cases, the application will expire and a refund will issue to the applicant.
It has not been possible for the Passport Service to compile the requested figures in time for the Parliamentary Question response. The Passport Service will follow up with the Deputy directly with the requested information.
