Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
269. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when a passport can issue for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the documents required to have it processed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73832/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll passport applications are subject to the terms of the Passports Act, 2008 (“the Act”). The Act provides a legal basis for the various policies and practices that are applied by the Passport Service in the issuing of passports.
To protect the integrity of the Irish passport, when processing a first time application the Passport Service must validate the identity of the applicant and confirm their entitlement to Irish citizenship.
The Passport Service's Data Privacy Notice provides for data to be held by the Passport Service for 15 years after the date of issuance i.e. the validity of an adult's passport plus five years. After this time, the data is due for destruction and will be destroyed in line with internal guidelines and guidelines for destruction received from the National Archives. A minimum amount of personal data can be held beyond this period for the purpose of fraud prevention in order to maintain the integrity of the Passport Service system.
Therefore, if a renewal application is made more than 15 years after the issuance of a passport, the passport application is treated as a first time application and the applicant is requested to submit relevant supporting documentation.
Section 10 of the Act provides that a passport will issue in the name of a citizen as it appears on his/her birth certificate or naturalisation certificate. However, a name change for a passport from that which appears on a person’s birth certificate is permitted under the Act in situations such as marriage, civil partnership etc. where civil, or legal documents are available to verify this change
In cases where name change arises, other than by marriage or civil partnership etc, the Act requires evidence of the use of this new name over a two year period. If a person requests issuance of a passport with a name change consisting of the use of the Irish version of his/her name, the Passport Service may adopt some flexibility in this policy and may facilitate the request if the applicant provides proof of a minimum period of six months usage of the Irish version of their name. In such cases, the Passport Service will include an observation on the passport recording the person’s birth certificate or previous name. This observation must remain on the passport until the condition of two years proof of usage can be satisfied. After the required two years and if the person wishes to do so, he/she may reapply (full fee will be required), submitting the required two years proof, and a new passport may issue without the observation.
These rules seek to protect the integrity and security of the Irish passports against passport and identity fraud while allowing for genuine cases where name changes have occurred. The Irish passport has a strong international reputation due to the strength of security features within the book and the robust processes involved in its issuance.
With regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, the Passport Service has contacted the applicant by email in relation to the documentation required to process the application.
