Summer is here and Irish holidaymakers will be flying away for a well-deserved break over the next few weeks.
The Irish Passport Service can be particularly busy this time of year, as people rush to renew their passports in time for their holidays. The passport service advises all applicants not to book flights until they have received their passport.
However, they have published average turnaround times to give you an idea of how long you will be waiting. The turnaround times vary significantly depending on whether you are applying for a simple adult renewal, first time application or postal application.
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Here is everything you need to know about applying for your passport:
Simple online renewal
Average turnaround times are just 10 working days for an adult passport renewal. The Passport Service normally do not require any supporting documents for these applications.
First time applicants
First time applicants face average turnaround times of 20 working days as these are "the most complex as all documents need to be verified". The Passport Service advises that you should not book any travel until you have received a passport as these applications cannot be expedited.
For first time applicants, you need to submit extra documentation and for children, the consent of all guardians has to be verified.
Complex renewals/child renewals
The current turnaround times for complex renewals online is 15 working days. A complex renewal is when you are renewing a passport and you are required to submit extra documentation or you are changing information on your passport.
This includes changing your name or notifying the Passport Service about a lost or stolen passport. All applications for children are considered complex renewals because the consent of all guardians has to be verified.
Post Passport (paper) applications
Applying for your passport via post takes significantly longer than the Passport Online service. The average turnaround time for paper applications is eight weeks but the Passport Service warns that this is not a service guarantee.
They advise you to not book flights until you have your passport. Once you have made a paper-based application, it cannot normally be expedited and the Passport Service cannot return your supporting documents to you before the application is complete.
For more information about the Passport Service is available on the DFA website
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