Irish Passport Application

Irish Passport Overview

The Irish passport is one of the most powerful passports in the world which makes it one of the most sought-after. With an Irish passport, you can travel to 187 counties across the world. Furthermore, you enjoy free movement throughout EU member states.

Obtaining an Irish passport can be difficult due to its high value. You have to meet a lot of requirements and provide lots of evidence to stand a chance. Most importantly, you must be an Irish citizen before you can apply.

How To Apply For An Irish Passport?

You have multiple options to apply for an Irish Passport.

Applying for an Irish Passport Online

The quickest and easiest way to apply for an Irish passport is to submit your application online through the Passport Online portal.

In order to use this service, you will need all of the following:

• A digital photo that meets the photo guidelines
• A credit or debit card
• An email address
• Access to a printer

You will also need your supporting documents to hand.

To use the Passport Online service, you will need to give your personal details such as your age, whether you are applying for a first passport or a renewal, and your country of residence.

The application typically takes around 10 minutes to complete.

Applying for an Irish Passport by Post

If you wish to apply for your Irish passport by post, you can use the Post Passport service from An Post.

Note that passport applications sent by any other forms of post (such as ordinary or registered post) will not be accepted.

There different methods to apply visa post depending on where you live.

If you live in Ireland, you must collect an APS 1E passport application form from a Garda station or An Post office. You must then complete the application, purchase a Post Passport envelope and take it to an An Post office to send for processing.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you must collect an APS 2E passport application form from one of the 70 eligible post offices. You must then complete the application, purchase a passport postal service envelope and take it to a post office to send for processing.

If you live in Great Britain, you must collect an APS 2E passport application form from an Irish centre; The Passport Office in Cromwell Road, London; the Consulate of Ireland in Edinburgh; or by contacting the Embassy of Ireland. You must then complete the application and return the form to one of the following post offices:

• Cardiff Post Office, 83 – 85 Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 2NX
• Glasgow Post Office, 140 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2RD
• Liverpool Post Office, 1 – 3 South John Street, Liverpool, L1 8BN

You should then purchase a passport postal service envelope and send it off for processing.

Applying for an Irish Passport In Person

Generally speaking, it is not recommended to apply for a first Irish passport in person. Although there is a counter service at the Irish Passport Office, this is normally used for urgent passport renewals rather than first-time passport applications. It is recommended to use Passport Online to apply for a first passport as this is the quickest and most convenient method.

Requirements for Irish Passport Application

Meeting the requirements is a crucial part of your Irish Passport application. Most of it involves your supporting documents, and generally, you’ll provide documents to prove your identity, address, and age.

Generally, your Irish citizenship will determine the documents you’ll submit. For example, Irish citizenship by marriage, naturalization, descent, or adoption requires different documents for different circumstances.

Furthermore, you need an eligible witness to verify your identity. Your witness must hold a position of authority, and they’ll sign and date 2 of your 4 photographs. Each requirement requires a separate document.

You must submit your documents along with your application, and only original documents are accepted. You can’t submit photocopies or laminated documents.

To avoid delays and increase your chances of getting an Irish Passport, you should make sure all your evidence is complete before submission.

What Documents Do I Need to Apply for an Irish Passport?

The specific documents you will need to submit with your passport application will depend heavily on your own personal circumstances: for example, if you were born in Ireland or abroad, how you obtained Irish citizenship and where you currently live.

However, generally speaking, the type of documents you may need to submit in order to apply for an Irish passport may include (but not be limited to) the following:

• Birth certificate
• Adoption certificate
• Marriage or civil partnership certificate
• Original naturalisation certificate
• Foreign Birth Registration certificate
• Proof of address and name (such as on official government correspondence)
• Photographic identification
• Information about your parents and/or grandparents, including their birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, passports, naturalisation certificates, original Foreign Birth Registration Certificates, etc

Photo Guidelines for an Irish Passport

To successfully apply for an Irish passport, your photograph must meet the specified guidelines.

If you are submitting a digital photo, it must:

• Not be a scanned photo
• Be in colour
• Not be less than 715 pixels wide and 951 pixels in height
• Be in JPEG format
• Not have compression, loss or compression artefacts
• Not be digitally enhanced or changed
• Not contain barrel or other distortion
• Not be larger than 9 megabytes (9MB)

If you are submitting printed photos, they must:

• Capture your image from head to mid torso
• Not measure less than 35mm x 45mm and more than 38mm x 50mm
• Be printed on photo-quality paper at a high resolution
• Be in sharp focus and correctly exposed
• Have no ink marks or creases
• Not be digitally enhanced
• Have white and unglazed reverse sides

You must also ensure that any and all photographs submitted, whether digital or printed, meet the pose and visual guidelines. These include ensuring that all your facial features are visible, having balanced lighting and colour, having a plain background and having a neutral expression.

Who can witness an Irish passport application in the UK?

If submitting a first-time Irish passport application, it must be witnessed by a suitable witness.

Applications submitted online via Passport Online must include an Identity Verification Form that has been signed by an eligible witness.

Meanwhile, paper applications in Ireland can be witnessed by a Garda at a local Garda station.

Below is the list of approved professions that can witness a first-time passport application outside of Ireland:

• School principal/vice principal
• Teacher
• School Secretary
• Pre-school manager
• Montessori teacher
• Police Officer
• Member of clergy
• Medical doctor
• Lawyer
• Bank manager or assistant bank manager
• Credit Union Manager or Assistant Manager
• Elected public representative
• Notary public/ commissioner for oaths
• Peace commissioner
• Accountant
• Dentist
• Vet
• Nurse
• Physiotherapist
• Speech Therapist
• Lecturer
• Pharmacist
• Chartered Engineer

The witness must be satisfied of your identity and confirm that your photos are a true likeness of you.

Passport applications for children under 18 must also be accompanied with the informed consent of their parents and guardians.

How Long Does it Take to Get an Irish passport?

Processing can take some time, so it’s recommended to apply at least six weeks from your intended date of travel. You can view the current waiting time for your passport application on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ website.

Irish passport renewals take a shorter time. It takes about 10 working days from the submission date to process a simple adult passport. However, it can take 6 to 8 weeks to process for complex renewal, especially for children’s passports.

Track Your Irish Passport Application

Irish passport applications can be tracked online via the passport tracking tool on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

In order to track your application, you will need your 11-digit passport application ID.

Note that the status on your tracking info is accurate and is updated regularly. However, the estimate issue-by date is not a guarantee and your passport may be issued later than this date suggests.

If you have lost your tracking number, you can contact the Passport Office with your name to appear on the passport, your date of birth, mother’s surname, address and PPSN and they will attempt to locate the information for you.

Irish Passport Application Cost

The cost of your Irish Passport application depends on how you submit the application and the type of passport you’re applying for. A standard Irish Passport has 34 pages and lasts for 10 years; the associated fees include:

How to prove Irish citizenship for passport application?

According to Irish law, anyone born on the isle of Ireland before January 1st, 2005 is an Irish citizen. If you were born on the isle before the above date and you reside outside Ireland, you must register to the nearest Irish Embassy to approve your citizenship.

Hence, before you can apply for your first Irish Passport, you need to first register with the Foreign Births Register and obtain citizenship. Nevertheless, no matter where you reside, you must provide all documentation that supports your citizenship claim.

Generally, you can prove your Irish citizenship in any of the following ways.

• If your Irish citizenship is through your birth parents, you must provide your Irish parent(s) marriage certificate. The certificate must show the names of both parents.
• If your Irish citizenship is by descent, you must provide your Foreign Birth Registration certificate.
• If your Irish citizenship is by naturalization, for example, citizenship via marriage, you must provide your naturalization certificate. In addition, you’ll provide an original copy of your passport from your birth country.

Documents you provide must be in English or Irish. Otherwise, you must submit the original copy along with a certified translated copy.

Getting first Irish passport for a child

Children who are Irish citizens are also eligible to hold an Irish passport.

However, in order to obtain a passport, an application must be applied on their behalf. Legal consent from their parents or guardians must also be obtained.

An application can be made for a child as a first-time applicant if they have never held a passport before if it it has been more than 15 years since the issue of their last passport.

The application process for a child passport is largely similar to making a first-time adult application; applications can be made either online via the Passport Online portal or via post. However, child passport applications must also include an Identity and Consent form.

On this form, the consent of all the child’s guardians must be confirmed and the child’s identity must be verified. This must also be done in the presence of an eligible witness. This witness must know the child, confirm the child’s identity and witness the signature of the guardian or guardians who have accompanied the child.

It is important to ascertain the specific requirements for each guardianship scenario and ensure that all guardians of the child give their individual consent for the application.

How Can IAS Help?

Applying for an initial Irish passport can sometimes be a tricky process due to the wealth of rules and regulations that must be followed.

IAS can help. Our immigration specialists are experts within the field of Irish immigration law and have the tools and knowledge to guide you through every step of the passport application process.

From gathering your supporting documents, arranging a suitable witness and ensuring that the application form is filled in correctly and accurately, we can help.

For more information on what we can do to help with your passport application today, reach out to us on +44 (0)333 414 9244 or contact us online.