Irish Passport Applications
First Irish Passport application can be made:
• Online
Or
• By post, through Passport express
Or
• In person, through the Passport offices counter service or at an Irish Embassy or consulate if you are living abroad.
Passport online service
If you are living in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the EU, the EEA or Switzerland you can use the Passport online service to apply for your first Irish passport.
You will have to send original documents to the Passport Service after you have completed the online application form.
Digital photographs
You must include a digital photo as part of your online application. You can do this in three ways:
• Have your photo taken at a participating photo provider, who will give you a unique code to include with your online application.
• Have your photo taken at a photo provider, and ask them to email it to you, or save the photo on a USB device, or other storage method. You must have access to the photo when completing your online application.
• Take a photo at home using a digital camera or smartphone. This cannot be a “selfie” and you should not use the zoom function of your camera. The photo must capture your image from the waist upwards.
Sending documents
Once the application is completed, you will be asked to print an Application Cover Page. This will list the documents you have to send to the Passport Service. All documents sent must be original. The Passport Service recommends that you use a secure method of postage for sending your documents. A postage label is generated as part of your application (if you are applying in Ireland).
If you are applying outside Ireland, you should use a reliable postal service. In some countries, the local postal services are not reliable. In this case, you can submit your documents to your nearest Irish Embassy.
Applying by post through Passport Express
Passport express is a service provided by An Post. If you are an Irish citizen living in Ireland, you should fill in the appropriate application form.
Photographs
You must include 4 recent identical photographs of yourself with your application. Two of these photographs should be signed on the back by the witness. The witness should also write the form number shown in Section 9 of the application form on the two signed photographs. If you are applying for your passport in Ireland the witness must be a member of the Garda Síochána.
Passport Express Abroad
There are a number of UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland that provide the Passport Express service. There are also two post offices in Great Britain offering Passport Express (Glasgow Post Office, 140 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2RD and Liverpool Post Office, 1 – 3 South John Street, Liverpool, L1 8BN.). If you are applying abroad, the application form lists suitable categories of witness. The witness should enter their daytime contact number on the application form as this may need to be verified by the Passport Service or the relevant embassy or consulate.
Applying in person
It is not recommended to apply directly to the Passport Office for your first passport. The counter service in the Passport Office is designed to accommodate people who need to renew their passports urgently, and don’t have enough time to apply in other ways.
You can make your first-time applications using the counter service, but it cannot be processed urgently – it will take at least 20 working days (not including postage times). Applications made in person are more expensive than applying online or through Passport Express (see below)
If you are living abroad, in a country where Passport Express or Passport Online are not available, you can apply for an Irish passport in person or using ordinary or registered post to your nearest Irish embassy or consulate.
Fee for Passports
Standard 10-year, 34-page passport
• Passport Online - €75 (+ €5 postage if you live outside Ireland)
• Passport Express - €80 (+€9.50 fee)
• In person - €95
Large 10-year 66-page passport
• Passport Online – €105 ((+ €5 postage if you live outside Ireland)
• Passport Express - €110 (+€9.50 fee) • In person – €125
What documents do I need? You should submit the following documentation with your application:
• Your full civil birth certificate
• Your civil marriage or civil partnership certificate (if you have changed your surname)
• Proof of address
• Proof of name
• Copy of your Public Services Card or original government issued photo identification document.
• If resident in Northern Ireland or abroad, you must supply either an original passport, national ID card, social security card, or a certified copy of your driving licence.
You may be required to send additional documents as well as those listed above depending on your particular situation.
Additional documents
If you were born abroad to a parent born in Ireland or Northern Ireland - you should also include:
• Your Irish-born parent’s birth certificate
• Your parents’ civil marriage certificate (if applicable)
If you became an Irish citizens through naturalisation - you should also include
• Your original naturalisation certificate
• Your original foreign passport (if available)
If you became an Irish citizen through the foreign birth register process – you should also include
• Your foreign birth registration certificate
• Your foreign passport If you were adopted, you should include:
• Your certificate of entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions (If adopted abroad your adoption must be entered in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions)
• Your civil marriage or civil partnership certificate (if you have changed your surname)
• Your adoptive Irish parent’s birth certificate or Irish passport
• Your adoption certificate
If your documents are not in English you must also supply a certified English version, translated by a registered translator.
The Passport Office can request further documentation and/or interview applicants. You can order birth, marriage, civil partnership and adoption certificates online from the HSE.
You can order a certificate of entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions from the Adoption Authority.
How long will my Passport application take?
Online applications are completed in approximately 20 working days.
If you are applying through the Passport Express service, you should allow at least 20 working days for your application to be processed (not including postage times). This period may be extended at certain times of the year due to increased application numbers.
First-time postal applications from the UK take at least 30 working days.
Tracking the progress or your application
The Passport Service provides a Passport Tracking Service. This service lets you check the status of your application online. You must have the application number from your form to use this service.
Signing the Passport
When you receive your passport, you should sign it. If it is a child’s passport, the child should sign it. If the child is not able to sign their name, it should be left blank.
We will be very happy to assist you in your Irish Passport application – please contact us for further information.