Mary has recieved the following up from the Department of Foreign Affairs regarding Passport turnaround times.

It is essential to check your passport in advance of booking trips abroad, and to ensure that everyone travelling with you has a valid passport.

The quickest way to receive a passport is to apply online, it is consistently up to four times faster than a paper-based application for a renewal application. Go to dfa.ie/passportonline

While the Passport Service is experiencing a very high volume of applications, they are all being processed in the usual way, with a continuous stream of new applications and a continuous dispatch of 5000 completed passports happening every day.

The turnaround time for a simple online renewal for an adult is 10 working days, but 45% of these are processed within one to two days. Turnaround time for child renewals is 15 working days.

First time applications take the longest to process, due to the necessary security and child safety checks. These are currently taking 30 working days.

This processing time has been reduced by 25% since March, when it was 40 working days. The Passport Service is focused on reducing this processing time further in the coming weeks.

Applications that are correctly completed are being processed by the Passport Service within the average turnaround times. Turnaround times apply to fully complete and correct passport applications and begin from the date supporting documents received by the Passport Service, not the online registration date.

A major cause for delays is the fact that passport applications are not correctly completed. We urge applicants to submit any supporting documents as soon as possible after they apply online and follow the photo instructions carefully and check the DFA Passport Service website and the instructions on Passport Online to ensure that they are submitting the correct documents.

You can book an in-person appointment for passport renewal at Passport Offices in Mount Street, Dublin, or in Cork. Applicants can avail of a one or four-day turnaround service in Dublin and a four-day turnaround in Cork.

The Customer Service Hub is available to answer applicants’ questions by phone or webchat and details can be found at dfa.ie/passports.