If you are an Irish citizen living abroad and you are applying for an Irish passport, you will need to get the appropriate application form from the Irish embassy or consulate in the country in which you are living. You can also request these forms here (see 'How to apply' below).

Your passport is an important legal document. At all times, you should ensure that it is kept in a secure place. Each Irish passport carries a unique identification number and you should keep a note of your number, in the event that your passport is lost or stolen.

Passports for minors

Since 1 October 2004 all children, regardless of age, must obtain an individual Irish passport in their own name. Parents' passports however, issued before 1 October on which children have been included remain valid and do not need to be replaced. Children who are included on a parent’s passport issued before 1 October 2004 may continue to travel to most countries up to their 16th birthday along with that parent providing the passport is still valid. There are, however, some exceptions including the Czech Republic, Estonia and the US. If you are in any doubt, check with the Embassy or Consulate of the country concerned before you travel.

Children under 3 can apply for a 3 year passport, and children between 3-17 can apply for a 5 year passport. The parental consent section (Section 7) of the form must be signed by both parents or guardians each time a new passport is issued for a child. Every application for a passport of a child under 18 years must be accompanied by the full birth certificate showing the names of the child's parents. See ('How to apply' below). View more information on passports for children of unmarried parents here. View more general information on passports for children here.

Validity of Irish passports

All EU citizens have the right to enter and live in the territory of another member state of the EU for up to three months. You simply present a valid passport or national identity card: no other formality is required. EU countries cannot set additional conditions concerning the minimum validity or duration of the identity card or passport. Basically this means that your passport doesn't have to be valid for say, 6 months before you are allowed enter another EU country.

Irish citizens travelling to destinations outside the EU are subject to the specific passport controls and requirements of those countries. This means, for example, that when you are travelling outside the EU your passport may need to be valid for a certain period. The arrangements vary from one country to another so contact the relevant Embassy of the country before you travel for the most up-to-date information on these requirements. We cannot advise on the requirements of any country - contact the embassy directly.

Replacement Irish passports are no longer being issued. (This means, for example, that if you have married and wish to change your name, or if your Irish passport has been damaged or lost), you must apply for a new Irish passport.

Passport photographs

Two identical photographs of the passport holder must be included with each application. They should be signed on the back by the person who witnesses the application, including the form number shown in Section 9 of the application form. There are strict standards in place governing passport photographs, more detailed guidelines on passport photographs are described here (pdf).

• Standard 10 year, 34-page passport: 75 euro
• Standard 10 year, 34-page passport,for people aged 65+: Free (since 1 August 2005)
• Large 10 year, (66-page) passport: 100 euro
• 5-year passport (children aged 3-17 years): 25 euro
• 3-year passport (available to children under 3): 15 euro
• public counter urgent fee (in addition to the basic passport fee): 50 euro for an adult and 25 euro for a child
• emergency service administration fee (in addition to the basic passport fee): 100 euro for an adult and 50 for a child

Fees for Passport Express services are 7.50 euro per application. An Post also offers a 'Family Application' option at a special rate of 12.50 euro. For 'Family Applications', you may enclose up to 4 application forms. This fee includes postage to/from the Passport Office. The Passport Express service through UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland costs £6.

The cost of an Irish passport is the same for all Irish citizens. If you are an Irish citizen living outside Ireland and are applying for a passport through your Irish embassy or consulate, there may be additional administrative costs or handling charges depending on where you live. Check this in advance with the Irish embassy or consulate in the country in which you are living.

You can pay for your Irish passport through Passport Express, at a Passport Office public counter, by ordinary post, or through your nearest Irish embassy or consulate abroad. If you are paying by cheque, it must be in euros and be drawn on an Irish bank.

If you are using An Post's Passport Express service, you should pay the passport application fees and the extra Passport Express fee directly to An Post, either by cash, cheque or Laser debit card.

If you are applying in person at the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork, you can pay by cash, cheque, credit or Laser debit card, postal order or bank draft.

Cheques, postal orders and bank drafts enclosed with ordinary postal applications should be made payable to the Passport Office. You can also pay by credit or debit card on an ordinary postal application. For security reasons, you should not include cash with a postal application.

Irish citizens living in Ireland: send completed application form (APS 1) directly to one of the passport offices, located in Dublin and Cork, or via the "Passport Express" service operated by An Post. Remember to include the correct fee and other items mentioned above. Use this form if applying for a new, renewal or replacement passport.

Irish citizens living abroad: complete application form (APS 2) if you are living outside Ireland or Northern Ireland. Use this form if applying for a new, renewal or replacement passport. Application forms are available from any Irish embassy or consulate. Send the completed application form to your nearest Irish embassy.

In all cases, you will need to return the appropriate application form with the appropriate fee as well as two approved-size passport photographs (one of which has been signed by the witness of identity identified on your particular form), proof of your Irish identity and your most recent Irish passport.

Lost Irish passports

Complete Section 6 of form APS 1 (if you live in Ireland) or APS 2 (if you live abroad). This form must be witnessed at a Garda (police) station or by a police officer in the country where you live abroad. Submit the form together with your original full birth certificate, photographs and fee as normal. (View detailed information on how to replace a lost or stolen Irish passport here).

Applying for a child's passport

Children aged up to 3 years can only apply for a 3 year passport. Again, you must complete the appropriate section of form APS 1 (if the child is an Irish citizen living in Ireland) or APS 2 if the child is an Irish citizen living abroad). Include the child's original long-form birth certificate. As outlined previously, the application form must be witnessed by an eligible person, e.g. Garda/police, doctor, school principal/or vice principal (teachers are not acceptable).

Children aged between 3 and 17 years can only apply for a 5 year passport. Again, APS 1 or APS 2 as appropriate must be completed if this is a first-time application. If you are renewing a child's passport, again forms APS 1 or APS 2 should be completed. The child's original long-form birth certificate must be included with each subsequent passport renewal.
Child aged Passport duration Forms to complete Costs
Up to 3 years 3 years only APS 1 (Ireland) or APS 2 (living abroad) 15 euro
3-17 years 5 years only APS 1 (Ireland) or APS 2 (living abroad) 25 euro

Processing times for Irish passports

If you call in person to any of the Passport Offices here in Ireland, your application will take a minimum of two weeks to process. If you require a passport more ugently than this, you may be required to show proof of travel (e.g. airline tickets). There is an extra charge for the urgent service - 50 euro for an adult and 25 euro for a child.

In cases of genuine emergency, the Duty Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs can issue a passports of restricted validity. Examples of such emergencies are (a) situations of substantial distress such as the deaths or funerals of relatives abroad (b) urgent business abroad, particularly where Ireland is the beneficiary or (c) marriages abroad or where a partner in a couple going on honeymoon finds a passport to have been lost or mislaid. There is an extra charge for the emergency service - 100 euro for an adult and 50 euro for a child.

If you make your application by ordinary post, you should allow 4-5 weeks for your passport to be processed.

Applying through the 'Passport Express' service operated by An Post ensures that properly completed applications will be processed in 10 working days.
Tracking the progress of your passport application

In December 2006 the Passport Office launched their new Passport Tracking Service. This service allows you to check the status of your application online. In order to do this, you must have the application number from your form (available in the top right-hand corner of the form) to do this.

Passport Office

1a South Mall
Cork
Cork
IRELAND
Tel: +353 (0)21 4944700
Locall: (outside the (021) area): 1890 426900
Email: passportcork@dfa.ie
Wheelchair Access: Unknown