New Irish passport online application a global game changer

Irish citizens can now apply for their Irish passport 24/7, from anywhere in the world and for a cheaper price, the Irish government has announced.

The Irish Passport Office has expanded their services the Irish government has announced. The new services mean that Irish citizens can now renew their passports online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere in the world.

Children’s passports can also be renewed online as part of a range of new measures. The new service will be $5.64 (€5) and the turnaround time for applications will be ten working days for all online applications (this estimate excludes postage time). The new services will come into play from Nov 28, 2018.

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The new system requests that application had a digital photograph and email address. Those renewing children’s passports will require a Child Passport Identity and Consent Form which will have to be printed and witnessed at the end of the online process.

The Minister for the Diaspora and International Development Ciaran Cannon has welcomed the significant expansion of online service. He said that the expanded service will for the first time permit the online renewal of children`s passports, introduce the options of a passport card for children and expand the categories of adults who can renew their passport online.

Minister Cannon said, “The current online service currently permits adult passport renewal applications and adult passport card applications and to date, close to 300,000 Irish adults have renewed their passport online.”

Ireland’s Tánaiste (Deputy Leader) and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the success of the online renewal service was recognized at the recent CX Impact Awards, where it won the “Impact in Digital” award.

Coveney said, “It is important that the Passport Service continues to use technology in order to gain efficiencies and deliver the best possible service to the citizen.”

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 Here is a list of further information released by the offices of the Minister for the Diaspora and International Development:

- The expanded online service permits all Irish citizens, adults, and children, to renew their passport online.

- You will need a digital photograph, an email address, and a credit/debit card to apply online.

- To ensure the Passport Service continues to verify the identity of the child and receive the consent of guardians using the online child passport renewal service, a Child Passport Identity and Consent Form will be generated for printing and witnessing at the end of the online process.

- A standard adult passport book online costs €75. A standard child passport book online costs €20. It is cheaper when you apply for a passport book and card at the same time.

- Full details about the Online Passport Application Service are available at www.dfa.ie/passportonline

- Photo-Me Ireland (the Group’s Irish subsidiary) is the first company licensed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to capture and transfer digital photos as part of the online passport application. For information on photo booth locations please visit www.passportphoto.ie

- Action Point is an award-winning supplier of custom software development and information technology support services. Clients throughout the world rely on Action Point for business process automation, mobile application development, Internet of Things functionality, legacy system redevelopment, database management solutions, managed services, 24x7 helpdesk services, data storage, cloud hosting, virtualization, business continuity, disaster recovery, and Azure.

- Absolute Graphics is a marketing, design and print company founded in 2003 and based in Bray, Co Wicklow. They have previously worked with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the re-design of the Passport Book and the design of the Passport Card.

-  Bearing Point is a global management and technology consultancy firm, employing 300 people in Ireland. They have been working with the Department in implementing the Passport Reform Programme.

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H/T: RTE.