Irish Passport Renewal Process
In this short guide, we’ll be explaining how you can renew your Irish passport if you are 18 years old or older. Irish passports for adults have a validity of ten years and would need to be renewed in order for them to keep travelling abroad.
However, the Irish passport renewal process is not only for expired passports, but also, among others, for the following situations:
– A valid passport was stolen, damaged, or lost.
– You need to update your passport information so that it shows your married or maiden name.
– You changed your name due to reasons other than marriage.
– You changed your gender and were given a Gender Recognition Certificate.
If you decide to renew your passport before the current one expires, your new passport will be valid from the moment you apply.
You won’t be able to apply for a renewal if your last issued passport expired five or more years ago, in which case you ought to request a new Irish passport as if it were your first.
Needless to say, you must hold Irish citizenship to qualify for an Irish passport, let alone a renewal. You would have to first submit an application for Irish citizenship (provided that you’re eligible).
How to Apply for Irish Passport Renewal
As of this writing, there are three main ways to renew your Irish passport:
– Via Passport Online
– Through Post Passport
– Personally by visiting the Passport Office
How to Renew Irish Passport Using Passport Online
Passport Online, as the name suggests, is an entirely online service by which you can renew your passport from anywhere, even beyond Irish borders. Your most recent passport must have been issued within five years prior to lodging your renewal request.
To apply, you must upload a digital photo of yourself from the waist upwards, with the facial features fully visible. It can’t be a selfie photo nor should it be zoomed in.
It’s possible to take the photo using your own smartphone or digital camera. You can also have your photo taken by a participating photo provider that will give you either a unique code to paste into your online application or the picture files.
If your current passport had a validity of more than 12 months when you applied for your renewal, you should send it by post.
How to Renew the Passport Through Post Passport
The Post Passport service is provided by state-owned An Post for Irish individuals residing in Ireland. To apply through Post Passport, you must fill out the form APS 1 which is found at any Post Office or Garda station.
You must accompany your application form with four identical photographs. Two of these photos should be signed at the back by a witness, who should also write down the number that appears in Section 9 of the form.
The witness must belong to the Garda Síochána if you are applying from inside Ireland. If you are outside the country, you could choose from a list of professionals, including (but not reduced to) police officers, clergymen, medical doctors, lawyers, and school principals, among many others.
For people applying from abroad, they can access the Post Passport service through several UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland and Great Britain.
How to Renew the Passport at the Passport Office
Lastly, you can show up at the Passport Office and make your request via their counter service. This option is especially useful for emergency situations. People who wish to apply personally must first arrange an appointment with the Passport Office located in either Dublin or Cork.
Irish citizens who are currently abroad can head to their nearest Irish consulate or embassy and fill out the form APS 2.
Fees
Irish passport renewal fees hinge upon the number of pages needed.
If you require a standard 34-page passport, the costs would be as follows:
– Passport Online: €75 plus a postage surcharge of €15 for applications abroad
– Post Passport (An Post): €80 plus either €9.50 for one application or €16 for a Family Application (with a maximum of four applicants)
– Passport Office’s counter service: €95
For large 66-page passports, the costs are:
– Passport Online: €105 plus €15 postage surcharge for applications abroad
– Post Passport (An Post): €110 plus €9.50 for one application or €16 for a Family Application (with a maximum of four applicants)
– Passport Office’s counter service: €125
Processing Times
This depends on the chosen option. If you filled out an online application, the renewal could take ten working days to be processed, whereas by post you can expect to wait roughly eight or more weeks (plus postage times).
For Passport Office applications, you can request same-day, four-day, and five-day renewal services, all with their corresponding fees. You also have access to same-day services for medical emergencies or the death of family members outside of Ireland. You’d be charged €110 for out-of-hours emergency passport services.
Additional Documentation
The Passport Office will ask for extra evidence in two special situations:
Name Change
If you wish a name change to be reflected in your passport because you assumed a married name, you must accompany your petition with a civil partnership or civil marriage certificate. To revert to your maiden name, you’ll need to provide your birth certificate, a judicial separation court order, and your divorce decree or separation agreement.
In other cases, you must show documentary proof that you were using your maiden name for a minimum of two years (or any other name if you changed it for other reasons).
Gender Recognition
If you were issued a Gender Recognition Certificate by the Department of Social Protection, you’d have to submit it along with your application so that the new passport displays your newly-recognised gender.
Otherwise, you must prove that you’ve been identifying under the same name and gender for at least two years along with a Statutory Declaration stating that you plan on identifying as such for the rest of your life.
