How to obtain an Irish passport

Passport application forms are available from all Garda stations, Post Offices which provide the Passport Express service, many Libraries and Citizens Advice Centres and also from the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork.

You should submit your application through your local Post Office to the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork [if you live in Munster]. If you live abroad send your application to your nearest Diplomatic and Consular Missions.

The Dublin and Cork Offices may be contacted on:

Passport Office Dublin Tel. 00 353 1 671 1633 or LoCall 1890 426 888
To email PPO Dublin, please click this link.

Passport Office Cork Tel. 00 353 21 494 4700 or LoCall 1890 426 900
To email PPO Cork, please click this link.

Due to the large number of calls we are currently receiving it may take some time to get through on the phone.  We apologise for the inconvenience.

What documents should be enclosed

• Complete all sections of the application form  correctly and legibly. Don’t forget to enter your signature in the signaturebox  on the left hand side of this section.
• Enclose four recently taken passport photographs .
• Have the witness section of the application form and two photograph signed and stamped by a Garda Síochána, for applications made in Ireland, or by a member of one of the categories listed on the form for applications made abroad.

• The Passport Service reserves the right to contact witnesses as required.  Passport applicants should therefore note that where it is not possible make contact with those witnessing applications then it is likely that the application will be rejected.

• With effect from 9th January 2012  the Passport Service will only accept photocopies in respect of passports with six months or less validity on the date of application.   Where a passport has 6 plus  months validity this must be submitted with the application.
• Information in respect of applications for first time adults and those who are reporting lost and stolen passports please click here First time adult applicants/Lost and stolen
• Enclose the appropriate fee.

Passport Express Service [Within the State]

The special envelope provided should be used to send the application to the Passport Office. An additional fee is charged by An Post for this service. The Passport Express service is available from most offices of An Post. 

Applicants in the State should use application form APS1E/G.

Express Service in Northern Ireland and Great Britain

The Passport Express service is now available from 70 branches of the UK Post Office in Northern Ireland and Great Britain . 

Passport application forms may also be obtained from these post offices and you may also submit your application through these post offices for a processing fee of £6. This covers express postage to/from the Passport Office.

Applicants outside the State should use application form APS2E/G.

Persons resident in Northern Ireland, if it is not convenient to obtain forms from the offices listed above, may order forms from the Dublin Passport Office.

Regular Postal Applications

You should only apply by regular post if you do not require your passport for at least 8 weeks.
Passport application forms are available from all Garda stations and from Post Offices which provide the Passport Express service. The completed application form should be sent to either address below.  Applicants in Munster should post to Cork, applicants in the rest of Ireland should post to Dublin.

The Passport Office                 The Passport Office
PO Box 9718                           1A South Mall
Co. Dublin                               Cork

Applying in person

The Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork  are open from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

The Dublin and Cork Offices are closed at weekends but an emergency service is available outside office hours at the telephone numbers given here. An administrative fee is charged for this emergency service.

Priority Processing of Passport Applications.

All non emergency applications submitted at the public counters will have a standard 15 working day turnaround. The timeline for processing passports with proof of immediate travel while not guaranteed is 3 working days other than where travel is necessitated by the death or illness of a family member. An additional fee may apply.

This does not apply to applications submitted outside Ireland.  Requests for information in respect of the turnaround time for applications submitted through Irish Embassies abroad should in the 1st instance be checked on the relevant Embassy website.

If you live abroad.

In general you should allow at least 6-8 weeks for the processing of your passport via your local Mission. This includes the transmission of your application by email to the Dublin Passport Office where the passport is printed and the return of the passport to the Mission concerned by the diplomatic bag service.
The opening hours of Irish Diplomatic and Consular Missions  vary from country to country depending on local practice. You should telephone in advance if you wish to call an Irish Mission to obtain a passport.

Proof of Citizenship

If born in Ireland on or before 31 December 2004 -
and applying for your first Irish passport or renewing your passport if under 18 years of age – you require to submit the long form of your Irish State birth certificate which shows the names of your parents. If you are renewing your passport and are over 18 years of age you only need to submit your expired passport.

If born on or after 1 January 2005 please see the citizenship notice here.
In summary, this notice advises that any application for a child born in Ireland since 1 January 2005, in addition to the child’s long form birth certificate, you must also submit the long form birth certificate of one of his/her Irish parents or proof of reckonable residence if parents are not Irish citizens.

If born outside Ireland to a parent born on the island of Ireland
the form of your civil birth certificate which shows the names of your parents (the long form) and
the long form civil birth certificate of your Irish born parent and, if applicable, your parents’ civil marriage certificate.

If neither of your parents was born in Ireland but you can claim Irish Citizenship by descent:
your Certificate of Entry in the Foreign Births Register  issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the long form of your civil birth certificate.

If a naturalised Irish Citizen:
the citizenship certificate issued by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and your long form birth certificate.

If you are applying for a passport in a name other than that on your birth certificate or marriage certificate you must produce evidence that you have changed your name or that you are commonly known by that name. In general two examples or more showing two years proof of usage is required to be submitted.