'Crucial' advice issued over passport renewal ahead of holiday season
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has issued a warning on renewing your passport and also having enough time left on it when travelling to non-EU countries
Crucial advice has been issued for holiday makers by the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) on passport renewals ahead of the busy holiday season.
Not only do you need to make sure you give yourself enough time to apply for a passport renewal ahead of your holidays, you should also be aware that in most non-EU countries, your passport must be in date six months after your arrival date.
"Summer is upon us and you know what that means – sun, sea, and digging your passport out of a bottom drawer to hope that it’s in date. With the increase in travel over the summer months, it is crucial to make sure that if your passport is not in date that you give yourself enough time to renew it as demand on the Passport Office increases," the ITAA said.
"The turnaround time for a ‘simple adult renewal’ is 10 working days for online applications. Be aware that most non-EU destinations require you to have your passport in date for at least six months after your arrival date. First-time passport applications have a turnaround time of 20 days. If your passport was issued over 15 years ago, you need to apply as though you were a first-time applicant," the ITAA said.
Online applications are processed faster than postal applications, applications through the post have a waiting time of at least eight weeks and you also need to factor in postage delivery times. The ITAA says you can renew your Irish passport from anywhere in the world online here.
The current passport turnaround times are:
- 10 working days for simple adult online renewals
- 15 working days for complex or child online renewals
- 20 working days for first time online applications
- 8 weeks for Post Passport (paper) applications
To apply using Passport Online you will need:
- credit or debit card
- an email address
- a digital photo that meets the photo guidelines
- your passport
The Passport Office also offers an Urgent appointment service for passport renewal at their offices in Dublin, Cork & London. Full details can be found here
Same day renewal service. Appointments can be booked 3 days in advance.
Four day renewal service. Appointments can be booked 3 weeks in advance.
Five day renewal service (London only). Appointments can be booked 3 weeks in advance.