Laois Minister issues passport advice

A Laois Minister issued some advice on renewing passports and urged people not to book a holiday without a valid passport.

Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Sean  Fleming, is encouraging people to use the online service when renewing their passports in 2024.

“If you are planning a holiday abroad this year for you and your family, the first thing you should do is to check that the passports are in date before booking your trip,” said Minister Fleming. 

“When applying or renewing your passport, the quickest and most effective way to do so, is to do it online through the online service,” he said. 

“When applying for a child’s first-time passport or renewal passport, you can also do this online. This is also the most effective and quickest way of doing so,” he said. 

“If you have never had a passport before, or if your last passport was issued more than 15 years ago, you need to make a first-time application for a passport. Applying for a first-time passport can take some additional time, so it is important to allow time for this to be processed. This can also be done online,” he said. 

“You can renew your passport online if it is due to expire in the next 12 months. This is a much quicker way of renewing your passport than applying by post,” said Minister Fleming. 

“If you cannot apply or renew online, you could ask someone who is better with technology or who has done this before, to assist you,” he recommended. 

“If you are completely unable to access the online service, you can apply or renew by post, but this should be the absolute last resort. You need to give approximately two months of a turnaround time if you are applying by post,” said Minister Fleming. 

“I encourage people not to book holidays until they have received their new passport,” he concluded.