Be Sure Your Passport is in Date

11th June 2012

Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, has urged people to ensure that their passport is valid and in date before organising any travel plans this summer.

“It is the time of year again that many people are booking flights and organising their trips for the summer holidays and I appeal to you to make sure your passport is in date before your flights are booked. Unfortunately I know of too many people who discover a day or two before they travel that their passport has expired and it is an impossibility that the passport office, despite their best efforts, can accommodate such applicants at this late notice.

“The passport office offer a number of options for applicants, the quickest route being the Passport Express service (available through the local post office) which assures a 10 working day turnaround. A Public Counter Urgent route is available when proof of travel arrangements are presented at the passport office however the turnaround is five working days for such applications. It is also important to note that if you have lost your passport extra checks are undertaken to preserve the integrity of the Irish passport which require longer processing times. Further information on fees and application processes can be found on http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=83416.

“I am aware of too many disappointed people who have had to cancel or rearrange, at a huge cost, their travel plans because of passport problems and I encourage people to check their passports to ensure they too don’t suffer such disappointment.”