IRISH passport holders are being urged to check their travel documents are in date ahead of the busy summer holiday season.
More than 480,000 Irish passports have been issued already this year, with that figure set to top 500,000 by the end of this month.
Those who need to renew their passports before their summer holiday have ben urged ot take action now by Ireland’s Minister for International Development and the Diaspora, Sean Fleming.
During a visit to Ireland’s Passport Service campus in Dublin’s Balbriggan, Mr Fleming confirmed that 2024 “continues to be a busy year for the Passport Service, which is on track to issue 500,000 passports by the end of May”.
He added: “Ahead of the summer holiday season, my big message to everyone is: check your passport is in date now.
“I would advise all citizens, including first time applicants, to apply using Passport Online,” he added.
Over 90% of people now use the Passport Online service to apply for an Irish passport “as it is the quickest, cheapest and most efficient way to apply for your passport” the Minister added.
The Minister spent time in Balbriggan, where he thanked staff for their “hard work in delivering a world-class Passport Service”.
Currently Irish adult passport renewals made online will take 10 working days to process, while a child passport renewal will take 15 working days.
Online first-time passport applications, for an adult or child, will take 20 working days to process.
However passport applications made via post can take up to eight weeks to process.