Emergency passport service crackdown

The Government has cracked down on the issuing of emergency passports for children, following a rise in attempted abductions and in a bid to combat fraud.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is also conducting a review of its out-of-hours emergency passport service because of “budgetary pressures”.

Lost, stolen, or out-of-date passports were previously issued to minors irrespective of the purpose of travel. The strict new protocols mean a passport can only be issued to a minor out-of-hours where the duty officer is satisfied that the proposed journey is related to the death, serious injury, or illness abroad of a close relative, or a medical emergency relating to the applicant themselves.