Irish passports to be issued to 25,000 in the North

Up to 25,000 people in the North will be issued with Irish passports this year, it emerged today.

Over 40 post offices across the border will process the service.

Irish pensioners across the North already get free passports after Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern announced a waiver scheme in August for all citizens over 65.

Mr Ahern said today: “This year 25,000 people in Northern Ireland will avail of our new Automated Passport System through a network of 40 post offices.

“The €27.7m system fully meets all international specifications and is widely regarded as one of the most secure in the world today.”

Up to 650,000 Irish passports in total will be issued this year resulting in €33m in revenue.

The Foreign Affairs Department aims to convert all passports within 10 years from hand-written to machine-readable versions which can be scanned for biometric data like fingerprints and eye colour.