Passport backlog includes more than 2,500 in Cork

Given the long waiting times, the advice for people planning to travel is to apply for their passport as early as possible. File picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images Europe

More than 2,500 people in Cork are among those caught in the large backlog of passport applications, according to new figures released by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Cork figure of 2,591 is second only to the 6,813 online applications from Dublin, which contribute to the Passport Service logjam. The delays have been thrown into sharper focus with the lifting of restrictions, as a large increase in foreign travel is expected this year.