New passport printer for Cork would cost up to €6m

All passport printing is done in Dublin, but repeated calls have been made for a second printer to be installed in Cork following backlogs 

The Passport Service offices in Dublin and Cork have processed over 9,000 urgent appointments to date in 2022. File picture

A new passport printer for Cork would cost between €5m and €6m to install and €600,000 a year to run, the Department of Foreign Affairs has told an Oireachtas committee.

All passport printing is done in Dublin, but repeated calls have been made for a second printer to be installed in Cork following large backlogs after the pandemic travel restrictions were lifted.