'World class' service issues more than half a million Irish passports so far this year

A sample page of Ireland's newly designed passport. Picture: Cillian Sherlock/PA Wire

Over half a million passports have been issued so far this year, with Cork among the counties to have received the highest number of travel documents.

Confirming the half-year distribution numbers, foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee implored people to check the expiration dates of their passports as the busy summer period continues.

Over half a million passports have been issued so far this year, with 367,471 issued to people across the island of Ireland.

Counties Dublin, Cork, and Antrim recorded the highest number of passports issued, with 93,223, 35,257, and 17,986 passports issued respectively.

Ms McEntee described the Passport Service as “world class”.

“To avoid turning up at the airport with an out-of-date passport, please check your passport is in date well in advance of your departure date and ideally before you book your flights,” she said.

“Our Passport Online service is the quickest and easiest way to apply for your passport. Our passport service is extremely efficient, with applicants able to apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Passport Online is available to 100% of citizens worldwide.” 

In June, the Government unveiled a newly designed passport which contains world-first security features.

The visa pages of the passport feature hand-drawn images of Irish flora and fauna, including a red fox, hare, puffin, pine martin, badger, blue tit, otter, red squirrel, and robin, amongst others.

The Irish wolfhound appears inside the cover page and is printed in tactile raised ink.

As reported by the Irish Examiner on Sunday, the passport office is set to roll out a reminder service to let people know when they need to renew their passports.

The service will come into place next year for people applying for both first-time passports and those seeking renewals.

However, due to data protection rules, the change will only apply to passports issued from 2027 and not passports due to expire in the coming years.

Ms McEntee confirmed the news in response to a parliamentary question from her Fine Gael colleague Naoise Ó Muirí.

There is currently no system in place to notify people that their passport or is due to expire, with travellers expected to monitor the documents themselves.

The service will be opt in and will be rolled out in 2027.