Urgent warning to Irish holidaymakers over large backlog at Passport Authority

IRISH holidaymakers are urged not to book flights until they receive their renewed passports.

This is due to a large backlog at the passport office as people across the island scramble to get their renewals ahead of the summer holidays.

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Northern Ireland Sinn Fein politician Jemma Dolan said her office has been “inundated” with requests from people who need their passports expedited.

Dolan said the existing system “isn’t flipping them (passes) fast enough.”

The MLA said: “My office has been inundated with requests from people who need their passport expedited.

“Unfortunately we are limited in what we can do as the system in place is not reversing them fast enough, but we will still try to help as best we can.

“Sinn Fein Ireland continues to call for the opening of a passport office in the North and the allocation of more resources to the Dublin and Cork offices.”

She offered advice for those planning to travel abroad in the coming months.

Their Irish passport advice is as follows:

• Check that your passport is valid – if it’s due to expire in the next few months and you’re thinking about going abroad, you should apply for an extension now.
• Don’t book a holiday before you have your passport – neither renewal nor reapplication.
• If you need an emergency passport (for a funeral/medical treatment/extraordinary circumstances), make an appointment directly with the passport office (online).
• Note that appointment availability is limited.

On a Facebook page dedicated to people tracing their Irish passports, one man wrote that he applied for a passport in January and is still waiting.

He explained: “We applied for three Irish passports at the end of January and are still waiting.

“We’re going away next month on June 16th.

“We managed to get an appointment at Belfast Passport Office next week for 3 UK Fast Track Passports, we can’t take any chances hoping the Irish will arrive sooner when Irish Passport Office is literally all ignorant on a silk lets the thread hang what’s going on…”

While another woman added that she applied on February 2nd and her passport is expected to arrive on April 28th but is still being processed.

She wrote: “If anyone has a positive story, I live in hope.

“Expected issue date was April 28, applied for February 2, pending.”

While another man shared a picture showing his application was received on January 9 and his estimated time of arrival was April 20, but his passport still hasn’t arrived.

He wrote: “I was going to meet my brother in Canada in June, still no passport. Tried webcam and called 41 times, no answer.”