CURRENT PASSPORT APPLICATION TURNAROUND TIMES
The Passport Service operates a 10 working day turnaround period for properly completed applications received through the Passport Express service. Passport Express is available through approximately 1,000 local An Post post offices and through another 70 post offices in Northern Ireland.
The average turnaround period for Passport Express for the week ending 1st of May 2013 is 10 working days.
Turnaround periods previously achieved were as follows:
Week Ending Passport Express Turnaround
24th April 2013 10 Working Days
17th April 2013 9/10 Working Days
10th April 2013 10 Working Days
3rd April 2013 10 Working Days
27th March 2013 10 Working Days
20th March 2013 9/10 Working Days
13th March 2013 9/10 Working Days
6th March 2013 9/10 Working Days
27th Feb 2013 9/10 Working Days
The turnaround period for applications received by the Passport Service through the general mail is 5/6 weeks. Applicants should note that travel should not be based on this time frame as it is indicative in terms of a possible delivery time and may drift out at peak periods.
Any information requests in respect of turnaround periods for applications lodged with Irish Embassies or Consulates abroad should, in the first instance, be checked on the relevant Embassy or Consluate website.
Customers are reminded that the public counters and out of hours services should only be used by those who have immediate travel plans or a necessity to travel for reasons of family emergency. i.e. travel is necessitated by the death or illness of a family member.
All non emergency applications submitted at the public counters will have a standard of 15 working day turnaround. The timeline for processing passports with proof of immediate travel while not guaranteed is 3 working days other than where travel is necessitated by the death or illness of a family member. An additional fee may apply.
All other applicants are advised to submit their applications through the Passport Express channels.
Customers should retain the 11 digit barcode number on their passport application and use this number to check the status of their application on the Passport Service website. This should be the primary contact point for information and the site is updated several times a day.
Customers who have made arrangements to collect their passport, should not call to the public counter until the website confirms that the relevant passport is ready for collection.
Due to the huge volume of telephone calls, the Passport Service apologises that customers may experience delays in making contact. It is therefore recommended that any queries on applications can be e-mailed to the Passport Office using the following links:
The e-mail message should include the 11 digit barcode number. These e-mails will be dealt with in order of receipt.
