G realish warns Galway families not to have their holiday plans ruined by simple passport application issues which cause unnecessary delays.
Galway families have been advised by Independent TD Noel Grealish to take care that their holiday plans are not ruined this summer — by simple problems which can hold up the issuing of passports for weeks.
He said that while the online passport renewal process works very efficiently in most cases, small errors, like submitting a poor quality photo or not regularly tracking the application online to make sure there are no errors, can cause problems.
“What we have learned is that you shouldn’t try taking the photo yourself on your phone. We have come across several cases where people have done that, the photo has been accepted during the online application process, and subsequently rejected later in the process as not being of sufficient quality.
“We have discovered that people are far better off going to their local chemist or anywhere else that has a photo booth, where you can get your high-quality photo taken, and you’ll be given a code that you can enter in your online passport application,” said Deputy Grealish.
“The next most important thing to remember with online applications is that you should continue to check, using the tracking number you’ll be given, if there are any alerts for errors that need to be corrected, or documents needed.
“To apply for a passport for a child, even renewals require the consent of both parents or guardians on a form to be signed by witnesses, while it’s even more complex getting a child’s first passport, involving more documents, all of which takes extra time,” he added.
“Adults applying for their first passport online will also be sent a link by email to an identity verification form that must be printed off and signed by a member of the Garda Síochána.
“I would say that 80% of the people who have contacted my office about problems with their passport applications have had that email go straight to their spam folder or they missed an alert.’
“And the problem is, that if more action or information on an application is required, that application goes straight back to the start of the process, and the clock starts again,” he added.
Deputy Grealish said that currently, the Passport Office estimated a turnaround time for simple renewals of two weeks, or 10 working days, it was 15 working days for complex renewals and 35 working days for first time applicants.
“That’s a full seven weeks, so if you are getting a first passport for you or your child, and planning to go on holiday in early July, you have only a few days left at this stage to get that application in on time and that does not allow for any hold-ups caused by any possible errors.
“There’s an eight-week wait if you use the An Post Passport Express service, even for simple renewals, so people are far better off using the online application option if they can at all.
“I would hate to think that a family could have their summer getaway plans ruined by what are fairly simple issues in the passport application process.
“So the basic advice is: get your application in well ahead of your planned holiday, get your photo taken in a photo booth and regularly check the progress of y our application online using your tracking number,” the Independent TD for Galway West added.
