Irish citizens can now apply for a credit card size passport.
The passport cards are valid for five years and can be used to travel to thirty countries in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
At the launch event, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan displayed a larger than life version of the new passport card. The real passport card fits in a wallet.
It's available to anyone over 18 who already holds a valid passport book.
The passport card is an additional and optional service and is accepted in the same way as the traditional passport book.
This is the first of its kind in Europe. Fiona Penollar of the Passport Office describes some of the card's security features, which were designed in Ireland. A thermochromic ink symbol disappears when exposed to the heat of a finger. The card costs €35. Applications can be made online or through a specially designed smartphone app.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 5 October 2015. The reporter is Sharon Tobin.
