The wait time for passport applications is set to reduce from 35 days to 30 days from Tuesday, 19 April as The Irish Passport Service receives record demands
The Director of Passport Services at the Department of Foreign Affairs Siobhán Byrne said that the office has been recruiting more staff and already close to 400,000 passports had been issued out of 470,000 applications.
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Ms Byrne said 1.4 million applications were expected to be received this year and that February was a record month, with 153,000 applications received.
There have been a high volume of calls and webchat requests, but Ms Byrne said that there is no specific busy time as the customer response hub is demand led, but there can be no "special priority cases" made for applications within the system.
She recommended calling early morning or late evening as these can be quieter times and also suggested to submit key documentation as soon as possible to speed up the process.
Advice
Ms Byrne said that the Passport Express system is slower than the online application system and takes eight weeks regardless of the type of application, whether a renewal or a first-time application.
The passport office at Knockmaun House in Dublin is open and visits can be booked trough the appointment system.
Renewal applications are processed quicker than first time applications, with the wait time for renewals having been reduced from eight weeks to three weeks.
She said that incorrect photographs being submitted online were not adding to delays, but taking photographs at home can be a challenge as photo booth or professional passport photographs were "almost guaranteed" to go through the system perfectly.
The office is working on a tutorial video to be published on the website which will assist customers taking their own application photographs.
The staff recruitment drive targets to hire 900 staff before the end of this month to answer calls more efficiently and work on the online webchat function.
She said that the desired turn around time for passport applications is 20 days, but it's important to note that the application start time only begins when documentation is received.
