The Passport Service today issued its one millionth passport in 2022. This represents the first time over one million passports have been issued in a calendar year.
Speaking about this milestone, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney T.D. said:
The Passport Service has had a record-breaking year in 2022. This year has seen my Department issue over 1 million passports in a calendar year for the first time in the history of the State. With the re-opening of international travel and the pent-up demand following the Covid pandemic, the Passport Service faced an unprecedented demand for passports. Thanks to significant investment by Government, substantial improvements have been made this year and normal, pre-Covid levels of service have resumed.
Turnaround times for online first time applications have been halved from 40 working days in March of this year to 20 working days. 84% of online adult renewal applications and almost half of children’s online renewal applications are currently being processed in three working days or less.
As we look forward to 2023, if you’re planning on booking international travel, check your passport now and apply early. The quickest, easiest and cheapest way to apply for a new passport is by using the Passport Online Service.
Minister Coveney added:
I would also like to pay tribute to the staff of the Passport Service who have delivered this historic achievement. The processing of 1 million passports is down to their commitment to public service and hard work. My Department will continue to work to ensure that our services meet the needs of our citizens.
The issuing of one million passports in the first 10 months of this year surpasses the previous record of 935,000 passports issued over the full year in 2019.
Details of the number of passports issued annually over the last 10 years are as follows:
| Year (12 months unless stated) | Passports Issued |
| 2022 (first 10 months) | 1,000,000 |
| 2021 | 634,000 |
| 2020 | 450,000 |
| 2019 | 935,000 |
| 2018 | 835,000 |
| 2017 | 810,000 |
| 2016 | 758,000 |
| 2015 | 685,000 |
| 2014 | 632,000 |
| 2013 | 635,000 |
| 2012 | 636,000 |
The current turnaround times are as follows:
- 10 working days for online adult renewals. 84% of adult online renewal applications are processed within 3 working days or less.
- 15 working days for child online renewals. 46% of child online renewals are processed within 3 working days or less
- 20 working days for first time online applications.
- 8 weeks for An Post’s Passport service.
Notes
- Passport Online is the quickest and most efficient way to apply for a passport and is consistently up to four times faster than the Post Passport service for renewal applications.
- The Passport Service offers video guides to assist citizens in submitting the correct photos and consent forms for children’s applications. These short videos provide simple and easy to follow tips to ensure that photos and children’s consent forms will meet the Passport Service requirements. The videos are available on the Department’s website and social media platforms.
- The Customer Service Hub is available to answer applicants’ questions by phone or webchat. The Customer Service Hub has handled over 350,000 queries since the beginning of the year and 100% of calls and 95% of webchat queries are consistently being answered by the Hub.
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