Making an Application

To obtain an Irish Passport, you must be an Irish citizen. The documentary evidence required to establish Irish Citizenship is outlined on the passport application form.

All applications must be made on an original application form (APS2E)*, with the appropriate supporting documents. If you want us to send you an application form, please phone the Embassy. When you receive your application form, please read the Notes and each section carefully before completing it. Application forms which are not properly completed cannot be processed and this will cause delay. (See also the notes with the passport application form)

The APS2E form is available here for viewing purposes only.

*Please note that the application form is also available in Irish (APS2G).

Who can act as a witness?

The person who witnesses your signature and confirms your identity must, without exception, be a member of one of the following professions and must not be related to you. Retired witnesses are not acceptable:

Police Officer
Member of the Clergy
School Principal/Vice Principal
Judge/Magistrate
Practicing Lawyer
Accountant
Medical Doctor
Bank Manager/Assistant Manager
Elected Public Representative

Processing Time

All passports are processed in Dublin. The current processing time is approximately 8-12 weeks, providing all documentation has been supplied and is in order. The main cause of delay is if witnesses are unavailable. Please ensure that all witnesses used in your application are aware that they will be contacted by the Embassy. The application cannot proceed if the witness is unavailable. If a passport is required more urgently, please contact the Embassy and ensure that you enclose a letter to this effect with your completed passport application.

Proof of Citizenship

Any ONE of the below is considered proof of Irish citizenship:

• Your most recent Irish Passport
• Your original Long Form Irish Birth Certificate (if passport has been lost/stolen or if this is your first application for an Irish passport)
• Your own original Birth Certificate and the long-form Birth Certificate of your Irish-born parent and your parents' State Marriage Certificate if applicable, e.g. if your mother was born in Ireland and subsequently changed her name through marriage
• Your original Certificate of Naturalisation for Ireland and your own original Birth Certificate
• Your original Certificate of Foreign Births Registration for Ireland and your own original Birth Certificate
• Your original Certificate of Post-Nuptial Irish Citizenship and your own original Birth Certificate
  

Checklist

Before you send in your application, please check to make sure that you have all the correct documentation:

• Completed, signed and witnessed application form (APS2E)
• Two passport photos, one of which is signed by the witness who should also enter the form number
• Proof of payment of the correct fee, e.g. copy of transfer slip
• Your most recent Irish passport or proof of Irish citizenship

Do I hold a machine readable passport?

A machine-readable passport is a passport with two typeface lines printed at the bottom of the biographical page, which can be read by machine. Look at the bottom of your Irish passport [the photo page] for two lines that are typeface lines. These lines have letters, numbers and hatch marks. The two lines at the bottom of a machine-readable passport, for example, would look like the following:

LINE 1: P COUNTRY LAST NAME << FIRST NAME < MIDDLE NAME <<<<<
LINE 2: PASSPORT NUMBER COUNTRY DOB<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

When read, these lines electronically provide identical information to that provided on the biographical page. (The biographical page is the page on your passport that illustrates your photograph and carries information about your name, date of birth, address, nationality, etc.).

If the details in your passport have been entered manually, you hold a hand-written passport. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not your passport is machine-readable, please contact the Embassy.