Renewed Irish passports won’t need Garda’s signature

The process of renewing an Irish Passport can be quite irritating, as the application form and photographs need to be signed by a Gardaí before being presented at a passport office. That process is now in review, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Flanagan explained that, due to increased workload on gardaí, the Passport Service is reviewing the witnessing process. “It is anticipated that the Garda witnessing requirement for adults renewing their passports will be reviewed in tandem with a number of new identity verification and anti-fraud measures including increased reliance on the public services card as the core identity verification mechanism for all passport applicants in the State.” The minister added that “the process used to apply for a passport card is serving as a pilot for an online application form”.