A new online renewal service for children’s passports has been launched

It should hopefully speed up the whole process.

Getting passports renewed can be a bit of an ordeal, what with organising the relevant documentation and getting to the Garda Station, but good news parents, a new online service could take the stress out of the task. The service is now available to use and has been availed of by a significant number of people so far. The Irish Examiner spoke to the director of the Passport Service Fiona Penollar who said:

“The real advantage of the new online service is it streamlines the system, reducing the steps people need to take."

Until now parents had no option but to go to a Garda station so the identity of their child could be witnessed. Additionally, parents or guardians were compelled to get a witness such as a priest or solicitor to verify that the parent/guardian was consenting for the minor to have a passport. According to the publication, the process is straightforward and should only take ten minutes to complete. There is a crypto seal on the site to protect people's information. As children's passports need to be renewed every five years, this new service could save you a lot of time and effort! The fee for renewing a child’s passport using the Online Passport Application Service is €20 plus a €5 postage fee. For further details, you can visit the Citizen's Information website.