** ALL ** Passport Queries take.two. **! Mod-note in post#1288

To provide information about the service, not to answer queries about specific applications.

My timeline for 1st time passports for 2 children.

14/02/22 Applied online ( allowing 50 days, 10 days more than the recommended 40 days)

15/02/22 Documents posted

22/2/22 Alert you must submit your supporting documents

23/02/22 We have received your supporting documents estimated issue date 04/05/22 ( too late for our holiday)

09/03/22 Your application is being processed

We tried everything, politicians, telephoning the passport office every 2nd day, ministers office, radio stations, friends of friends who worked there and nothing worked.

Some of the passport office staff were lovely but some were horrible and they are not obliged to give their names so they can be as rude as they like.

First time applications are in a completely separate section and I can only think they were employed specifically because of their total lack of empathy and stubbornness.

We lost quite a lot of money on the missed holiday.

The passports are due today and still no sign, I am spending my morning trying to get through to the office (engaged all morning) to accelerate the process as it has gone past the issue date but don't hold out much hope, the whole thing is like a lottery with some people getting theirs early and others being left months.

It's hard to believe that this is supposed to be a public service that we are paying for through our taxes when we are treated with such contempt. Our ministers are only interested in getting jobs in Europe, they know they are gone after this term so don't care about the service they are supposed to be providing to the Irish people.

I don't think so. There are 5 categories on the dfa passport website and contacting your witness isn't one of them.

1. Application received: We have received your Passport Online application. We cannot process it until you send us, by post, the required supporting documents.
2. Alert: We have received your application. You must submit your supporting documents to proceed with the application.
3. Processing application: We have received your supporting documents. We are now verifying these documents.
4. Processing application: Your application is being processed.
5. Printing: Your Passport book is being printed. Any documents submitted will be returned separately.

But, as I said above, I'm not so sure that these 5 stages relate to anything happening in real life in the passport offices. Mine's been sitting at stage 4 for weeks now, maybe over a month and today, the estimated issue date, the wee progress tracker is full and it still says Processing application. I think the only way to know if your witness has been contacted is through your witness telling you.

It's just either the woman or engaged all day today.

I really hope you are luckier than we were

So I applied for my 2 children's passports to be renewed on February 1st..my friend who is a guard did all the stamping and signing..photos taken at a sam McCauley chemist

On 31st March I received one passport and one application sent back to say photos not suitable retook photos and sent application back in the envelope that came..

Tracker says its being processed and due march 31st... have been trying the phone number and cannot get through and also the Web chat keeps saying no one available

Do applications sent back go to the back of the queue or is there any shorter way..due to travel on 15th June..any tips to get in contact with them

Hi that is great to hear, but is that service available for First Time Applicants?

I went to cork yesterday for a four day turnaround app.

Worth every penny,. I posted earlier in the thread about being so focused on babies first passport, that I missed the fact that my older child's passport was gonna be out of date 2 days before we travel.

His is a complex renewal due to sole gaurdianship affidavit bein needed.

There was 11 working days till our holiday and complex child renewals take longer so there was no way I was gonna apply online.

Got the train down to cork ( cheaper than petrol and parking) brought my son with me,even though he didn't need to be there, but we rarely spend any time together so it was nice day out to be honest. The appointment itself was seamless.

Too close to travel time to chance it so was just delighted to have everything in order , heading back friday to collect it.

As it happens I double checked out flight details on Ryanair and I had put in part of his surname in twice...it like i was trying not to take the poor youngfella on the holiday! Got it sorted out through the app. Looking forward now to our holiday.

I will definitely call them ASAP in the morning so, that could be the answer to my situation. Thanks a mil

The above is yesterday's Passport Tracker - yesterday being the 'estimated issue date.' Below is today's Passport Tracker - the progress bar has just been reversed a bit!

Just called there in regards to going to the office for a first time application, they said they don't do that. It would just be in emergency cases and renewals.

No, the one time I called them it took ages before I got through. And it's not as if I'm about to fly in the next few weeks. Up until the end of June I can cancel my holiday bookings (for September) and get refunds of deposits paid, apart from the Easyjet flights which at least I could move to different dates, though at a cost. If the passport hasn't come by the end of June I'll have to cancel the booked accommodation as it's too risky to commit money without the certainty of having the passport. There's enough uncertainty as it is what with changing Covid rules.

I got onto the chat at 9am and waited over an hour and then was cut off. Refreshing since and not getting back on.

What an absolute disgrace of a system.

And that's our flights rescheduled with a huge cost. God knows when the bloody thing will arrive.

Shambles.

I applied for my child's first passport back in February and it went through all the stages. Was due to be ready yesterday but got an email to tell me there was a problem. The dates signed didn't match. Stupid error on my behalf. Thought I had checked it religiously before sending. But I wonder how this wasn't spotted till the day it was due and not at the stage of verifying document. I need to do a resubmission with the supporting documents but they have all my supporting documents. Do I have to wait the 8/9 weeks again. Starting to panic now. Due to go on holidays in 6 weeks. Thanks hopefully someone can help me if they had same issue