ALL Passport Related Questions in here! Please Read Post#1 first!

fxotoole · 29-01-2015 7:01pm

johnogog88 wrote: »

another question lads.my girlfriend applied for her passport today in the office.she is flying friday at 7 and was told it would be ready after 2and she will have to collect at the office.i was then told that it will be made in ballbriggan which is closer to me than molesworth street.is there anyway of collecting at ballbrigan instead does anybody kno?thanks

No. Balbriggan is not a public office, so you can't collect from there.

OU812 · 30-01-2015 12:16pm

I know you have to get your ID checked by a guard, but apart from that, why not have the forms online so they can be filled in on a computer & then printed off ?

Been to two post offices this morning & they only have Irish forms, went to the Garda station & they'd run out of both.

Going to have to go somewhere else later looking for one

athtrasna · 30-01-2015 1:34pm

OU812 wrote: »

I know you have to get your ID checked by a guard, but apart from that, why not have the forms online so they can be filled in on a computer & then printed off ?

Been to two post offices this morning & they only have Irish forms, went to the Garda station & they'd run out of both.

Going to have to go somewhere else later looking for one

Increased fraud risk.

jaymcg91 · 30-01-2015 1:53pm

Well why do they have them in Britain and the US then?

munchkin_utd · 30-01-2015 1:59pm

athtrasna wrote: »

Increased fraud risk.

how though?

surely you could have the people type in their details online (which saves scanning it in later) and just print an identification sheet that is signed by the guards to finalise the application.

Miaireland · 30-01-2015 4:26pm

Not answering the question you asked but it might be worth calling to your local library or citzens advice centre to see if they have forms.

I am not really sure why we cannot fill form in online and print off and then get the relevant parts signed. Maybe with the new ID cards coming on stream soon they might introduce it.

ProudDUB · 30-01-2015 8:58pm

An online version of the form - that you can print out and fill out yourself - definitely should be available online. The entire application can't be processed online obviously, but the application form is only a bloody piece of paper. Let people print it off themselves and have done with it.

Malee · 31-01-2015 11:36pm

OU812 wrote: »

I know you have to get your ID checked by a guard, but apart from that, why not have the forms online so they can be filled in on a computer & then printed off ?

Been to two post offices this morning & they only have Irish forms, went to the Garda station & they'd run out of both.

Going to have to go somewhere else later looking for one

Think they're working on an online version for renewal passports. (Not 1st or lost or children). But in the meantime try some more post offices, garda stations, citizens information etc.

Cedrus · 01-02-2015 12:18am

OU812 wrote: »

I know you have to get your ID checked by a guard, but apart from that, why not have the forms online so they can be filled in on a computer & then printed off ?

Been to two post offices this morning & they only have Irish forms, went to the Garda station & they'd run out of both.

Going to have to go somewhere else later looking for one

The signature strip is the showstopper , not yet possible to download that.

fxotoole · 01-02-2015 12:35am

OU812 wrote: »

I know you have to get your ID checked by a guard, but apart from that, why not have the forms online so they can be filled in on a computer & then printed off ?

Been to two post offices this morning & they only have Irish forms, went to the Garda station & they'd run out of both.

Going to have to go somewhere else later looking for one

The passport office system is not setup for online applications. Investment, development, testing, etc would be required.

For the passport card, you will only be able to apply online or via a smartphone app, so maybe once that's in place, they can repurpose that technology to enable online passport applications.

Marcusm · 01-02-2015 8:21am

Cedrus wrote: »

The signature strip is the showstopper , not yet possible to download that.

Are you sure there is a signature strip? I have a new style passport issued 13 months ago (where all pages have different embossed scenes, Cliffs of Moher etc). The only signature is the one I signed on it when I received it, there is no signature on the photo page.

Likewise, I have seen a very newly issued British passport and while there is a signature on the photo page, it is a print of a scan of the signature from the application which, for many people, is done on a home printed form.

The days of cutting out a signature strip from the form and laminating it onto the passport are long gone.

The idea that the PAssport Office is not set up for processing typed and printed forms is also a bit laughable and smacks of unduly rigid thinking. I can see that it is not set up to electronically process forms submitted online, however, I would strongly expect it to be easier to read and retype a pre printed form with standard characters than to have to retype the scrawl which is likely to appear on many handwritten forms.

Malee · 01-02-2015 10:05pm

Marcusm wrote: »

Are you sure there is a signature strip? I have a new style passport issued 13 months ago (where all pages have different embossed scenes, Cliffs of Moher etc). The only signature is the one I signed on it when I received it, there is no signature on the photo page.

Likewise, I have seen a very newly issued British passport and while there is a signature on the photo page, it is a print of a scan of the signature from the application which, for many people, is done on a home printed form.

The days of cutting out a signature strip from the form and laminating it onto the passport are long gone.

The idea that the PAssport Office is not set up for processing typed and printed forms is also a bit laughable and smacks of unduly rigid thinking. I can see that it is not set up to electronically process forms submitted online, however, I would strongly expect it to be easier to read and retype a pre printed form with standard characters than to have to retype the scrawl which is likely to appear on many handwritten forms.

For the moment the application form needs to be signed in front of a witness, regardless of the signature not being printed onto the passport. If the form is not signed you won't get a passport.
It has to do with giving consent for your details to be used for a passport.
That is what they need to bypass somehow before they can move to online processing.

Marcusm · 02-02-2015 12:23am

Malee wrote: »

For the moment the application form needs to be signed in front of a witness, regardless of the signature not being printed onto the passport. If the form is not signed you won't get a passport.
It has to do with giving consent for your details to be used for a passport.
That is what they need to bypass somehow before they can move to online processing.

Of course it has to be signed in physical form as does the UK one! That doesn't in any way preclude use of an online template for completing the form. Did you think that in other countries the forms were signed by using a script font?

fxotoole · 02-02-2015 2:46pm

Marcusm wrote: »

Of course it has to be signed in physical form as does the UK one! That doesn't in any way preclude use of an online template for completing the form. Did you think that in other countries the forms were signed by using a script font?

I'm no legal expert, but in the UK is signing a sheet of paper with no witness present the equivalent to an Irish citizen signing a sheet of paper with a Garda present?

The two jurisdictions may have different legal requirements, so it may be more a legal hurdle rather than a technical one.

jaymcg91 · 02-02-2015 4:08pm

I renewed my British passport recently and it didn't require a witness. Only if: you're getting a first one, if it's lost or stolen, or if you've changed significantly in looks since the last one does it have to be witnessed. Makes much more sense.

Marcusm · 02-02-2015 5:09pm

fxotoole wrote: »

I'm no legal expert, but in the UK is signing a sheet of paper with no witness present the equivalent to an Irish citizen signing a sheet of paper with a Garda present?

The two jurisdictions may have different legal requirements, so it may be more a legal hurdle rather than a technical one.

Whether it's a hand written pre printed form or a home printed pre populated form will make no difference to the witness or attestation procedures - both are in physical form and the process once prepared would be identical. Clearly care would need to be taken to ensure photo, signature and witness or attestator was on same physical page. Surely in Ireland as in the UK, the witness/attested is underscoring the likeness of the photo as being the relevant rather than anything relating to the likeness of a signature. After all my recently issued Irish passport contains no signature other than the one written by me on receipt.

I appreciate that you may be directly involved with the Passport Office and that you are an ICT specialist. I would hope someone in your position would see these are things to be overcome rather than justified.

Malee · 03-02-2015 12:17am

Marcusm wrote: »

Of course it has to be signed in physical form as does the UK one! That doesn't in any way preclude use of an online template for completing the form. Did you think that in other countries the forms were signed by using a script font?

In countries other than the UK and/or Ireland you print and sign an online template yourself which you then bring in to your local equivalent of a city hall, where your photo and fingerprints are taken, and you sign off for your renewal passport.
No witness required. Passport issues in 3 working days.

My impression is that the Irish passport office is looking into this in relation to renewal passports. But I would not know how they will establish this with the centralised passport service here.

AGC · 03-02-2015 11:30am

Malee wrote: »

In countries other than the UK and/or Ireland you print and sign an online template yourself which you then bring in to your local equivalent of a city hall, where your photo and fingerprints are taken, and you sign off for your renewal passport.
No witness required. Passport issues in 3 working days.

Surely going to a city hall where your fingerprints and photo are taken presumably by a member of staff is your application being witnessed??

lego101 · 03-02-2015 4:25pm

Hi, I'm travelling to Brussels in two weeks and my passport needs to be renewed. The turn around time for renewal is 15 days now so I'll need to go up to Dublin and get an appointment in the center. Last time this was done my father did it for me, would it be okay for me to go without parents or do they need to be present for it to be renewed ?

Vinta81 · 04-02-2015 11:07am

Why on earth does no one there pick up the bloody phones? I'm moving country this week and still no passport, I've been waiting ages!

AGC · 04-02-2015 11:20am

Vinta81 wrote: »

Why on earth does no one there pick up the bloody phones? I'm moving country this week and still no passport, I've been waiting ages!

Have you tracked it online? What does it say?

Malee · 04-02-2015 11:40am

AGC wrote: »

Surely going to a city hall where your fingerprints and photo are taken presumably by a member of staff is your application being witnessed??

Surely it is still a change from the two people who now establish your identity (garda officer ánd passport office staff member) down to one?? (Passport office staff member)

Vinta81 · 04-02-2015 11:46am

AGC wrote: »

Have you tracked it online? What does it say?

That status hasn't changed in 3 weeks!

AGC · 04-02-2015 11:47am

Vinta81 wrote: »

That status hasn't changed in 3 weeks!

Well then you should have had a letter explaining why at this stage

Vinta81 · 04-02-2015 11:50am

AGC wrote: »

Well then you should have had a letter explaining why at this stage

I've had nothing.

It still says "the passport has been received and has been registered"

Senecio · 04-02-2015 10:10pm

When will these be introduced?

Stuck in Brussels this evening after having my passport lost/stolen today on a business trip. Have to wait to go to the embassy tomorrow to hopefully get emergency documents to return home to Dublin.

Where do I sign up to have a chip the size of a grain of rice inserted under my skin?