Why is it more expensive to drop passport app into office?

goz83

I'm travelling stateside in October. Supposedly, you need at least 6 months left on your passport on the day of your departure from the states. I am short by one day :pac:

So i'm doing the renewals tomorrow for myself and getting a passport for the baby too. I know it takes about 2 months to get it back if done by standard post and only 2 weeks by express post.

My question is (using a standard passport as an example):

Why does it cost €95 for a passpost if you send by regular post, or if you drop into the passport office, when it would only cost €89 to send by express post for a single application?

Are they trying to keep us away from the passport offices? I would have though it would be cheaper to go to the passport office directly. The regular post thing is the biggest surprise. Not only is it more expensive than the express post, but you could be waiting over 2 months for the passport

Dizzyblonde

Moved from Dublin County North.

goz83

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Moved from Dublin County North.

Sorry, i did a search for passport and the first couple of results were in the dublin north forum, so i posted there.

lonestargirl

You don't need 6 months on your passport for entering the US, once it's valid for the length of your stay it's fine.

lonestargirl

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=83929#20

Info is here

goz83

lonestargirl wrote: »

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=83929#20

Info is here

Thanks.

Also found it here http://dublin.usembassy.gov/consular/validity-of-irish/eu-passports.html

AFTER you said it :pac:

I might just renew early anyway :rolleyes:

I've done all the Garda stuff and everything :pac:

Back OT...why is it more expensive to renew by standard post, or at the office?

coylemj

goz83 wrote: »

Back OT...why is it more expensive to renew by standard post, or at the office?

Because if you use the An Post facility then most of the verification will be already done so I guess when the passport lands in the passport office it can be fast tracked.

MissFlitworth

goz83 wrote: »

Why does it cost €95 for a passpost if you send by regular post, or if you drop into the passport office, when it would only cost €89 to send by express post for a single application?

Are they trying to keep us away from the passport offices? I would have though it would be cheaper to go to the passport office directly. The regular post thing is the biggest surprise. Not only is it more expensive than the express post, but you could be waiting over 2 months for the passport

I'm guessing here but judging by the queues outside the passport office when I'm on my way to work in the mornings they probably would prefer not to have people coming in if possible.

As previous poster mentioned, when I did passport express the last time the post office staff ran through all my documentation to make sure it was all there and took payment, cuts down on admin work for the main passport office

BuffyBot

Exactly: incentive to stay away from the office.

foggy_lad

BuffyBot wrote: »

Exactly: incentive to stay away from the office.

Because when all those fairly hard working and well paid civil servants are talking to you and double checking all your documents at the counter it costs more(in working hours) than if they were sitting at their desk opening and checking your express passport aplication.

BuffyBot

foggy_lad wrote: »

Because when all those fairly hard working and well paid civil servants are talking to you and double checking all your documents at the counter it costs more than if they were sitting at their desk opening and checking your express passport aplication.

It frees up folks from having to process payments, check things etc etc and also frees them to with deal with the processing of the urgent applications for those with immediate travel, one imagines. Less in person applications = less front of house staff = more folks doing other things.

goz83

So, what i'm seeing is that the post office workers are paid less than the passport office workers and when the checking is done by the post office workers, even after the postage costs are considered, it costs less to do express post via the post office.

What kind of a fcucked up system we have is only laughable. Thanks for all replies. Express post it is today so. My passport is not up until April next year, but the fact that I thought the 6 month rule applied for the USA, I got everything done, so i'm just going to renew anyway, before the passport staff decide to stop working altogether. Croke Park 2 will whip up some sh1te for everyone and the fees will probably go up for a passport.

MissFlitworth

goz83 wrote: »

So, what i'm seeing is that the post office workers are paid less than the passport office workers and when the checking is done by the post office workers, even after the postage costs are considered, it costs less to do express post via the post office.
.

Or that there's 2 passport offices for an entire country and hundreds of post offices so minimising the crowd & the amount of basic processing down there makes sense? Honestly, have a wander by Molesworth Street first thing in the morning if you're in Dublin, during the Summer the queue at 8.30 can go quite far down towards Leinster House. I doubt it's a given that post office workers earn less than passport office workers either.

cabbage crotch

The 'checking' done by the Post Office is minimal and makes up a small component of the overall checking that's done once your application is in the system. The post office won't query with you why you're suddenly changing your child's surname, why you've been James your whole life but want your new passport to have you down as Jimmy, check that your photos are within the size guidelines etc. etc.

coylemj

cabbage crotch wrote: »

The 'checking' done by the Post Office is minimal and makes up a small component of the overall checking that's done once your application is in the system.

Yes it is minimal but the basic checking that they do in the post office in front of the applicant probably clears up 95% of the faults that would delay the application if the error was detected after it arrived in the Passport Office.

cabbage crotch wrote: »

The post office won't query with you why you're suddenly changing your child's surname, why you've been James your whole life but want your new passport to have you down as Jimmy, check that your photos are within the size guidelines etc. etc.

Those probably account for a very small % of rejected applications. In my case I misread the form and asked that both my first names be displayed on the passport, I got a phone call from a nice guy in the passport office pointing out that only my first first name (if you get my meaning) was on the old passport and did I want to keep this format so I said yes.

So some mistakes can be cleared up without sending the form back to the applicant.

cabbage crotch

coylemj wrote: »

Yes it is minimal but the basic checking that they do in the post office in front of the applicant probably clears up 95% of the faults that would delay the application if the error was detected after it arrived in the Passport Office.



Those probably account for a very small % of rejected applications. In my case I misread the form and asked that both my first names be displayed on the passport, I got a phone call from a nice guy in the passport office pointing out that only my first first name (if you get my meaning) was on the old passport and did I want to keep this format so I said yes.

So some mistakes can be cleared up without sending the form back to the applicant.

My post was based on having worked there previously and whilst it's true that some discrepancies can be cleared up over the phone, plenty unfortunately can't. An Post's checking didn't include asking you why the name you were asking for was different from your earlier passport, and it's not really supposed to. That's the point I was trying to make, and your experience illustrates it perfectly. An Post check certain information and there's a bigger checking process beyond that once the passport office have a hold of the application.