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

That's my current status..I cannot get through on the phone. At all

It sounds a bit like our GP system. You can phone for an appointment between 8.30 and 10 am but you might ring from 8.30 and get an engaged tone until 9.15 and then when you think you've got through, and you hear the whole spiel about press 1 for prescriptions etc and you press the number you need all you get is an engaged tone......which is never going to be answered. I don't see why the passport people can't be more up front about the difficulties, instead of leading us up the garden path with "40 working days for first time applications" etc.

That's really disappointing - I was looking back at your messages and they've had your supporting documents for 2 and a half months! They've had ours for 7 weeks and our estimated issue date was also the 4th May. So, going by your experience I'm not holding out much hope of getting anything any time soon.

Having similar issues to many on this thread. Disgraceful service and impossible to get through. Submitted passport apps for myself and my son 21st Feb. It’s his first passport and mine is a renewal. On the tracker our estimated date was 19th April for both. Could not get through to speak with anyone after trying repeatedly for the past two weeks so in desperation contacted our TD. In fairness to TD, they followed up with passport office and I received a call today to tell me my sons application was invalid as his birth certificate was not included…except it was! I put everything into the envelope myself and double checked all with lady at post office. The passport office have managed to lose his original birth certificate and we only found out today due to our TDS intervention. We are due to travel at the start of June which is looking unlikely at this stage. The passport office is now going to open an investigation into how they lost his birth certificate and cannot issue his passport until they find it. I offered to send or email in copy but this was turned down. So frustrating, we are completely at their mercy and haven’t a clue how long investigation will take or when passport will be issued. The whole system is a lottery manned by staff who just don’t seem to care about the impact their inaction is having on people.

Just got notice on the tracker page that our passport is printing. The estimated date is still 13th May but should have it Monday or Tuesday I was told. Just in time for the holiday.

I don't know if it was just luck, calling them and explaining our case or if the TDs I contacted helped. I'm grateful either way.

That's great. Hope it arrives and you get to enjoy a good holiday. You'll need it after all this stress over passports!

When did your estimated date of April 21st change? Did they contact you to say there was a problem with your supporting documents? My estimated issue date was 4th May. Today is the 7th May. On 4th May the progress tracker bar was full. On 5th May the progress tracker bar was reversed to about the three-quarter full mark but the estimated date has stayed the same at 4th May. And it still says "Processing Application: your application is being processed." What does any of this mean? I don't think there's any point in wasting time trying to ring them because the official dfa website says the people from the customer service hub can't tell you if your documents have been checked etc. as the "Customer Service Hub agent won't have any additional information available if your application is progressing in line with our current turnaround times." And also, "Over 90% of passports will issue on the estimated issue by date where the correct documents have been submitted. If we ask for further documents, the estimated issue by date will change based on when these are submitted to the Passport Service." So, that statement means that 10% of applications don't issue on the estimated issue by date even if they have sent the correct documents and maybe my application is one of those OR they haven't got round to verifying my documents at all yet which is why the progress tracker has reversed. Losing the will to live here!

I applied for my 1st passport on 12of February. On 21 February documents recieved and we are verifying them now. On 15 march application being processed, estimated date 29 april. Every thing was fine then on 27 April got email they're looking for proof of address and there is problem with verification form had to resubmit that send everything next day. No update for whole week ring them 4 times with no help. And then got new estimated date 27 may😳 i have flights booked for 16 may😭got in touch with local TD he contacted them and they told him that they only received my supporting documentation on 21 april😡wich is not true because i have a screenshot of my tracker saying 21 February. Place is absolute joke

Applied 12th Feb, got quick confirmation all documents received and being processed. Our first estimated date was 3rd May, but few days before that we were emailed to tell us the photo was rejected and to send another which we did that day. Our new estimated date was then 13th May. I contacted 2 TDs one of which was Coveney thinking Minister for Foreign Affairs surely he'd have some sway. Tracker showed printing on Saturday 7th May and its been dispatched and we'll probably get it tomorrow. We are flying on 19th May.

I contacted 2 TDs and also got through to the passport office after 126 calls one day. If you hear a man's voice on the answering machine it means you've gotten through and are in line, plead your case and they may be able to hurry up or prioritise your passport.

Just to update...after TD intervention on Friday 6th my new passport arrived this morning - amazing what can be done when someone kicks up enough of a fuss. Still no sign of my son's passport but they have at least said they will now accept another original birth certificate and continue on processing his application rather then making us start the process again. They are still adamant we never sent birth cert into them in the first place which we know we did but at this point we have 15 working days to get our sons passport in order to get away on holidays so not going to argue that point with them! Will wait until we get his passport and we will submit a complaint at that stage - just don't want any excuses to hold up his docs...

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions?

Have pretty much lost all hope. Submitted 2 first time passports 7th March postal submission. Applications have been processing since start of Apr. Issue date 2nd May. Holiday booked 18th may as desperately wanted to go with my parents when they're going. Got through twice to the passport office after hundreds of phone calls, they say they are in final security checks. My witnesses have not been contacted. Local tds have escalated the requests. Emailed Coveney's office.

Do I just give up? Is there anything else I could do. I know stupid to book holiday without passports but was being optimistic and had some friends get their passports early.

Thanks for your positive reply! Refreshing! The whole process is incredibly stressful. I got through after over 200 calls today. The ×woman was polite but offered no real solutions. She said the passports are on a "a list". Unfortunately she did flag that as first time applicant we needed gaurds to witness signatures. The garda that signed for the photos wouldn't be our witness as he doesn't know us personally. I don't know any guards personally to be honest. So I had healthcare professionals whose professions were listed sign. This may or may not be a problem. She couldn't say.

Because it is a postal application I have to wait for a letter to say if not good enough.

The wait and see and keep an eye on the tracker is driving me nuts! Along with the feeling of unfairness which comes when you're on the unlucky side of a luck of the draw situation.

Really hope you get yours through on time. Good news passport stories are needed on this thread!

my Initial date for my daughter’s first passport was 28th April - issue with consent form not verified because if garda not doing his job…. New date now of the 23rd of May. So I’ve any hope of this arriving any earlier? Has Anyones arrived early? Any good news stories?

frustrating isn’t the word. I stand to lose €2k on a holiday because of it if passport doesn’t arrive before the 20th (due 23rd)

my tracker updated with documents received etc about 4 working days after I posted them. I’ve rang TD’s, senators etc but no luck whatsoever so far unfortunately

Does anyone know the process to get the passport from An Post once the tracking number is issued. We are down to the wire. If it goes to print today/tomorrow we wont be able to wait for the post to come to us. Any info/tips would be greatly appreciated

Hey All,

This is the only place I've had a little bit of hope with my process. I contacted the passport office before I even booked my flights to check to check turnaround times and that I would definitely have it. I was told I would so I went ahead and booked. He was right and my issue date was before the travel date, until it changed a week later to 3 days after my flights. I phone daily and get told the same thing, I got laughed at by a woman on the phone the other day and she said oh I can see you got a letter from your TD that won't help your case. She actually made me cry she was that rude and how she spoke to me was horrible. I am due to fly out May 28th and this is where we are at the moment. I am praying for a miracle 😭 it has been on "your application is being processed" for weeks now.