Passports for children

Introduction

It is not possible to include your children on your passport when you apply for a new passport. Since October 2004 all children, regardless of age, must obtain an individual Irish passport in their own name. However, parents' passports issued before 1 October 2004 on which children have been included remain valid and do not need to be replaced.

Children who are included on a parent’s passport issued before 1 October 2004 may continue to travel to most countries up to their 16th birthday along with that parent provided the passport is still valid. There are, however, some exceptions. These include the Czech Republic, Estonia and the US. Since 26 October 2004, anyone, irrespective of age, requires an individual passport for entry into the United States. If you are in any doubt, check with the embassy or consulate of the country concerned before you travel.

There are two types of passports for children. Three year passports are available for children under 3, and five year passports are available for children aged between 3-17 years.

Applications

An application for a passport for a child, is made on form APS 1 (pdf), if living in the State, or form APS 2 (pdf), if living in Northern Ireland or abroad and the child's full birth certificate, showing the names of his/her parents, must be submitted with it. The application form includes a section for parental consent which must be signed.  What additional documentation needs to accompany the application depends on a number of factors including when and where the child was born.

Renewals

Every application for a passport for a child under 18 years, including renewals, must be accompanied by both the child's full birth certificate and the child's old passport. Application is made on form APS 1 or APS 2, as appropriate.

Parental consent

If you are or were married to the other parent of your child, and the other parent is still alive, or if you are a joint guardian of the child, both parents/guardians must sign the parental consent section (Section 7) of the passport application form. If you are not in touch with your child's other parent/guardian, or if that parent/guardian refuses to give consent, you can apply to the District Court for a court order, which will allow the Passport Office to issue the passport without that consent.

The situation is different if you are the sole guardian of a child. This can happen if you are a single mother and the father has not arranged to become a joint guardian. It also happens if the other parent/guardian is deceased. Instead of completing the second part of the parental consent section, you will have to provide an affidavit (AFF 1) stating that you are the sole guardian. If the other parent/guardian is deceased, you will also have to provide a death certificate. If a death certificate is not yet available as the coroner has to hold an inquest into the death, you should provide an Interim Certificate of the Fact of Death which is issued by the coroner.

Children born in Ireland

Children born before 1 January 2005

The application for a passport must be accompanied by the child's full birth certificate (and the child's old passport, if issued).

Children born on or after 1 January 2005

Where your child was born on or after 1 January 2005 on the island of Ireland, your child's entitlement to a passport  is determined by your or the other parent's citizenship, or by your or the other parent's residence history prior to the birth. Therefore, in addition to the child's full birth certificate, other documentation must be supplied with the application as evidence of this citizenship or residency.

Where a parent is an Irish citizen, or is entitled to be, the full birth certificate or passport of that parent must be provided.  

Where a parent is a British citizen, that parent's passport is required.

Where a parent is a national of an EU/EEA Member State or Switzerland, the parent must have resided in the island of Ireland for a total of three or more years during the four years immediately before the birth. That parent's passport, or national identity card, and Declaration Form A (pdf) must be provided. (Declaration Form B (pdf) is used by a guardian, or somone acting in loco parentis, where the parent is unable to make the declaration.) 

Where a parent is not a national of an EU/EEA Member State or Switzerland, the parent must have been lawfully resident in the island of Ireland for a total of three or more years during the four years immediately before the birth. (This does not include periods awaiting a decision on refugee status or while studying.) The following must be provided:

• That parent's passport as well as a detailed note indicating which pages contain immigration stamps covering the reckonable periods of residence. If the passport office is unable to confirm the required three years residence from the passport, the parent will have to get a letter from the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to confirm the reckonable periods of residence.
• That parent's registration card issued by the GNIB

Where a parent has been granted refugee status prior to the birth, there is no three year residency requirement. The following must be provided:

• That parent's passport or travel document
• The letter from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform notifying that parent that refugee status had been granted
• That parent's registration card issued by the GNIB (if available)

Where a parent has permission to reside in Northern Ireland without any time restriction and that parent is not a national of an EU/EEA Member State or Switzerland, a certificate of nationality in respect of the child must first be obtained from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The certificate and that parent's passport must be provided.

To obtain a certificate of nationality, that parent must complete Declaration Form C (pdf) which can be obtained from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. (Declaration Form D (pdf) is used by a guardian, or somone acting in loco parentis, where the parent is unable to make the declaration.)

Children born abroad

If your child was born abroad and you were born in the island of Ireland, your child's full birth certificate, your full birth certificate and your marriage certificate (if applicable) must be provided.

If neither you or your child's other parent were born in Ireland, then the child's certificate of entry in the Foreign Births Register, which was issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the child's birth certificate must be supplied.

If you are an Irish citizen and your child was born abroad and adopted under Irish law, the certificate of entry in the Irish Adoption Board's Register of Foreign Adoptions as well as your passport or birth certificate is required.

Rates

The fees when applying for a child's Irish passport are:

• 5-year passport (children aged 3-17 years): €26.50 
• 3-year passport (children aged under 3): €16 

If you use An Post's Passport Express service, which guarantees that you will get your passport within 10 working days, there will be an additional charge of €8 per application. An Post also offers a 'Family Application' option at a special rate of €13.50. (Up to 4 passport applications for a family may be enclosed in one envelope). This fee includes postage to/from the Passport Office. The Passport Express service through UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland and the UK costs £6.

If you require the passport ugently than you may be required to show proof of travel (e.g. airline tickets). There is an extra charge for the urgent service - €30 for a child. In cases of genuine emergency, the duty officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs can issue a passport of restricted validity. The extra charge for the emergency service is €55 for a child.

The cost of an Irish passport is the same for all Irish citizens. However, if you are applying for a passport through an Irish embassy or consulate, there may be additional administrative costs or handling charges depending on where you live. Check this in advance with the Irish embassy or consulate in the country in which you are living.

How to apply

It is not possible to apply for an Irish passport online. It is also not currently possible to download the application forms you need to complete. You can request the forms online and they will be posted to you.

When you get the form, you should read the detailed notes provided with it, to help you complete your application correctly.

If you are living in the State, you should fill out form APS 1. which is available from every Garda station and at any Post Office that displays the "Service Plus" logo. You can also request an application form APS 1 here through our website, or you can ask the Passport Office to post you a copy of the application form.

If you are living in Northern Ireland or outside Ireland, you should fill out form APS 2. You can get the application form from the Irish embassy or consulate in the country where you live (or the closest embassy or consulate). You can also request an application form APS 2 here. The Passport Express service including forms is now available through 72 UK Post Office branches in Northern Ireland and the UK. 

In all cases, you will need to return the appropriate application form with the appropriate fee as well as:

• Two approved-size passport photographs of the child (one of which has been signed by the witness of identity identified on your particular form),
• Proof of Irish citizenship (as described above)
• Child's birth certificate
• Child's old passport (if applicable)

You can read general information on passports for children here or view Treoir's booklet on passports for children of unmarried parents here (pdf).

Further information on how and where to apply is available in our document Applying for or renewing an Irish passport.

Contacts