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Please be advised that the Embassy of Ireland, Great Britain website has moved and this page is no longer being updated. The Embassy website is now available at Ireland.ie/london.

How to apply for a Passport

Eligibility

You must be an Irish citizen to get an Irish Passport.

You are automatically an Irish Citizen if you were born in Ireland before 2005 or if you were born abroad to a parent who was born in Ireland before 2005.

If you do not fit either of these categories, you will have to establish your claim to Irish citizenship before you apply for an Irish Passport.

Am I eligible for Irish citizenship?

Apply Online

This is the fastest and cheapest way to get your first Irish passport or renew your passport. Once you have your photo, it only takes about ten minutes!

Apply Online

Urgent Renewal Appointment Service

If you are renewing your passport and wish to avail of our new urgent renewal service, with a five day turnaround time, you can now make an appointment at our public office on Cromwell Road.

Appointments can be booked online up to 3 weeks in advance. You cannot book an appointment if you have already submitted an online application. 

If you book an appointment when you already have an application pending through the online system, your appointment will be cancelled and the appointment fee refunded. Your online application will continue to process in line with current turnaround times

This urgent renewal service is not available to first time applicants.

Book an appointment now

Passport Express

The Passport Express Service operated by the post offices in Glasgow, Cardiff and Liverpool is open. You will need to visit the post offices in person to avail of this service.

Passport Express is the only postal application method in Great Britain for paper applications. The turnaround time for this service is estimated at 8 weeks. Passport Express applications cannot be expedited and you are advised to not book flights until you have your passport. 

If you need your passport sooner, please use Passport Online or our new urgent renewal appointments service.

We will not process passport applications submitted by ordinary or registered post. These applications will be returned to you unprocessed.

Documents

The documents you need to submit for your passport application will depend on your method of application and the type of application you are submitting.

Check if your application requires supporting documents. Select one of the categories below, then find the option that matches your application type. You will be shown an outline of the additional documents that you need to submit with your passport application.

For online applications, you will be reminded of the documents you need to submit with your passport application at the end of the online application process.

Unless stated otherwise, original documents must be supplied. Please do not send photocopies, short-form birth certificates (which do not include parents’ details) or laminated certificates. Certified translations are required if documents are not in English or Irish.

Please see Documentary Requirements from the Passport Service.

Please see Documentary Requirements from the Passport Service.

Please see Documentary Requirements from the Passport Service.

Please see Documentary Requirements from the Passport Service.

Please see the detailed Photo Guidelines page on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.

Please see the detailed How to get your application witnessed page from the Passport Service.

Payment Method

All payments must be made by credit or debit card. We no longer accept cash, cheques or bank drafts.

Applications made online

There are different fees if you apply online.

Urgent Travel

If you require an urgent appointment to process a passport renewal application, we have an urgent appointment service for passport renewal at the London Passport Office, 114A Cromwell Road, SW7 4ES.

Find out more

Book an appointment now

Emergency Passports

An emergency temporary passport can only be issued, on the same day, in the case of a genuine emergency situation. An example of an emergency is the death or serious illness of a family member.

The cost for an emergency passport is £26.00.

An Emergency Travel Certificate can be issued to enable applicant to travel home to country of residence only in the case of a stolen or lost passport. The cost for an Emergency Travel Certificate is £26.00.

Currency

For applications made online and by post, payment will be deducted in Euro from the credit card details provided by the applicant on the application form. The cardholder must sign Section 1 of the application form. The expiry date of the card must be included along with the name of the cardholder and the card number.

Apply Online

This is the fastest and cheapest way to get your first Irish passport or renew your passport. Once you have your photo, it only takes about ten minutes!

Apply online

Passport Express

The Passport Express Service operated by the post offices in Glasgow and Liverpool is open.

There are two post offices currently offering a Passport Express service in Great Britain. Payment of passport fees can be made at the post office by credit, debit cards or cash.

Passport Express is the only postal application method in Great Britain for paper applications. The turnaround time for this service is estimated at 8 weeks. Passport Express applications cannot be expedited and you are advised to not book flights until you have your passport.

We will not process passport applications submitted by ordinary or registered post. These applications will be returned to you unprocessed.

The Passport Express Service is available at Glasgow and Liverpool Post Offices:

Glasgow

Glasgow Post Office

140 West Nile Street

Glasgow

G1 2R

Cardiff

Cardiff Post Office

83 - 85 Queen Street

Cardiff,

CF10 2NX

Liverpool

Liverpool Post Office

1-3 South John Street

Liverpool

L1 8BN

Once payment is made, you will be issued with a receipt. Keep this receipt in a safe place as it contains the tracking number for your passport application. Application forms are available at both Glasgow and Liverpool post offices.

Urgent Renewal appointment service at the Passport Office, London

If you are renewing your passport and wish to avail of our new urgent renewal service with a five day turnaround time, you can now make an appointment at our public office on Cromwell Road.

Appointments can be booked online up to 3 weeks in advance.   You cannot book an appointment if you have already submitted an online application.

If you book an appointment when you already have an application pending through the online system, your appointment will be cancelled and the appointment fee refunded. Your online application will continue to process in line with current turnaround times.

This urgent renewal service is not available to first time applicants.

Book an appointment now

You must have an appointment to submit an application in person to the Passport Office in London.

The Passport Office is located at:

114a Cromwell Road

London

SW7 4ES

The Passport Office is open to the public from 09.30 - 16.30 Monday to Friday.

Remember....

It is very important to keep a record of your 11-digit application number as you will not be able to track your passport application without it. A peel-off sticker with the number can be found on the back page of the application form.