How do I apply for my baby’s passport?

Since October 2004 all children, who are travelling overseas, must have their own Irish passport and everyone, irrespective of age, needs an individual passport to gain entry into the United States. Prior to this change, children were allowed to be on their mum’s passport up until the age of 16.

There are two types of passports for children and both are dependent on the age of the child. Kids under the age of three can only get a three year passport, while five year ones are only available to those aged between three and 17 years old.

When applying for a passport, you must complete an APS 1 form if the child lives in the state or an APS 2 form if the child is living in Northern Ireland or abroad. Both types of application forms are available from public libraries and garda stations nationwide.

Forms are quite detailed and may take some time to fill in so make sure you are not rushing. You will also need to provide four passport sized photographs of your little one, two of which must be signed by the witness of identity.

Every application for your baby’s passport must be accompanied by their long birth certificate and if you are getting their passport renewed you will need to supply both their birth cert and their old passport.

Once your child reaches the age of 18 they will no longer have to supply their birth certificate.  Additional documentation may need to accompany the application depending on a number of factors including when and where the child was born and if the parents are separated.

You can use An Post’s Passport Express service, although if the passport is urgent, you should contact the Passport Service. Emergency passports can be issued in Ireland without proof of travel and are guaranteed to be processed within three working days. There is an extra charge for the urgent service – €30 for a child.

If you are planning on taking a trip soon it is important to remember that most passports take up to a minimum of 10 working days to be processed so make sure you apply well in advance of your planned trip.