Over half a million passports issued in the first six months of this year

The Government are urging citizens to check the expiry dates on their passports to make sure that any travel plans go smoothly.

This came after the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, confirmed the number of passports issued in the first half of the year.

The Passport Service have issued over half a million passports in the first six months of this year, with almost 370,000 of these issued across the island of Ireland.

Minister McEntee said: “Over half a million passports were issued in the first half of 2026. Our passport service is world-class and processes applications rapidly. To avoid turning up at the airport with an out-of-date passport, please check your passport is in date well in advance of your departure date and ideally before you book your flights.”

“Our Passport Online service is the quickest and easiest way to apply for your passport. Our passport service is extremely efficient, with applicants able to apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Passport Online is available to 100% of citizens worldwide. In addition, anyone applying for a passport since the end of June this year will receive the newly designed passport book and card.”

Along with this, the Government launched the newly designed passport at the end of June, and citizens who have applied for a new passport since then should receive the newly designed version.