ROUGHLY one in twelve Irish passports issued in 2014 were applied for via the government’s London passport office.
Figures revealed today show a total of 629,446 passports were issued by the Irish Government last year, of which 51,412 applications were received through its British base.
The second highest number of international applications came from Canberra (6,557) followed by New York (5,352), Sydney (3,534), San Francisco (3,219) and Ottawa (2,800).
A further 49,435 applications were received through the Northern Ireland Passport Express service over the course of the year, it was confirmed this afternoon.
Regarding the numbers, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said: "The Department has worked hard in recent years to ensure we provide a modern, secure and quick passport service. We offer a variety of services including a passport reminder service, passport tracking and a passport appointments service.”
While applications were made throughout the year, the figures show a quarter of them were processed in the peak months of May and June - where 82,564 and 76,314 passports were issued respectively.
On the seasonal surge in applications, the Minister added: “Citizens who plan to renew their passport in 2015 are advised to do so in the off-peak period to ensure the shortest renewal time.”
