Checklist if you’re going away on holiday

The European Health Insurance Card

This allows you to access public healthcare in another EU/EEA state for free or at a reduced rate. You can use it when you are travelling abroad or staying temporarily in another EU State. Each family member needs their own card. It does not cover private healthcare and does not replace travel insurance. It lasts up to four years. When abroad, always carry your EHIC with you. There is no fee for card.

To apply, complete an application form and send it to your Local Health Office. You can download the form or pick one up from your local Citizens Information Centre. If you have a medical card or drug payment scheme card, you can apply online.

If you already had an EHIC but it has expired, you can renew it online if you have your old EHIC number and your PPS number, provided that your address has not changed.

If you don’t have your European Health Insurance Card for any reason, you can get a Temporary Replacement Certificate, giving you the same entitlement, but for a shorter period. You can apply online for this also.

In some EU member states, you may have to make some payment towards the cost of the services you receive, just as people in that state do. You will not receive a refund for this or for private healthcare.

Passport

The Passport Service processes Passport Online applications as a priority - the fastest way of getting it. Simple online renewals take around 10 working days to process. Complex ones - when you are asked to submit extra documentation, or you are changing information on your passport - take around 15 working days.

If you are applying by post, using a paper application form, allow at least eight weeks for your application to be processed (not including postage times). This period may be extended at certain times of the year. If you are applying for your first Irish passport as an adult, the processing times are longer.

The counter service at the Passport Office is mainly designed to help people who need passports urgently, and don’t have enough time to apply in other ways. In these cases, you should book an appointment with the Passport Office in Dublin or Cork. Applications in person are more expensive than applying online or through Post Passport. First time applications cannot be made using an Urgent Appointment. The quickest way to apply for the first time is to use Passport Online.

If you are an Irish citizen living in Ireland and you have lost your Irish passport, or it has been stolen, you must let the Passport Office know immediately and report the loss or theft to the Garda Síochána.

If you lose your passport or it is stolen abroad, you must contact the local police and request a written statement that you have reported the loss of your passport. The Passport Service will not provide you with a new travel document without a police report.

In addition, you must contact your nearest Irish embassy or consulate. They may be able to give you a replacement passport that will let you finish your trip, or an emergency travel document that will get you home

If you are in a country where there is no Irish representation, you may contact an embassy or consulate of another EU member state. In some cases, they may issue you with an EU Emergency Travel Document (ETD).

The Passport Service still offer a same-day emergency service if you need a passport due to a medical emergency or the death of a family member abroad. Contact the Passport Service by phone 01 671 1633 or by webchat if you need a passport in an emergency.

The Passport Service must get consent from all the child’s guardians before it can issue a child’s passport. If you are not in touch with your child’s other parent or guardian, or if they refuse to give consent, you can apply to the District Court for a court order, which will allow the Passport Service to issue the passport without that consent.

The situation is different if you are the sole guardian. You have to provide an affidavit (AFF 1) stating this is rthe case. This should be completed in the presence of a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths. If the other parent or guardian is deceased, you will also have to provide a death certificate.

Air travel

Air passengers have specific consumer rights under European law. You have a right to get assistance from your air carrier and may be entitled to compensation in some cases - if you are denied boarding against your will, your flight is cancelled, your flight is delayed or you are downgraded

The law applies to all passengers departing from an EU/EEA airport. It also applies to passengers departing from an airport outside of the EU/EEA but arriving at an EU/EEA airport on an EU/EEA licensed carrier (unless they have already received compensation or assistance in that non-EU/EEA country).

If you are denied boarding because a flight is overbooked, or a flight has been cancelled or delayed, and the law does apply, the airline must provide you with a written notice setting out the rules for compensation and assistance. You must be offered two free telephone calls, fax messages, or emails. In addition, a sign must be displayed at the check-in area referring to air passenger rights under the law.

Where a flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a choice of a refund the cost of your ticket within 7 days, or re-routing to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, or re-routing at a later date at your convenience, subject to the availability of seats. You may also be entitled to compensation.

If the airline can prove the cancellation was caused by an extraordinary circumstance that could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken, no compensation is payable.

If you have a complaint about the assistance and compensation received for denied boarding or cancelled or delayed flights, you must begin by contacting your airline directly.

If you feel your rights have not been met and you have not received the level of treatment or compensation to which you are entitled, contact the Irish Aviation Authority or the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and make a complaint. You can also contact the Directorate-General for Transport and Energy of the European Commission.