Over 35,000 passports were issued in Cork county this year

A total of 35,665 passports have been issued in Cork this year, it was revealed, as Tánaiste and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris reminded citizens to check that their passport is in date before making travel plans and to apply for their passport online well in advance of their departure date.

Mr Harris said: “The best time for citizens to check their passport’s expiry date is before booking their holiday, and the second best time to check is today!

“If you have already booked flights, it’s important to check now if your passport is in date.

“I encourage everyone to use passport online when applying for their passports as the quickest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to apply.

“Applicants from all over the world can use Passport Online to renew their passport or to apply for their first passport.

“I am delighted to see that passport applications are high all over the country, with Dublin, Cork, and Galway recording the highest numbers of passports issued in 2025.

“I am so proud of the fantastic staff at the passport service who have already issued over 600,000 passports to Irish citizens all over the world this year.

“I would like to thank them for their hard work to make sure we can all enjoy well-deserved holidays.”

It comes as Mr Harris announced earlier this month that a new passport office is to be operational by autumn 2026 at Navigation Square in Cork city, and will have capacity for 140 staff compared with the 115 staff who are currently assigned to the Cork office.

During 2024, there were an average of 240 appointments available in Cork, with only 26% of appointments available in Cork taken up, as the majority of applicants now choose to use the online booking system.

Citizens living in Ireland who need to renew their passport urgently in advance of imminent travel can avail of the urgent appointment service available at the Passport Offices in Cork or in Dublin.

Customer service agents are available to answer all passport-related questions from 9am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday by phone on 01-671-1633, or via online chat at www.ireland.ie/passports.