If you are resident outside of Ireland, you need to use an APS2 application form.

APS2 forms are available from the Embassy, Kazanches, Guinea Conakry Street, Addis Ababa (location directly behind the Radisson Blue Hotel) during consular services opening hours.

Applications must be made on an original APS2 application form. This application form is only available at Irish Embassies and Consulates; it is a different form to the form available from the Passport Office in Ireland.

Please read the notes and each section carefully before completing the application form. Application forms which are not correctly completed cannot be processed and this will cause delay.

If applying to Embassy of Ireland Addis Ababa, you will need to include:

• A completed and witnessed APS2 application form. See the "Application Forms" tab for information on how to get a form
• 4 Passport Photographs (2 witnessed)
• Previous passport if you have had one
• Long form birth certificate. This must be included for all under 18s and for adults if you have lost your passport, or if applying for your first passport.
• Civil Marriage Certificate (if you are changing your name)
• Additional documents for first and/or lost passport applications. See below for information.

If you are applying for an Irish passport for the first time or have lost your passport you need to include the following:

• Your original long-form birth certificate and your original civil marriage certificate (if you've changed your surname).
• If these documents are not in English, you must also submit a certified English version of the originals, translated by a registered translator.
• A certified copy of your photo identification, such as your driver's licence, or the original copy of your passport from another country or your college identification card. You can get it certified by the person who witnesses your application form.
• An original document showing proof of your name, such as a pay slip, college registration correspondence or social welfare receipts.
• An original document showing proof of your address, such as a utility bill, bank statement or official correspondence from a public or private sector organisation.

Further documents are required in certain cases, please select from the option(s) below for information if:

• You were born outside Ireland to a parent born on the island of Ireland

• Neither of your parents were born in Ireland but you can claim Irish Citizenship by descent

• You are a Naturalised Irish Citizen

• You were born abroad and adopted under Irish Law

• You are a Post-Nuptial Citizen

If you were born outside Ireland to a parent born on the island of Ireland, you will also need:

• Your original long-form birth certificate and your original civil marriage certificate (if you've changed your surname).
• The long-form birth certificate and civil marriage certificate (if applicable) of your Irish-born parent.

If the birth/marriage certificates are not in English, you must submit a certified English version of the original, translated by a registered translator.

If neither of your parents were born in Ireland but you can claim Irish Citizenship by descent, you will also need:

• Your original foreign birth registration certificate. Please see the citizenship section if you need to apply for this certificate.

If you are a naturalised Irish Citizen, you will also need:

• Your original naturalisation certificate. Please see the citizenship section on this certificate
• Your original long-form birth certificate and your original civil marriage certificate (if you've changed your surname).

If the birth/marriage certificate is not in English, you must also submit certified English versions of the originals, translated by a registered translator.

Born Abroad and adopted under Irish Law

• Your certificate of entry by the Adoption Authority of Ireland in the Register of Foreign Adoptions.
• Your original civil marriage certificate (if you've changed your surname).
• A document that proves your adoptive parent was an Irish citizen at the time of your adoption, such as a long form birth certificate or an Irish passport.

Post-Nuptial Citizen

• Your original post-nuptial certificate.
• Your original long-form birth certificate and your original civil marriage certificate (if you've changed your surname).

Poor quality photographs are the main reason we have to reject passport applications. Bring these photo guidelines with you to your photographer to ensure that your photo complies fully with the requirements. 

Passport photo checklist

1. Include 4 separate identical photos, no more than 6 months old with the passport application
2. Make sure they meet our requirements (see below)
3. Get the witness for your application to write the form number (found on Section 9 of the application) on the back of two of your four photos. They must also sign and stamp the back of those two photos.

Remember...

If you don’t make sure the witness signs, writes the form number and stamps on the back of two photos, you’ll have to submit a new application form and photos.

What are the guidelines for passport photographs?

Size

• Minimum: 35mm x 45mm
• Maximum: 38mm x 50mm

Lighting and focus

• Photos must be in sharp focus and correctly exposed
• Shadows from the head must NOT appear in the background
• Good colour balance and natural skin tones are essential
• 'Red eye' in photographs is not acceptable
• A clear contrast is needed between facial features and background

Photo quality

• Photos must be printed on photo-quality paper at a high resolution
• There should be no ink marks or creases
• Digital enhancements or changes are not acceptable
• The reverse of the photos must be white and unglazed
• Black and white photos are recommended as they're digitally printed onto the passport in black and white, but we also accept colour photos

Passport photo do's and don't's

Pose

• Do centre your head in the photo
• Do look directly at the camera
• Do make sure your facial features are clearly visible, from the bottom of your chin to the crown of your head
• Don't tilt your head up/down or left/right

Expression

• Do keep your facial expressions neutral (no raised eyebrows, frowns)
• Do keep both eyes open and your mouth closed
• Don't smile

Glasses, head covers and clothing

• Do wear your glasses (if you normally wear them) but make sure there's no reflection on the lenses and the frames don't obscure your eyes
• Don't wear sunglasses or glasses with tinted lenses, unless they're prescription
• Don't wear a head covering unless it's for religious or medical reasons
• Don't wear a uniform, civil or military (e.g. showing epaulettes, insignia)

Infants

Infants or very young children who can't support themselves should be photographed lying down on a plain, white surface. No one else should appear in the photo, so make sure that hands or arms used to support the child are not visible.

People with disabilities

If you have a disability that prevents you meeting all of these requirements, contact us and we will offer you further advice.

• Identification
• Consent of parents/guardians
• Lost, stolen or damaged passports

Identification

The person who witnesses your signature and confirms your identity must, without exception, be a member of one of the following professions and must not be related to you. Retired witnesses are not acceptable

• Police officer
• Member of clergy
• Medical doctor
• Lawyer
• Bank manager/assistant bank manager
• Elected public representative
• Notary public/commissioner for oaths
• Peace commissioner
• School principal/vice principal
• Accountant

You must:

• Sign Section 8 of the form in the presence of the witness. Everyone aged seven and over must sign their own form.

The witness must:

• Complete Section 9 of the form, including a work landline phone number - mobile phone numbers will not be accepted
• Insert the form number from Section 9 on the back of two of your four photos
• Sign and stamp the back of those two photos

Remember...

Your application is only valid for six months from the date your witness signs Section 9.

Consent of parents or guardians

This is an additional requirement for children. Everyone under the age of 18 must have the consent of their parents/guardians to get a passport and this consent must be witnessed.

The only exception to this is if the child is married.

Parents/guardians must:

• Fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 of the passport application form in the presence of a listed witness
• Find out what to do if both parents/guardians are unable to sign Section 7
• This is the same witness list as the Section 9 identification requirement.

The witness must:

• Complete, sign and stamp Section 7, including a work landline telephone number - mobile telephone numbers are not acceptable.
• Sign each column separately if they witness both parents/guardians' signatures.

Lost/stolen and damaged passports

If your passport has been lost/stolen or damaged, you must:

• Complete Section 6 of the application form, explaining how your previous passport was lost, stolen or damaged
• Have it witnessed and stamped by the same person who witnessed Section 9 of your application.

If you lose two or more passports, it may restrict the period of validity for your next passport and it may not be possible to receive your passport in less than 10 working days.

Remember...

Do not, under any circumstances, try to travel on a passport that has been reported as lost or stolen.

Passport Fees

Emergency Passports (issued in limited circumstances only)

Only intended for people who have lost their passport, or who have had their passport stolen, and must urgently travel home. Only valid for one single trip - €30 plus an out of hours fee of €80.

Passport Certification Fee is €40.

How to Pay:

For passport applications made at the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia, passport fees must be paid in Ethiopian Birr. As exchange rates vary on a weekly basis, please contact the Embassy before you apply to find out the correct fee in Ethiopian Birr for that week.

Please be informed that effective from 1st May 2013 all fees for consular, passport* and visa services should be paid at Zemen Bank, which is located across the main road from the Embassy. The Bank will provide a deposit slip which can be presented at the Embassy, together with all other relevant forms and documents. Zemen Bank is open from 8:00am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.

The fees above relate to applications submitted at the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia. If you are applying from Ireland please visit the Passport and Citizenship page on the main Department website.

Where to apply:

The Consular Office at the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia is open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 4.00pm, and Friday from 8.30am to 11.00am.

You can lodge your application in person at the Embassy from Monday to Friday between these hours.