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Passports for Children

Your child needs an individual passport. We talk you through the application process in the tabs below.

We no longer include children on their parents' passports. This is intended to make international travel more secure for children and reduce the risk of kidnapping and child trafficking.

  • Documents
  • Photographs
  • Consent of parents and guardians
  • Witnessing the application
  • Fees and where to apply

Documents

Documents

You will need to include

  • The application form - (APS2) see "Fees and Where to Apply" tab for information
  • 4 Passport Photographs (2 witnessed)
  • Your child's long form birth certificate. This must be included for all under 18s
  • Previous passport if your child has one
  • Further documents for first and/or lost passport applications (see below)

Further documents for first and/or lost passport applications

Please select the option(s) below for information:

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

  • Your child's original long form birth certificate.
  • The long-form birth certificate and civil marriage certificate (if applicable) of your child's Irish-born parent.
  • If the certificates are not in English, you must submit a certified English version of the original, translated by a registered translator.
  • Swiss Registry Offices issue international certificates which are also in English.
  • Any Algerian Certificates provided must be in the official French language version and must be authenticated/legalised by the Algerian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Each certificate must be accompanied by a full translation of each authenticated/legalised certificate into the English language.

If neither parent was born in Ireland but your child can claim Irish Citizenship by descent, you will need:

  • Your child's original foreign birth registration certificate. Please see the citizenship section if you need to apply for this certificate.
  • Your child's original long-form birth certificate.
  • If the birth certificate is not in English, you must also submit certified English versions of the originals, translated by a registered translator.
  • Swiss Registry Offices issue international certificates which are also in English
  • Any Algerian Certificates provided must be in the official French language version and must be authenticated/legalised by the Algerian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Each certificate must be accompanied by a full translation of each authenticated/legalised certificate into the English language.

If your child is a naturalised Irish citizen, you will need:

  • Your child's original naturalisation certificate. Please see the citizenship section for more information on this certificate.
  • Your child's original long form birth certificate
  • If the birth certificate is not in English, you must also submit certified English versions of the originals, translated by a registered translator.
  • We may also ask you to have your original certificates authenticated by an Embassy or Consulate of the country who issued them.
  • Swiss Registry Offices issue international certificates which are also in English
  • Any Algerian Certificates provided must be in the official French language version and must be authenticated/legalised by the Algerian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Each certificate must be accompanied by a full translation of each authenticated/legalised certificate into the English language.

If born in Ireland on or before 31 December 2004, you will need:

  • Your child's original long-form birth certificate

If born in Ireland on or after 1 January 2005, please select from the options below:

Parent is an Irish citizen

If your child has a parent who is an Irish citizen or is entitled to be an Irish citizen, include these documents with their passport application:

  • Your child's long-form birth certificate
  • The long-form birth certificate or Irish passport of that parent, issued before the child's birth.

Parent is a British citizen

If your child has a parent who is a British citizen, include these documents with their passport application:

  • Your child's original long form birth certificate
  • The British passport of that parent.

Parent is EU/EEA/Swiss national

If your child has a parent who was born within the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, include these documents with their passport application:

  • Your child's original long-form birth certificate.
  • The passport or national ID card of the parent who completes Declaration Form A
  • Proof of residency from that parent, who must have lived in Ireland for three of the four years before the child's birth
  • Tax records from that parent, including P60, P45 and P35L certificates
  • Records of any social welfare benefits or statement from the Department of Social Protection confirming that the parent received benefits and giving exact dates
  • Declaration Form A - this is a sworn statement by the parent, giving details of their period of residency in Ireland. It must be properly witnessed.

You may also submit other original documents to fill any gaps in periods of residency. These could include pay slips, utility bills, an official rent/lease agreement, a rent book or bank statements showing local transactions.

Parent is non-EU/EEA/Swiss national

If your child has a parent who was not born within the EU, EEA or Switzerland, include these documents with their passport application:

  • Your child's original long-form birth certificate
  • The parent's Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card
  • The parent's passport, showing residency stamps granting legal permission to remain in Ireland for three of the four years before the birth of the child.

If the current passport doesn't show sufficient residency, you may have to submit a previous passport.

Your child may not qualify for an Irish passport if your residency was granted for:

  • Having an application for refugee status determined
  • Study or training purpose or
  • Where your child's parent had diplomatic immunity at the time of the birth.

If the stamps don't reflect the full period of residency, you should contact the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) on +353 1 6669100 or email gnib@iol.ie before you submit the passport application. They can give you a latter on their official stationary outlining their record of the stamps.

Parent has refugee status

If your child has a parent who was declared a refugee before his/her birth, include these documents with their passport application:

  • Your child's original long-form birth certificate
  • The original letter from the Department of Justice declaring the parent's refugee status
  • The parent's passport or travel document
  • The parent's GNIB card.

Photographs

Photo Guidelines

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.

Consent of parents and guardians

Consent for Children

What are the requirements for parents' or guardians' consent to passport applications for children under 18 years of age?

Section 7 of the application deals with parental consent for children.

The consent of all guardians is required for all children under 18 years of age, unless the applicant is married. Guardianship should not be confused with custody which involves the day to day caring for the child.

  • Married parents of a child are joint-guardians and have equal rights in relation to the child;
  • Unmarried parents of a child are not joint guardians, only the mother is automatically a guardian of the child. Entry of the father's name in the Register of Births does not give him any guardianship rights in respect of the child.

The rights of parents to guardianship are set down in Section 6 of the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964.

Parents are married or were married

Both parents may fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 in the presence of a suitable witness.

If one parent is unwilling or unavailable to give their consent for their child's passport to be issued, a court order dispensing with that parent's consent will be required to proceed with the child's application. This Court Order should direct the Passport Service to dispense with the consent of the unwilling/unavailable parent and allow the Passport Service to issue a passport to your child.

Parents were married but one parent is deceased

The living parent may fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 in the presence of a suitable witness.

The original death certificate of the deceased parent together with a Sole Guardian Affidavit form (AFF1) ‌ must be submitted. This affidavit should be completed in the presence of a solicitor/commissioner for oaths confirming that the living parent is the sole legal guardian of the Child.

Only mother named on child's birth certificate

The mother of the child must fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 of the passport application form in the presence of a suitable witness.

She must also complete Sole Guardian Affidavit form (AFF1)  in the presence of a solicitor/commissioner for oaths, confirming her as the sole legal guardian.

Parents not married but both named on child's birth certificate

Child born in Ireland:

Both parents may fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 in the presence of a suitable witness.

If the mother is the sole legal guardian of the child, she must complete Sole Guardian Affidavit form (AFF1)  in the presence of a solicitor/commissioner for oaths.

If the child's father has been granted guardianship rights from the courts, or both parents have completed a Statutory Declaration stating that the father has become a joint-guardian, then the consent of the father is required.

For more information on a Statutory Declaration, contact a solicitor or commissioner for oaths.

Child born in Switzerland:

Please contact the Embassy of Ireland in Bern for clarification.

Child born in Northern Ireland or Great Britain:

If the child's father is named on the birth certificate and the birth was jointly registered by both parents, the father is deemed to have parental responsibility (guardianship) of his child, irrespective of the marital status of the parents.

This was passed into law on the following dates:

  • Northern Ireland: 15 April 2002
  • England and Wales: 1 December 2003
  • Scotland: 4 May 2006

Before this legislation, only the mother was considered an automatic guardian.

Born before legislation

If the child was born before the above dates and the mother is the sole legal guardian of the child, she must complete Sole Guardian Affidavit form (AFF1)  in the presence of a solicitor/commissioner for oaths.

Born after legislation

If the child was born in one of these countries after the above dates, both parents must fill in and sign the relevant part of Section 7 in the presence of a suitable witness.

Specific Issues Order

If one parent is unwilling or unavailable to give their consent for their child's passport to be issued, a Specific Issues Order, which dispenses with that parent's consent, must be obtained by the relevant court before we can proceed with the child's application.

 

Witnessing the application

Witnessing the application

Identification

A member of one of the professions listed below can witness your child's passport application form as long as they are satisfied as to your identity and that your four photos are a true likeness of your child.

Make sure you bring photo identification with you and be aware that the witness may ask you for more proof of identification - this is at their discretion.

  • 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. A parent/guardian of a child under seven must sign their own name in the right sided box in Section 8 in front of the witness.

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

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.

 

Fees and where to apply

Fees and Where to apply

The fee depends on the type of passport you apply for:

  • A standard 5-year passport for those under 18 years is 60 CHF

Payment methods

Payment must be made by bank transfer. This can be done at any Swiss or Liechtenstein Post Office, by e-banking, through your bank, or into any branch of UBS, using the following details:

Name and address: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Embassy of Ireland, Kirchenfeldstrasse 68, CH-3000 Berne 6
IBAN: CH19 0023 5235 4157 7301 J
Bank: UBS AG, CH-8098 ZUERICH
Swift: UBSWCHZH80A

When making payment, please ensure you enter the name of the person to be registered on the payment slip.

Cash and Cheques are not accepted.

Where to apply:

You should send your application form and documents by post to:

Embassy of Ireland
Kirchenfeldstrasse 68
P.O. Box 262
CH-3000 Berne 6
Switzerland

Passport applications can be delivered by post without coming to the Embassy.

We would encourage you to consult the relevant section of our website regarding the service you require before contacting the Embassy. Passport application forms can be obtained online.

If you choose to post your application, we strongly recommend that you use registered mail or a reputable courier service. The Embassy cannot be held responsible for applications or documents lost in transit.

 

Remember...

Read all sections of the passport application form to make sure you've filled it out correctly, including photo requirements and how to get it witnessed properly.