An Post has changed the name of its Passport Express service after a Fine Gael TD complained that it was misleading.
Dublin Mid-West TD Emer Higgins said the postal service has agreed to change the name of its postal passport service to ‘Post Passport.’
Deputy Higgins said the old name was misleading people because “applying for your passport by post is by far the slowest and most expensive” way to do it.
She said online renewals take around 10 days to process, while postal applications can take up to eight weeks.
Great news that @Postvox has changed the name of Passport Express to #PostPassport to better reflect the slower turnaround time associated with post applications. Thanks to @simoncoveney for engaging with me on this to get it changed! @FineGael ✈️🌍 pic.twitter.com/TN3hyiAjKz
— Emer Higgins TD (@EmerHigginsTD) May 24, 2022
“Up until now, I’ve found that a lot of people hear the name Passport Express and presume that it’s the fastest method of application,” she said.
“I’m delighted that An Post has now headed my calls and renamed the service to Post Passport.
“I have been engaging with An Post and [Foreign] Minister [Simon] Coveney on this matter and I think this new name will provide applicants with greater clarity and prevent people from mistakenly choosing the slower postal method if they can avoid it.”
Express
A spokesperson for An Post said the service was originally called Passport Express because the documents were sent via Express Post.
He said the name was officially changed yesterday to reflect the differing turnaround times with postal and online applications.
Deputy Higgins said the message for anyone applying for a passport is to apply online, apply early and ensure all your paperwork is in order.
Backlog
Yesterday the Department of Foreign Affairs said passports are still “being processed in the usual way”, despite a backlog of around 200,000 applications in the system.
While passport renewals are generally being processed in two to ten days, first-time passport applications are taking significantly longer.
A department spokesperson told Newstalk that these are currently taking 30 days to process; however, many applicants have experienced waiting times of over three months.
