Member's statement: Irish Passports

Member's statement by Mr Mark Durkan on 21 May 2024.

MLA

Mr Mark Durkan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

21 May 2024

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Irish Passports

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4491387

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Summer is upon us and, with it, the annual stampede for passports. We know that, as citizens of Northern Ireland, we have the unique privilege and birthright of dual citizenship that allows us to identify as British, Irish or both. However, for many who wish to avail themselves of an Irish passport, that right has become increasingly difficult to attain. They face additional barriers that do not exist for Irish citizens resident in the South or, indeed, for those seeking a UK passport here. Not only is the disparity between the passport application process for people from here and that for people in the rest of Ireland discriminatory, but it perpetuates inequality. The stringent criteria, additional costs and barriers represent unnecessary hurdles for those wishing to assert the right to Irish nationality. At present, the passport office does not deem electoral ID a sufficient form of photographic identification, despite accepting the public services card for those resident in the South. That creates an imbalance and an anomaly that forces Northern Ireland applicants into the ludicrous situation of having to apply for a UK passport or a driver's licence, resulting in unnecessary delay and considerable additional expense. The difficulty for single parents — mostly mothers, of course — who apply on behalf of their children is of particular concern, and I have raised it with the Tánaiste in Dublin and the Finance Minister here. That vulnerable cohort is required to complete an affidavit, even for renewals, a policy that does not apply to Irish citizens in the South. Again, there is a financial cost attached to that unless the absent, maybe even abusive, ex signs the application; sadly, that, too, sometimes comes at a price. Year on year, I and others have called for a Northern-based passport office, and those calls were echoed last week in the Chamber. The Dublin Government argue that the lack of traffic on the MLA portal negates the need for that provision, whereas I argue that that is not a reflection of low demand but, rather, a clear indication of the suboptimal service provided on that portal.

It is unacceptable that citizenship rights are subject to arbitrary restrictions based on geographical location rather than being universally accessible to all Irish citizens on the island. The current process sets citizens from the North at a disadvantage, and that must be rectified urgently.

395 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:31 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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