By Simon Kelly

Consultations are now open.

After ten years of the current design of the Irish passport it looks like we'll be getting a new look document soon enough. It's been announced that The Department of Foreign Affairs will this week launch the project to redesign the passport to "communicate Irish culture and values." The new design will focus on the nature of Ireland, specifically the plants and animals that have been struggling due to biodiversity loss. The department will launch a procurement process for a manufacturer in late 2023 and it is hoped that Ireland's new travel document will be introduced in 2025. The International Civil Aviation Authority recommends documents undergo frequent revamps in order to keep on the cutting edge of security technology and stop fraudsters. Have your say on the new Irish passport design. Not only will we be getting a redesigned passport, we'll also have a say in how it looks. An online questionnaire has been launched for the Irish public to choose which designs should feature on the new travel document. Some of the animals featured in the consultation include the red fox, the pine martin, badger, goat, red deer and basking shark. You can also have your choice of flora, including the shamrock (of course), wild thyme and the meadow buttercup. Plenty have already had their say. "Who is the passport for?" Willie White, Artistic Director of the Dublin Theatre Festival told Newstalk. "It’s not for the person you hand it over to for a few seconds when you’re going through passport control, it is for you. "So, what’s the image of Ireland you want to carry around in your hand? When you open a page of your passport book does this say to you, this is a beautiful piece of graphic design or does it say to you, this is an accomplished piece of security?" White noted a number of ideas including orchids in the Burren, Dublin City's foxes and hares up in Dublin Airport.

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