The passport office is experiencing major demands.

The Irish Passport Office is asking the public to check if their passports are valid. It is experiencing high demands at the moment which is causing a major backlog. People are waiting at least 35 days for their passport applications to be sorted. However, it has managed to reduce average wait times from 40 days to 35 days. But, many new parents say they are waiting months for their baby's passport. Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has advised the public to check when their passports are set to expire ahead of the summer holidays. The Government has offered additional services to help them cope with the mass level of applications. Minister Coveney said the number of applications is "off the charts". He said they've never seen anything like it before. "We've had three months in a row now of record application numbers, as in, the highest ever." Minister Coveney added, "I strongly urge anyone who is considering traveling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel. He also advised the public to give themselves plenty of time when applying. You should not leave it until the last minute. He said people should "apply for their passports online in plenty of time". The Foreign Affairs Minister stressed that the passport office is experiencing extreme demands, but they're doing everything they can to process applications. 264,000 passports were issued from the start of 2022, but only 21,000 passports were issued during the same time period in 2021. If you're planning on traveling abroad this year then be sure to check your passports at home.