Who Can Sign an Irish passport?
If you’re looking for a witness to your Irish passport application, notaries can do it and we offer this service. Book your appointment now. Call us on 020 7499 2605 or email us notary@notarypubliclondon.co.uk
Application for for Irish passport in London
The application form for an Irish passport has largely went online.
You can click on the application for Irish passport link to find out how to get a Irish passport.
Here is the link showing what first-time applicants need.
But there is still a need for paper, you may need to get a witness to witness your signature and verify your identity on the Identity Verification Form.
Additional documents for submission with passport application form
- Identity Verification Form.
- Full original civil birth certificate (version that includes the name(s) of the parent(s)).
- Original Civil marriage or Civil Partnership certificate (if applying for a passport in your married name).
- Proof of address such as government correspondence such as letter from the local government health services, local social welfare services or other local government services. If you do not have these, original utility bills, or bank statements can be considered. These must be accompanied by a translation into English or Irish
- Proof of name such as government correspondence such as letter from the local government health services, local social welfare services or other local government services. If you do not have these, original utility bills, or bank statements can be considered. These must be accompanied by a translation into English or Irish
- You must submit one document as proof of name and one document as proof of address. It cannot be the same document.
- Photographic identification
- You must submit an original government issued photographic identification. This could be an original passport from another country or a certified copy of your driver’s licence (certified by a solicitor or notary public).
- If adopted, your adoption certificate.
Sending in your paper forms
If you are going to apply for Irish passports from UK, you will have to complete the online process, then, print out your application form for Irish passport.
Please be advised that you need to confirm your identity using the Irish passport Identity Verification Form.
Who can witness an Irish passport application in the UK?
Here’s the list… but be careful who you chose, read our warning further down.
- School principal/vice principal
- Teacher
- School Secretary
- Pre-school manager
- Montessori teacher
- Police Officer
- Member of clergy
- Medical doctor
- Lawyer
- Bank manager or assistant bank manager
- Credit Union Manager or Assistant Manager
- Elected public representative
- Notary public/ commissioner for oaths
- Peace commissioner
- Accountant
- Dentist
- Vet
- Nurse
- Physiotherapist
- Speech Therapist
- Lecturer
- Pharmacist
- Chartered Engineer
Witness pitfalls to look out for
Make sure your passport witness knows what they are doing and are willing to be contacted by the Irish passport office.
We can tell you from first hand experience… they do call ! And usually some time after the form has been witnessed.
A famous example of a witness that went wrong
In 2022, former Irish Olympic boxer, Wayne ‘Pocket Rocket’ McCullough had trouble with his “application for Irish passport form”. He had his form signed by a Notary in Las Vegas.
Time difference between the Irish passport office, Dublin and Las Vegas made it hard for passport office officials to contact the witnessing Notary. Read the Belfast Telegraph Article here.
So you need to be careful with their passport witnesses. We have experience of clients who have used their vet, dentists and school secretaries to be witnesses. Make sure they are happy for the passport office to contact them.
Professionals who can countersign an Irish passport application in the UK must then complete section 9 of the form.
Remember, the “Identity Verification Form” requires the witness to provide a landline number. Mobile phone numbers are not acceptable.
If you would like a Notary to act as a witness to your Irish passport application form, then get in touch:
