Passport Application and Documents

[sstewart50]

So I have gained Irish Citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration. I've applied for my passport January) but I forgot to sign my application (Witness signed) and they want the original passport I currently hold in the USA. Is there any way around this original passport requirement? It would be cutting it close for me to send this now and get these documents back by the time I travel in mid-April so this makes me nervous...any ideas?

[littlerr]

A certified copy of passport will usually do. Remember that if you apply from abroad, your passport needs to certified by a solicitor or whoever has the legal power to certify your document.

If you already sent the application with the certified copy, and they now come back to ask you to submit the original passport, there is no way around - You have to send in the original one.

[sstewart50]

Thanks for the reply. I did indeed send in a certified copy (Solicitor) and got the request for the original copy. I did get on the passport webchat today, however as I need the original passport for Travel in April/May this year. I looked to confirm my timeline for getting this in (6 Months from my application start would be June 2023). I was concerned with the tightness of this timeline. When I mentioned I had sent in a certified copy the webchat indicated that this should have been sufficient and that they would bring my case to the checker again. They noted I would be advised if there was a reason why the certified copy was not sufficient this week...so I'm crossing my fingers that this was an initial error by the checker on the certified copy.

[Dalton_Trumbo]

Thanks for the reply. I did indeed send in a certified copy (Solicitor) and got the request for the original copy. I did get on the passport webchat today, however as I need the original passport for Travel in April/May this year. I looked to confirm my timeline for getting this in (6 Months from my application start would be June 2023). I was concerned with the tightness of this timeline. When I mentioned I had sent in a certified copy the webchat indicated that this should have been sufficient and that they would bring my case to the checker again. They noted I would be advised if there was a reason why the certified copy was not sufficient this week...so I'm crossing my fingers that this was an initial error by the checker on the certified copy.

They seem to be very inconsistent on this one. I applied for my Passport in September of last year. I also needed my original passport for travel and did not want to send it. I get a certified copy at a mailbox/shipping store, certified by the notary public they had there. I had no issues with it, received my passport without issue. Just as a note, I've noticed from the threads that for US applicants, copies certified by a notary public with a stamp and all seem to have less issues than copies certified by other types of folks. Just my observation. Good luck!