Irish foreign office urges calm over EU passport application frenzy

Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has urged UK residents to take their time before applying for an Irish passport in the wake of the UK’s shock decision to leave the EU, our sister site Irish Legal News reports.

Post offices in Northern Ireland ran out of Irish passport applications over the weekend in the wake of unexpectedly strong interest by eligible UK residents who are concerned about maintaining their EU citizenship rights to free movement after Brexit.

Mr Flanagan said he believed the “unnecessary surge” would place significant pressure on the passports application system.

He also dismissed calls for the establishment of a passport office in Belfast, saying that people in Northern Ireland “are not unduly disadvantaged” by applying through post offices and could attend passport offices in Dublin or Cork to make an emergency application.

Mr Flanagan said: “The increased interest clearly points to a sense of concern among some UK passport holders that the rights they enjoy as EU citizens are about to abruptly end. I want to state clearly that this is not the case. The United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union but it has not yet left.

“It will take some time for negotiations on a British exit to conclude; Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty envisages a two year negotiation process once the Article is triggered, while many speculate this could take longer. During this period, the UK remains a member of the European Union, its citizens continue to fully enjoy EU rights including free movement of people within the EU.

“At the same time, the referendum has not in any way changed the entitlement to an Irish passport which extends to those born on the island of Ireland and those claiming citizenship through parents or grandparents born in Ireland.”

He added: “An unnecessary surge in applications for Irish passports will place significant pressure on the system and on turnaround times and is likely to impact those with a genuine need for passports to facilitate imminent travel plans.

“I urge those who believe they need to apply for an Irish passport immediately to enjoy free travel in the EU, to take full account of the facts before making an application.”