Know Your Rights : Passport for a child

 September 2013

Question

I am taking my 3-year-old on holidays abroad. Her surname is different from mine and I’m not in touch with her father, my ex-partner. Can I put her on my passport?

Answer

All Irish citizen children, regardless of age, must have an individual passport in their own name if they are travelling abroad. An application for a passport for a child living in Ireland is made on form APS 1 (pdf), and the child's full birth certificate, showing the parents’ names, must be submitted with it. The application form includes a section for parental consent, which must be signed.

Joint guardians of a child

If you and your child’s father are joint guardians of your child, both of you should sign the parental consent section of the application form. However, if you are not in touch with him, or if he does not consent, you can apply to the District Court for a court order, which will allow the Passport Office to issue the passport without his consent.

(Married parents are automatically joint guardians. If the parents are not married, the mother is automatically the sole guardian, but the father can arrange to become a joint guardian.)

Sole guardian of a child

If you are the sole guardian of your child, but the father's name is on the birth certificate and he agrees with you to sign, both of you can sign the parental consent section. If his name is not on the birth certificate, or if he doesn’t sign the parental consent section, you will have to provide an affidavit (AFF 1) stating that you are the sole guardian. (This also happens if the other parent/guardian is deceased, and you will also need a death certificate in this case.)

Extra documentation

The additional documentation that needs to accompany the passport application depends on several factors, including when and where the child was born.

Some countries require you to have further additional documentation for a child, as well as the passport – it’s worth checking this out before you travel.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Dungloe Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Tel: 0761075431 Address: Dungloe Public Services Centre, Dungloe

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.

 

 

Bíodh Eolas Agat ar do Chearta : Pas linbh

Meán Fómhair 2013

Ceist

Beidh m’iníon 3 bliana d’aois ag teacht liom ar laethanta saoire thar lear. Tá sloinne éagsúil aici ó mo shloinne féin agus ní bhíonn aon teagmháil idir mé féin agus a hathair, m’iarpháirtnéir. An féidir liom í a chur ar mo phas féin?

Freagra

Ní mór go mbeidh ag gach leanbh atá ina shaoránach Éireannach a phas aonair ina ainm féin má tá sé ag taisteal thar lear, gan aird ar aois. Déantar iarratas ar phas do leanbh a chónaíonn in Éirinn ar fhoirm APS 1 (pdf), agus ní mór teastas iomlán breithe an linbh, a léiríonn ainmneacha na dtuismitheoirí, a sheoladh isteach in éineacht leis. Áirítear leis an bhfoirm iarratais mír le haghaidh toiliú tuismitheora, nach mór a shíniú.

Comhchaomhnóirí linbh

Más comhchaomhnóirí do linbh tú féin agus athair do linbh, ba cheart daoibh beirt an mhír ‘toiliú tuismitheora’ a shíniú ar an bhfoirm iarratais. Mura mbíonn teagmháil agat leis, áfach, nó mura dtoilíonn sé, féadfaidh tú iarratas a dhéanamh ar an gCúirt Dúiche chun ordú cúirte a fháil, a ligeann d’Oifig na bPasanna an pas a eisiúint gan a thoiliú.

(Déantar comhchaomhnóirí go huathoibríoch de thuismitheoirí pósta. Mura bhfuil na tuismitheoirí pósta, déantar an caomhnóir aonair den mháthair go huathoibríoch, ach féadfaidh an t-athair socruithe a dhéanamh go ndéanfar comhchaomhnóir de.)

Caomhnóir aonair linbh

Más tú caomhnóir aonair do linbh, ach má tá ainm an athar le sonrú ar an teastas breithe, agus má chomhaontaíonn sé leat chun í a shíniú, is féidir libh beirt an mhír ‘toiliú tuismitheora’ a shíniú. Mura bhfuil a ainm ar an teastas breithe, nó mura síníonn sé an mhír ‘toiliú tuismitheora, beidh ort mionnscríbhinn (AFF 1) a sholáthar ina luaitear gur tusa an caomhnóir aonair. (Tarlaíonn seo, chomh maith, má fuair an tuismitheoir/caomhnóir eile bás, agus teastaíonn teastas báis uait sa chás seo, chomh maith.)

Cáipéisíocht bhreise

Braitheann an cháipéisíocht bhreise nach mór gabháil leis an iarratas ar phas ar roinnt tosca, lena n-áirítear cathain agus cén áit ar rugadh an leanbh.

Ceanglaíonn roinnt tíortha ort níos mó cáipéisíocht bhreise a bheith agat do leanbh, mar aon le pas – is fiú é seo a dheimhniú sula ndéanann tú taisteal.

Chuir an tSeirbhís Faisnéise do Shaoránaigh An Clocháin Liath ‘Bíodh Eolas agat ar do Chearta’ le chéile. Cuireann an tSeirbhís seo seirbhís saor in aisce agus faoi rún ar fáil don phobal. Guthán: 0761075431 Seoladh: Ionad Seirbhisí Pobal An Clocháin Liath.

Tá faisnéis le fáil, freisin, ar líne ag citizensinformation.ie agus ón tSeirbhís Ghutháin um Fhaisnéis do Shaoránaigh, 0761 07 4000.