88. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to respond to an urgent query regarding the Irish passport required for a newborn child, born in the Netherlands to Irish citizens living in the Netherlands (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44770/24]

All passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. The 2008 Act provides, among other things, that a person must be an Irish citizen before a passport can be issued to that person. Entitlement to Irish citizenship is determined by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended, under which Irish citizenship may be obtained by birth, by descent, or by naturalisation.

For individuals born outside of Ireland, they may claim citizenship if they had at least one parent who was born on the island of Ireland and where that parent is an Irish citizen. An individual born on the island of Ireland before 1 January 2005 is automatically an Irish citizen.

My Department is responsible for processing Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) applications for people who are born abroad and claim Irish citizenship through a grandparent born in Ireland or through a parent who has claimed citizenship also through FBR, Naturalisation or Post Nuptial Citizenship.

FBR applications are currently being processed within the normal turnaround time of 9 months from receipt of supporting documents. Applications which require further supporting documents will take longer to process.

Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, is a detailed and complex process, often involving official documentation relating to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Such documents take considerable time to validate.

The Passport Service Customer Service Hub has dedicated agents to deal with Foreign Birth Registration application queries. The contact number for urgent Foreign Birth Registration queries is +353 1 568 3331. This number is also available on the Department's website.

With regard to the specific FBR application about which the Deputy has enquired, a member of the FBR team has been in touch with the applicant’s parent and explained the specific supporting documents required for their application. The application cannot proceed until the required supporting documents are submitted. Officials in the relevant Irish Embassy are in contact with the family and have provided information and guidance to assist them locally.