72. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the new Irish passport design will be added to the Council of the European Union's, Public Register of Authentic identity and travel documents online (PRADO). [63172/26]

In advance of the launch of the new Passport on 26 June 2026, the Passport Service conducted an extensive information dissemination process. This process was designed to support the required awareness and recognition of the new Irish passport documents among those involved in border management, immigration, law enforcement and identity and document verification.

This advance engagement was undertaken to ensure that all governments and relevant partners were appropriately informed of the introduction of the new designs and provided with the information necessary to support their recognition and verification by all appropriate bodies.

PRADO is maintained by the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and provides publicly accessible information on the appearance and security features of authentic identity and travel documents issued by European Union Member States and a number of other participating countries.

The new Irish passport book and passport card details have been uploaded to the relevant system for inclusion in the Council of the European Union’s Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO). The documentation is currently undergoing the required review and approval process and is expected to be published on the PRADO site by the end of September.

The absence of the new design from the publicly accessible PRADO register in the interim does not affect the validity or operation of the new Irish passport book or passport card.