Launch of Irish Online Passport Application services across major UK cities via Photo-Me photobooths

Photo-Me has launched its Irish passport renewal service to Irish citizens residing in the UK via its photobooth network across Great Britain.

The first UK-located photobooth with this service was installed on Friday at the Birmingham Irish Association in Birmingham, with the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain, Dan Mulhall, in attendance to test out the new booth.

In the UK, the service is initially being rolled out in major UK cities including Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and London via Photo-Me’s existing site partners, which include major supermarkets.

The service is highly secure, fast and cost-effective. Customers using the Photo-Me secure digital photo service receive a unique passport photo code along with their printed photos and instructions on how to complete their passport application online, within just minutes, on the Irish passport application website www.DFA.IE/passport online. The unique code allows the applicant to access their digital online ID photo, transferred securely from the photobooth, and attach it to the online passport application. The entire passport renewal application process now takes less than ten minutes.

Access to the Photo-Me service by Irish citizens living in the UK follows the launch in March of this technology across Ireland in partnership with the Irish Government, which will see the rollout of 300 photobooths with the secure online passport renewal system throughout Ireland by the end of 2017.  By the end of 2017, 98% of the population of the Republic of Ireland will live within 5km of a Photo-Me secure upload ID photobooth.

Serge Crasnianski, Chief Executive of Photo-Me, said:

“Identification security is an ever increasing area of concern for governments across Europe and our system offers secure digital photo ID capture, collection and delivery for official documents. We are delighted to extend our fast, easy use and cost effective service to major UK cities, simplifying the passport renewal process for Irish citizens located in the UK.”

Dan Mulhall, The Irish Ambassador to Great Britain, said:

“I am delighted to see the Photo-Me Irish passport photos being extended to Britain. The new online passport renewal system has already proven to be very popular, providing a fast and efficient service.  The new Photo-Me Irish passport service will hopefully make it even easier to use this system here in Britain.”