With effect from the 20th April, 2023 all new applicants for a certificate of naturalisation are only required to provide a certified colour copy of the biometric page of their current passport. The colour copy of the biometric page can be certified by a Solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, Peace Commissioner or Notary Public.
The removal of the requirement to provide a full certified copy of the passport, introduced in January 2022, forms part of a suite of measures being introduced as part of the Divisions commitment to making the process more customer friendly.
Please note the Department retains the right to request actual passports to be submitted as part of the verification process, and it is estimated that approximately 10% of applicants will be requested to submit their passport for verification. The Minister will base his decision on requesting an original passport on the basis of the range of information (including security features or more robust data rules attaching to various passports) available to him at that time in relation to the application.