The Passport Service has suspended most of its operations due to Covid-19.
The Irish Times reports the service has “paused” processing of routine applications, and is dealing with emergency and urgent essential cases only.
Normal services will only resume when the Government decides to move to Level 4 restrictions or lower.
It's expected the suspension will lead to a backlog of up to eight weeks in processing passports.
“Under Level 5 of the National Framework for Living with Covid-19, only essential work should be undertaken,” the department said.
The “same-day service” will still be in place for emergencies such as people travelling abroad due to bereavement, illness or for medical treatment.
“We also offer a weekly urgent service for Irish citizens resident overseas who require a passport for local immigration purposes.”
In such cases, people are advised to contact their local Irish Embassy or Consulate General.
Adult renewals will also be facilitated for work purposes, where a letter from an employer is provided.
People who had applied for a renewal online were informed of the pause by email within 24 hours of an application.
The department said these people were “advised not to submit their supporting documentation until we are at Level 4 or lower”.
The department added: “Passport Service staff do not have access to private, personal data when working outside of our secure offices and so cannot process passport applications remotely.”
The Passport Service was also suspended during lockdown last year. The department said the backlog was cleared in one month when it reopened last June.
In December, the service resumed for a period of three weeks and processed the "majority" of applications.
