THE PUBLIC IS being asked for its say on a new design for Irish passports.

It will be the first redesign of the Irish passport in over a decade and a public engagement process will be launched tomorrow to create a new design.

The online survey that is set to launch tomorrow will take about five minutes to complete, and can be done in both English and Irish.

The Department of Foreign Affairs’ design team is currently considering themes anchored in Ireland’s natural environment.

The short online questionnaire, set to be launched tomorrow, will ask the public to consider which Irish flora and fauna should be included in the inner pages of the new passport.

As well as communicating Irish culture and values, the passport redesign will include new security features.

The current passport book is ten years old, and the International Civil Aviation Authority recommends documents undergo frequent revamps to include new security features.

Since launching in 2013, the current Irish passport has been recognised as a highly trusted and secure travel document.

It ranks sixth in the Henley Global Passport Index, providing citizens with visa-free access to 187 countries.

The Department is intending to launch a procurement process for the next passport manufacturer in late 2023 and it’s hoped the next generation Irish Passport will launch before the end of 2025.