PEOPLE PLANNING TO go abroad on holiday this summer are being advised to ensure their passports are valid and in date before they travel.

The Fine Gael TD for Kildare North, Anthony Lawlor, said he knows “too many people” who have discovered that their passport has expired a day or two before they are due to travel.

The passport office can offer a number of options to late applicants but only in exceptional circumstances and the turnaround period is usually five working days for such applications.

“I appeal to you to make sure your passport is in date before your flights are booked. Unfortunately I know of too many people who discover a day or two before they travel that their passport has expired,” Lawlor said.

He said that it was important to note that if you had lost your passport, the turnaround time can be even longer as the extra checks must be undertaken.

The Kildare deputy added: “I am aware of too many disappointed people who have had to cancel or rearrange, at a huge cost, their travel plans because of passport problems and I encourage people to check their passports to ensure they too don’t suffer such disappointment.”

Read: Passport office getting average of 250 applications a day