The Department of Foreign Affairs has claimed to have cleared a backlog in passport applications which last month caused a 50 per cent increase in waiting times for applicants.
A spokesman for the Department admitted there had been delays due to a 15 per cent increase in applications last month over June 2002.
However, he said any applications taking more than the guaranteed time-frame of 10 days would now be "exceptional".
An Post, which handles 70 per cent of passport applications through its Passport Express service, also said the problems had been overcome.
A spokeswoman said the Department had been taking up to 15 days to process applications last month, and that this was out of the company's control.
"But it would be unfair to say there are problems still," she said. "We have been given assurances that the situation is back on track."
The number of passports issued annually has increased significantly, from 400,000 in 2000 to 461,000 in 2001, and 530,000 last year. An Post has predicted a 10 per cent increase this year after a surge in applications around the May Bank Holiday.
"Normally it starts around the June Bank Holiday but this year it was four weeks earlier," said An Post's spokeswoman.
"Ideally people should think about their passport in January," she added.
"People are travelling younger, older and longer, and that's partly driving the demand."
Evidence of the rush for applications could be seen yesterday at the Dublin Passport Office where people had to queue for up to two hours before being seen by officials.
