Hundreds of people have been forced to cancel or delay holidays over delays getting their passport, travel agents say.
The Passport Office is currently dealing with a backlog of around 95,000 applications.
Meanwhile, the Passport Services’ public offices remain closed so all staff can focus on processing applications.
The Irish Travel Agents Association has called for the passport offices in Dublin and Cork to reopen immediately to “allow consumers to apply for passports and renew existing passports”.
Pat Dawson from the ITAA says some holidaymakers are being forced to change their plans due to the current situation.
He said: “Certainly, they’re in their hundreds - and they will be in hundreds over the next number of weeks.
“We do have a good few booked for September and October - some of them will be in trouble, and there’s no way they will be refunded by airlines or anybody else.”
He said his own agency is “frustrated and disappointed” with the delays, and it's another blow to both those hoping to travel abroad and the travel industry itself.
One woman told Newstalk she applied for her son's passport back in May - but with just three weeks to go until their family holiday, it still hasn't arrived.
She said: “We more than likely will have to either cancel our holiday or reschedule, which is really upsetting because we’ve everything else we need for the holiday.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs says the current turnaround time for first-time applicants is around 40 days.
‘Simple’ renewals currently have a turnaround time of 10 days for adults and 15 days for child passports.
People are being advised to use online services wherever possible, as the paper-based Passport Express turnaround is currently estimated at eight weeks.
The DFA is advising people not to book a trip abroad until they've received their passport.
The passport delays come after the reopening of international travel last month, facilitated by the EU's Digital COVID Cert system.
