Customer Service
Customer Service Policy
Quality customer service is a key priority for this Department. The Customer Service Charter sets out the level of service you can expect when dealing with us.
We've developed our Customer Service Charter to ensure we consistently deliver the highest standard of service to all our customers, both at home and overseas.
View the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Customer Service Charter.
Find out more about Passport Complaints Procedures.
Find out more about Passport Appeals Procedures.
Find out more about the FBR review process.
Find out more about the Authentications appeals process.
Find out more about our Policy on Responding to Unreasonable Communication.
Complaints and Appeal Procedure
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of our complaints and appeal procedure, you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman by clicking on the ‘Make A Complaint’ link at www.ombudsman.ie
Further contact details for the Ombudsman are at https://www.ombudsman.ie/contact/
Office of the Ombudsman,6 Earlsfort Terrace,
Dublin 2, D02 W773 Telephone: 01 639 5600 You should contact the Ombudsman for Children (www.oco.ie) if your complaint concerns a service provided to a child (under 18)
Compliance
In our delivery of services to the public we aim to provide high quality services and we comply with the following:
Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Data protection
We are committed to protecting the personal data you give us in compliance with our obligations under the Data Protection Acts 1988 to 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Please see our Data Privacy Notice and contact details of our Data Protection Officer
Gender Pay Gap Report
The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to providing a positive work environment with a strong focus on dignity, respect and diversity. We have a globally distributed workforce and we prioritise our greatest assets, our people, to perform to the highest levels. The Department's Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan 2022- 2025 commits us to 'Improved gender balance across all levels of the Department' and a 'Reduction of Gender Pay Gap to below 10% by 2025'
Although the Departments' first public Gender Pay Gap Report was published in 2022 – in compliance with the Gender Pay Gap Information Act 2021 which places a statutory obligation on organisations with over 250 employees to report their hourly gender pay gap across a range of metrics from 2022 onwards - the Department has been active in seeking to reduce the gender pay gap over a number of years. We are pleased that since 2013 the Department has reduced its Gender Pay Gap from 30% to 11.90% in June 2023.
Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Read the Department's Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2025.
Read the Department's 2022 DFA GEDI Policy.
Official Language Act
We are committed to the provision of services to citizens in Irish. We work to ensure full compliance with the legislation of the Official Languages Act 2003 . Through our Irish language scheme and customer charter, we seek to ensure the highest standard of service in Irish for citizens who wish to do business with us in Irish.
We are also active in promoting the Irish language within EU institutions too. Through Ireland’s diplomatic network, we facilitate and work with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the promotion of the language more widely overseas through a programme of cultural and academic activities.
20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 - 2030 : Department of Foreign Affairs.
Freedom of Information
We comply with our obligations under Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation, under which you can access records held by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Freedom of Information Act 2014 allows you to access, to the greatest extent possible, information held by the Department. It gives you the right to have your personal data corrected or updated and to get reasons for decisions taken by the Department that affect you. Read about how you can make an FOI request.
Accessibility
We are committed to helping people with disabilities to access our services.
Access officer
We have appointed an Access Officer in accordance with section 26 of the Disability Act 2005. The Access Officer is responsible for ensuring that help and advice are given to people with disabilities who wish to access our services.
Email the Access Officer ensuring you state that it is for the attention of the Access Officer.
Alternatively, you can contact the Access Officer as follows:
Access Officer
Human Resources HQ
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2
D02 DX45
Tel: 01 408 2000
Inquiry officer
Our Inquiry Officer will investigate any complaints made under section 38 of the Disability Act.
Our Inquiry Officer is Ken Mooney, and you can contact him at:
Human Resources HQ
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 408 2000
Email Inquiry Officer ensuring you state that it is for the attention of the Inquiry Officer
Legal disclaimers
The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only. They are intended to enhance public access to information about the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
While every effort is made in preparing material for publication, no responsibility is accepted by or on behalf of the State for any errors, omissions or misleading statements on these pages or any site to which these pages connect.
Although every effort is made to ensure the reliability of links to third-party sites, they are provided for convenience and for information purposes only. The provision of a link cannot be taken as an endorsement or approval of a third-party site or of the information and/or opinions that it contains. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade bears no responsibility for the content of a third-party site or any subsequent links that it contains and has no control over the content or availability of such a site. The third party site should be contacted for answers to any questions regarding its content.
Using our information
We comply with the Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector Information and we encourage the re-use of the information that we produce.
All of the information featured on our website is the copyright of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade unless otherwise indicated. You may re-use the information on this website free of charge in any format.
Re-use includes copying, issuing copies to the public, and publishing, broadcasting and translating into other languages. It also covers non-commercial research and study.
Conditions for using our information
Re-use is subject to the following conditions. You must:
- Acknowledge the source and our copyright in cases where you supply the information to others
- Reproduce the information accurately
- Not use the information in a misleading way
- Not use the information for the principal purpose of advertising or promoting a particular product or service
- Not use the information for or in support of illegal, immoral, fraudulent, or dishonest purposes
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is not liable for any loss or liability associated with the re-use of information and does not certify that the information is up-to-date or error free. We do not authorise any user to have exclusive rights to re-use of our information.
Information we maintain
For further information on the re-use of information maintained by the Department please email us in the Freedom of Information Unit at foi@dfa.ie
Photographs
We would like to thank Fáilte Ireland and the Defence Forces for the use of some of their photographs on this site.
Protected Disclosures
The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) 2022 Act effective from 01 January 2023, facilitates those, as provided for in the Act, to disclose information to a public body, on wrongdoings observed or perceived, over the course of their duty or engagement with the public body.
Those wishing to make protected disclosures to the Department of Foreign Affairs may do so in confidence either orally by secure voicemail at +353-1-408 2675 or by email to protecteddisclosures@dfa.ie.
or in writing to
The Protected Disclosures Officer
Security & Corporate Compliance
Department of Foreign Affairs
76-78 Harcourt Street
Dublin 2
D02 DX45
No protected disclosures were received by the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2022.
Children First Act 2015
The Children First Act 2015 was enacted in 2015 and was fully commenced on 11 December 2017. Further information on the Act and the Children First Guidelines can be found on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs .
Under the Act, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and An Garda Síochána are designated as the organisations with responsibility for child protection and welfare.
The Act places additional obligations on providers of certain services to children. While this Department has limited direct interaction with children, to meet our obligations under the Act, the Department has developed a Sectoral Implementation Plan and a Child Safeguarding Statement.
Web Accessibility
We aim to comply with Level Double-A of the Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.