You can now apply for your passport online

Wave goodbye to queues in the passport office as Irish citizens can now renew their passports online, no matter where in the world they are located.

You must be over 18, renewing with the same name and have held an Irish passport that has expired less than five years ago. Once you’ve ticked these boxes (and satisfied one or two other minor conditions), you’ll be good to go.

Even getting that dreaded picture won’t get in your way. You can sort your picture out digitally at “Photo-Me” booths located around the country; or by going to a photo provider such as a photographer or pharmacy who can provide you with a digital photo on a CD, USB or by email.

So what’s the cost? The fees charged are the same as paying for Passport Express, which is €80 for a standard 10-year passport.

However, there will also be a reduction of €10 for applicants who apply for a passport book and card at the same time online, bringing the usual cost down from €105 to €95.

At the launch, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan TD also announced the extension of the five-year passport to all children who are 17 years of age or younger.

He said: “This is another notable development aimed at improving customer service, in this case to the parents of young children.

“The standardisation of children’s passports will result in less confusion among parents about expiry dates on children’s passports and more efficiencies for the passport service.”

To apply online, you will need a digital photograph, an email address and a credit/debit card. Full details available at www.dfa.ie/passportonline.

Home Renovation Scheme has paid out €1.2bn to date

Anyone who has done some refurb work on their house in recent years will know the value of the Home Renovation Scheme (HRI). Recent figures reveal that since its launch in 2013, Irish homeowners have availed of €1.2bn through the incentive.

It has helped homeowners in carrying out nearly 77,000 home improvement projects over the last three years, with an average spend of €16,000 per project. The extension of the HRI to rental properties in late 2014 has also added further activity to this sector.

It has also been credited with keeping people in jobs. Tom Parlon from the Construction Industry Register of Ireland (CIF) said: “It’s likely that the incentive kept many thousands of construction workers, tradespeople and companies afloat during the recession.

“The increase in home improvement over the last three years means that the overall repair, maintenance and improvement sector has grown to a quarter of the entire construction industry output and accounts for €1 of every €4 spent in the construction industry.”

The Home Renovation Incentive (HRI) provides homeowners with an income tax credit at 13.5% of qualifying expenditure on home improvement works carried out on a main home or rental property by qualifying contractors.

The scheme will run until December 2018, though consumers hope it will continue even beyond that.

Compensation for airline delays

Irish passengers seeking compensation following a long delay or flight cancellation now have an ally in their fight. Under European Union rules, airlines must pay compensation of €250 to €600 for cancelled or heavily delayed flights in or out of an EU airport, or where passengers were denied boarding because of overbooking. However, the airlines have routinely been turning down legitimate claims in the hope that consumers will simply give up and go away.

MyRefund.ie is an Irish business that has been assisting air passengers for the past 18 months in reclaiming money they are owed by airlines for flights that were delayed or cancelled in the last six years. They have a panel of European-based solicitors, who are experts at flight compensation, and have claimed over €1.4m to date from the airlines on behalf of over 4,000 passengers.

MyRefund.ie is the brainchild of managing director Paul Bolger, who says: “The reality is, even though this is based on an EU law, most airlines are very reluctant to pay out. Our data indicates about 60% of our successful clients have already been denied by the airline before our involvement.

“Our model is 100% no win, no fee, which means that we don’t get paid unless our clients do. In fact, it clearly states in our terms and conditions that the only time you’ll get an invoice from us is when you receive your payment.”

For more information, check www.myrefund.ie.