People in Derry intending going abroad this year are being urged to apply ‘in good time’ for their passports.
SDLP Cllr Martin Reilly is giving the advice as there has been a huge surge in applications ahead of the Euro 2016 football championship in France.
Cllr Reilly said: “The office of Mark Durkan MP has been very busy over the past number of weeks as people prepare for their summer holidays.
“With both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland participating in Euro 2016 this has led to a surge in applications, which in turn is leading to delays.
“Passport renewals have a quicker turnaround but new applications or replacement applications for passports which have been lost can take a significantly lengthy period of time to be processed.
“Furthermore, for those wishing to travel to the US, it is mandatory that people have a biometric passport (which has a chip on the front) and have an expiry date longer than six months.”
Cllr Reilly concluded: “I would also urge anyone planning to travel this year to take a minute to check that their passport is still current.”
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team. Between 9am and 5pm Monday to Sunday please call 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Between 5pm and midnight please call or text 07825 711978. Or you can email john.gill@derrynews.net at any time.