How bad is Ireland's bureaucracy?

It wasn’t the best month I’ve ever had. Within the space of a few weeks I had to replace a lost passport, renew my driving licence, change my car insurance details, do my NCT and get a new parking permit.

Forms, bureaucracy and the fees that go with them are an inevitable part of life, and sometimes there are a series of time- consuming hoops to jump through.

As for the thousands of people who are homeless at the moment and don’t have proof of address, they can probably forget about getting any of these essential documents.

We’re not as bad as many other countries – Brazilian and Russian bureaucracies are, by all reports, an infinite loop of horrors – but can the various arms of Ireland’s State bureaucracy do better?

Garda National Immigration Bureau

Immigrants have long complained about the queues and opaque processes at the Garda National Immigration Bureau.

"It can be really confusing and overwhelming and it is far from user-friendly," says one American citizen who is studying in Ireland. "It isn't clear who you can call, and it is impossible to get through on the phone. It cost me €400 to renew my visa. You have to join a long queue to get a ticket for a queue, and you're standing for up to three hours.

“You have to show current bank statements and prove you have at least €3,000 in the bank, which can leave you short of accessible cash. You also need to have a letter from your college stating you are a student and have paid your fees, plus proof of address and passport. Overall it can take a full day. There’s a lightness in your heart when you leave.”

Since November 2015, an online appointment booking system for re-entry visas has reduced queues. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice says that another online appointment-booking system is being developed and is “expected to be deployed in the near future” that will eliminate the need to queue for tickets.

[ inis.gov.ie ]

Passports for children

Passports for children can be a pain, too. Paul O’Connor and his wife recently planned their first holiday with their two boys. “There was no incompetence or cock-ups, but this routine passport application was time-consuming. We had to organise appropriate photos, get a witness to confirm our identity, get a Garda stamp on the form and get the fee paid and into the post. I had to take an afternoon off work.”

He tells of a common problem for parents: international regulations state that children must be expressionless in their passport photo. "This wasn't easily explained to a two-year-old. The first two times we tried to get his picture taken, he was deeply unhappy about it and let everyone know of his displeasure in a way that only two-year-olds in shopping centres know how: through the medium of screaming. We eventually took his picture at home after draping a white sheet behind him and using Peppa Pig to distract him."

Another parent and her husband had other problems: the Garda wouldn’t sign the form for their child because the child wasn’t “known personally” to him. She told him that was because the child was not a criminal, but he wouldn’t budge.

Eventually, a friend of a friend put them in touch with another garda, but it raises the question of whether those who aren’t friends with a garda are left in the lurch.

Although it can be frustrating getting one, passports are precious documents and have to be issued in accordance with international regulations. The regulations around issuing passports to children are, as one reader points out on Twitter, to prevent one parent from abducting the child and absconding from the country.

A straw poll suggests that most adults who use the express system (for a fee of €80) have no major issues. So: painful but necessary.

[ dfa.ie/passports-citizenship ]

National Driver Licence Service

The list of people who can sign forms appears to be limited to rather antiquated notions of who is and who is not respectable. In 2013 the issuing and renewal of driving licences was handed over to the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), which is run by the Road Safety Authority.

Since then, when customers – which is the term the NDLS uses – don’t have all identity documents needed, their identity must be confirmed by a TD, garda, solicitor, commissioner of oaths, medical doctor or bank manager.

This journalist had the misfortune of not having all his documentation due to having no valid passport and having had my driving licence stolen. This meant I had to make five visits to one NDLS centre. But I may be alone: anecdotes from Twitter users and bemused friends and colleagues suggest that the NDLS is generally efficient.

Brian Farrell, communications manager of the RSA, points to two surveys, both conducted in 2015, that found 96 per cent of customers were satisfied with the service. The NDLS received 585 complaints while processing 280,000 applications in the first six months of the year.

A new or renewed licence costs €55.

Farrell acknowledges that the process can be complex in certain cases. The most common reason why customers are turned away is because they don’t have the necessary documentation: incomplete application form, lack of acceptable proof of address, no proof of PPSN, missing medical/eyesight reports or unacceptable or expired photo ID.

The advice? Read the website and the list of required documentation carefully. Don’t be late for your appointment. Fill in your application form before going to the counter or you may be turned away.

And listen carefully: if you’re hard of hearing you may not catch your name being called and can miss your appointment and be left waiting for several hours more.

Lastly, make sure the address on your application form is exactly the same as that on your proof-of-address document.

Oh, and don’t do what one colleague did. He jumped through all the hoops he needed to get his driving licence – which had been lost or stolen – replaced. He filled in all the forms with care and attention. Then he checked and double-checked he had everything he needed and made an appointment. Everything was going well until he mistakenly showed up a full 24 hours after his appointment.

[ ndls.ie ]

Public services card

One way in which the arms of the State are determined to suck up our time is through the new public services card, which the Department of Social Protection wants all adults to have by the end of 2017. This has to be done in person in one of the set locations closest to your home.

Over-18s applying for their first adult passport are now required to have a public services card, so many young people hoping to travel may be facing delays; they can register on mywelfare.ie for an appointment, or contact one of the card registration locations.

There’s no fee for the card. Irish citizens are required to bring their passport or driving licence as well as proof of address. The staff look up the person’s birth certificate on a computer file, but sometimes they have not been able to find it, which means some will be sent packing and have to come back with their birth cert.

A spokesperson for the department says that special arrangements can be made for people who are homeless and don’t have an address.