The rush to apply for Irish passports in the wake of the Brexit results has led to applications being sold on online.
A few enterprising residents of Northern Ireland, where Irish passport applications are available for free at all post offices, have put the applications up for sale on eBay, with opening bids as high as $64 (£49.99) and ‘Buy it Now’ prices as high as $103 (£79.99).
One listing, which has since been deleted, noted “there is a very high demand for these forms at present.”
Another, also since deleted, offered a set of forms for $130 (£100) with a postage fee of $32 (£25) and took a more tongue in cheek approach.
It explained that the forms would be shipped to the winning bidder “within 24 hr by courier providing that courier still exists.
“If there is a land border erected between North and South of Ireland, you may be forced to scale a fence in order to collect application form,” it adds.
Delivery will not be completed in the event that “a dome is placed over parts of Ireland or the UK”, however, with the eBay seller lamenting “in that case I will see you in one of the camps.”
To address the overflow of Irish passport applications, an additional 233 temporary clerical staff members have been taken on by the Irish Passport Office. As of July 1 there are 53,139 applications in the system – a decrease from May’s total of 68,009 applications, but an excess nonetheless.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has emphasized that these figures are in keeping with the surge in passport applications that typically occurs during the summer months, after previously requesting that Brexit-motivated applicants wait to submit their documents until after the summer rush.
Got passport or citizenship questions following the #brexit vote? See our FAQ for answers https://t.co/OcTPh6AGzJ pic.twitter.com/iljM2DDzz2
— Irish Passport (@PassportIRL) June 24, 2016
Those considering applying for an Irish passport should pay little heed to the recent suggestion that Ireland may make its own exit from the European Union. A new survey by the Irish Times shows that the vast majority of Irish people disagree with the UK’s decision to leave the EU.
Four out of five of the Irish voters polled (81%) said that they thought the UK is wrong to leave the EU. Seven percent were undecided, while 12% thought the UK made the right choice. In comparison, the actual Brexit vote was much closer, with 51.9% of UK voters in favor of leaving the EU and 48.1% voting with the Remain side.
Only nine percent of the Irish people surveyed thought Ireland should also leave the EU. Eighty-six percent said they believed Ireland should remain in the EU, while five percent said they were unsure.
A number of Irish industries are already apprehensive about the impact Brexit will have on the Irish economy.
Visitors from the UK make up 40% of all overseas tourists to Ireland – a considerable portion and that has been increasing in recent years, with numbers of visitors from the UK up 16% already this year.
A report by CBRE which noted that the results of the Brexit vote could have “the potential to have severe repercussions for the whole and tourism sector in Ireland” is also sparking worry, particularly in anticipation of the value of the pound decreasing against the euro.
The British pound dipped to a new 31-year low of $1.28 overnight as part of the ongoing Brexit fallout: https://t.co/bAyzoMLQsL
— Marketplace (@Marketplace) July 6, 2016
A new survey by the Irish Hotels Federation shows that 49% of Irish hoteliers are “very concerned” about the impact Brexit will have on their businesses, while 45% are “concerned.”
Just this week, the British Pound hit a 31-year low, falling to $1.2798.
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