S.I. No. 117/2001 - Diplomatic and Consular Fees Regulations, 2001

I, BRIAN COWEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 3 of the Diplomatic and Consular Officers (Provision of Services) Act, 1993 (No. 33 of 1993), hereby, with the consent of the Minister for Finance, make the following Regulations:

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Diplomatic and Consular Fees Regulations, 2001.

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on the 1^st day of April, 2001.

3. The Interpretation Act, 1937 (No. 38 of 1937), applies to these Regulations.

4. In these Regulations-

“the Act of 1993” means the Diplomatic and Consular Officers (Provision of Services) Act, 1993 (No. 33 of 1993);

“the Minister” means the Minister for Foreign Affairs;

“passport” includes any travel document or document of identity (not being a passport) issued, for the purpose of facilitating travel, by or on behalf of the competent authorities of any country;

“Irish visa” means an authorisation given by, or a decision taken by the Minister, in relation to a passport other than an Irish passport, such authorisation or decision being required for the entry into the State of the passport holder, and which is inserted into the passport by any person to whom the Act of 1993 applies;

“work authorisation” means a document issued in accordance with the Aliens Orders 1946 to 1999 on behalf of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment by any person to whom the Act of 1993 applies authorising the person to whom it is issued to work in Ireland in a specified skills category for a specified period;

“working holiday authorisation” means a certificate issued in accordance with the Aliens Orders 1946 to 1999, on behalf of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, by any person to whom the Act of 1993 applies, that the person to whom it is issued is permitted to be employed in work of a casual or temporary nature undertaken in the course of a holiday in Ireland.

5. The fees to be charged in respect of the matters specified in the second column of the First Schedule to these Regulations, by the persons to whom section 2 of the Act of 1993 applies, shall be those in the third column of that Schedule.

6. For every service specified in the second column of the Second Schedule to these Regulations, there shall be charged the fee set out in the third column of that Schedule when such service is rendered-

(a) in the case of the fees specified in Parts I and II of that Schedule - by any person to whom section 2 of the Act of 1993 applies;

(b) in the case of the fees specified at reference numbers 1 to 8 in Part III of that Schedule - by any person to whom section 5 of the Act of 1993 applies; and

(c) in the case of the fees specified at reference numbers 9 and 10 in Part III of that Schedule - by any officer of the Minister appointed by the Minister to be a person to whom sections 3 (other than sub-section (2) thereof) and 4 of the Act of 1993 applies.

7. The fees to be charged in respect of the services specified in the schedules to these Regulations shall be paid in Irish currency or in money which is legal tender in the country in which they are paid and, if so paid, shall be calculated at a rate not lower than the rate of exchange yielded by the most recent transfer of funds for general administrative purposes from the Office of the Minister to the offices outside the State of such persons, or, in any case where such transfer of funds is not ordinarily made, shall be calculated on the basis of current exchange rates.

8. With effect from 1 January 2002 the fees specified in the third columns of the Schedules to these Regulations shall be paid in euro.

9. The Minister may waive any fee chargeable pursuant to Regulation 6 of these Regulations in any of the following circumstances:

(a) where the service for which the fee is chargeable is rendered for, and at the request of, any official or public authority;

(b) where the service for which the fee is chargeable is rendered for, or on behalf of, a person who is in straitened circumstances or the levying of the fee would for other reasons constitute a serious hardship;

(c) where the service in respect of which the fee is chargeable is performed for official purposes or for reasons of public policy;

(d) in the case of Irish visas, where the service for which the fee is chargeable is rendered for a citizen, subject or national of any other country the Government of which waives the fee or does not charge a fee for the same or a similar service when rendered for an Irish citizen; and

(e) in the case of the issue of a passport-

(i) by the relevant Passport Office outside its normal hours of opening, or

(ii) by the relevant diplomatic mission or consular post outside its normal hours of opening for the purpose of providing such a service.

where the citizen requesting the issue of a passport at that time does so due to circumstances constituting a genuine emergency as determined by the Minister.

10. The following Regulations are hereby revoked:

(a) Diplomatic and Consular Fees Regulations, 1982 ( S.I. No. 344 of 1982 );

(b) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1983 ( S.I. No. 14 of 1983 );

(d) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 1984 ( S.I. No. 242 of 1984 );

(e) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1988 ( S.I. No. 340 of 1988 );

(f) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1992 ( S.I. No. 8 of 1992 );

(g) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 1992 ( S.I. No. 268 of 1992 );

(h) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 107 of 1993 );

(i) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 251 of 1993 );

(j) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations, 1993 ( S.I. No. 417 of 1993 );

(k) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1996 ( S.I. No. 203 of 1996 );

(l) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 1999 ( S.I. No. 168 of 1999 );

(m) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations, 1999 ( S.I. No. 247 of 1999 ); and

(n) Diplomatic and Consular Fees (Amendment) Regulations, 2000 ( S.I. No. 194 of 2000 ).

FIRST SCHEDULE

Miscellaneous Consular Services

Ref. No.	Service Rendered	Fee
1	For making or verifying a copy of a document, for every 100 words or fraction thereof, exclusive of fee for certificate (no. 3)	£3 or €3
	(If the document is in a language other than Irish or English, double the fee is charged.)
2	For making or verifying a translation of a document, for every 100 words or fraction thereof, exclusive of fee for certificate (no. 4)	£9 or €11
3	For certifying to a copy or a translation of any document or part of a document if not exceeding 100 words	£6 or €7
4	If exceeding 100 words, for every additional 100 words or fraction thereof	£3 or €3
	(If the document is in a language other than Irish or English, double the fee at no. 3 or no. 4 is charged. An additional fee is charged when a copy or translation is made by a diplomatic or consular officer - no.1 or no. 2.)
5	For attesting the signature or seal of a foreign authority	£9 or €11
6	For each signature attested by a diplomatic or consular officer in any document not otherwise provided for	£9 or €11
7	Arranging the repatriation of a person	£30 or €35
8	Arranging the repatriation of a group of persons of the same family travelling together	£30 or €35
9	Arranging the collection of funds for a person destitute outside the State seeking financial assistance to return home and the payment outside the State to or on behalf of such person of the equivalent of funds collected in the currency of the country or countries concerned	£30 or €35
10	For granting any certificate in connection with a marriage abroad	£12 or €15
11	For granting any certificate not otherwise provided for, if not exceeding 100 words. (This does not apply to certificates of nationality under Section 28 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956 , which are issued free of charge.)	£10 or €12
12	If exceeding 100 words, for every additional 100 words or fraction thereof	£6 or €7
13	For the provision, elsewhere than at a diplomatic or consular office, of any service for which a fee is chargeable under these Regulations, in addition to such fee	£16 or €20 for each hour or fraction thereof, with a maximum per day of £128 or €163
14	For the provision of any service (other than the issue of a passport in the circumstances provided for in Regulation 9 (e) of these Regulations, whether at a diplomatic or consular office or at a diplomatic or consular officer's residence, in addition to such fee, for each half-hour, or fraction thereof, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. but not during the customary business hours of the place	£9 or €11
	(This fee is chargeable for any attendance on Sundays.)
15	For the provision of any service (other than the issue of a passport in the circumstances provided for in Regulation 9 (e) of these Regulations) for which a fee is chargeable under these Regulations, whether at a diplomatic or consular office or at a diplomatic or consular officer's residence, in addition to such fee, for each half-hour, or fraction thereof, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.	£16 or €20

SECOND SCHEDULE

Part I

Passports

Ref. No.	Service Rendered	Fee
1	For the issue of a passport of 32 pages, valid for ten years	£45 or €57
2	For the issue of a passport of 48 pages, valid for ten years	£55 or €69
3	For the issue of a passport of 32 pages to a person under 18 years of age or over 65 years of age, valid for three years	£10 or €12
4	For the issue of a new passport for the unexpired period of validity of an existing valid passport returned for cancellation or for endorsement	£15 or €19
5	For the issue of an emergency passport	£5 or €6
6	For the issue of a passport:
	(a) by the relevant Passport Office outside its normal hours of opening, or
	(b) by the relevant diplomatic mission or consular post outside its normal hours of opening for the purpose of providing such a service, in addition to the applicable fee specified at reference numbers 1 to 3 in this Part of the Second Schedule	£50 or €63
	N.B.- In these circumstances a passport valid for a restricted period may be issued, pending the subsequent issue of a passport valid for the full period applied for.
	The fees specified at numbers 14 and 15 in the First Schedule to these Regulations shall not be charged for the issue of a passport in these circumstances.

Part II

Visas, work authorisations and working holiday authorisations

Ref. No.	Service Rendered	Fee
1	For processing an application for an Irish visa good for a single journey in transit through the State	£8 or €10
2	For processing an application for an Irish visa good for a single journey to the State	£20 or €25
3	For processing an application for an Irish visa good for multiple entries to the State	£40 or €50
4	For processing an application for a work authorisation	£40 or €50
5	For processing an application for a working holiday authorisation	£29 or €35

Part III

Oaths, affidavits and notarial acts

Ref. No.	Service Rendered	Fee
1	For administering an oath or receiving a declaration or affirmation, with or without attestation of signature	£6 or €7
2	For each diplomatic or consular signature attached to an exhibit referred to in an affidavit or declaration	£3 or €3
3	For each execution of a power of attorney attested by a diplomatic or consular officer
	(When more than four persons execute a power at the same time a fee of £36 or €45 only is charged.)	£9 or €11
4	For affixing a signature of a diplomatic or consular officer and/or a diplomatic or consular seal to any commercial document connected with the export of merchandise from the State	£1 or €1.25
5	For affixing a signature of a diplomatic or consular officer and/or a diplomatic or consular seal to any document or object not otherwise provided for by these Regulations	£9 or €11
6	For uniting documents and attaching diplomatic or consular seal to the fastening	£3 or €3
7	For each alteration or interlineation initialled by a diplomatic or consular officer in any document not prepared by him/her	£2 or €2.50
8	For taking evidence on commission	£24 or €30 for each hour or fraction thereof, with a maximum per day of £196 or €248.
9	For attesting a signature or seal on any commercial document connected with the export of merchandise from the State	£6 or €7
10	For attesting a signature or seal on any document not otherwise provided for	£12 or €15

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

The purpose of these Regulations is

— to amend and consolidate the Diplomatic and Consular Fees Regulations, 1982 to 2000 by deleting references to services no longer relevant

— to provide for increases, in accordance with increases in the Consumer Price Index, in fees for services nos. 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the First Schedule and services nos. 8, 9 and 10 in Part III of the Second Schedule and

— to specify the amounts of fees in euro which will be applicable from 1 January 2002.

GIVEN under my Official Seal this 29th.day of March, 2001.
	BRIAN COWEN
	Minister for Foreign Affairs

The Minister for Finance hereby consents to the making of the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Finance, this 29th. day of March, 2001.
	CHARLIE MCCREEVY
	Minister for Finance