Driving licences dominate this site because that is where the evidence is. Elsewhere the picture is thinner, and we say so on each page rather than pad it. Two document types have enough official material to write about responsibly.
Start here, by situation
| Your situation | Read this |
|---|---|
| A website offered to complete my passport application for a fee | Passport application websites |
| A recorded call said there was a problem with my passport | Passport application websites, section on scam calls |
| I need a Safe Pass card for a building site | Safe Pass card |
| I am offered a card without doing the course | Safe Pass card |
| I want to know how to check any Irish document | Official checks |
The guides
- Passport application websites: the Passport Service alert about third-party sites that charge a fee, the alert about automated scam calls, and a reported 2024 Cork Circuit Court case in which a false-identity passport application was traced.
- Safe Pass card: who must hold one, how the card is issued, what the law says about forging it and why no one can honestly sell one without a course.
Where the evidence is weaker
We found documented Irish cases for driving documents, a Passport Service alert and a court case for passports, and legal rules but no reported prosecution for Safe Pass cards. We have not found enough verified material to write about Irish birth, marriage or criminal-record certificates, professional qualifications or language certificates, and we do not publish guesses. If you can point us to an official warning or a court report, please use the contact page.
Related reading
Driving licences and permits are on the driving documents hub. Rules and ceilings for false documents are in the law page. Where to report a document scam: report a scam.
The official anchors for these documents
| Document | Official route | Warning from the issuer |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Passport Online on ireland.ie | Third-party paid sites are not associated with the Passport Service; automated scam calls |
| Safe Pass card | An approved tutor's course, with results uploaded to the National Construction Scheme Database | It is illegal to forge or alter a card, according to Citizens Information |
| Driving documents | NDLS and the RSA | NDLS has no official social media pages |
What to do with something you are unsure about
- Open the issuer's own page, typed or bookmarked.
- Compare the price and process with what the issuer publishes.
- If a seller is involved, stop and read scam red flags.
- Report anything you are unsure about to your local Garda station.