The delays have been highlighted as many people hope to book foreign holidays now that many restrictions have been lifted.
Cork has the second highest number of people waiting for a passport in the country, with 2591 people affected by the application pile-up.
While nationally the number has surpassed 110,000, it is expected that 1.7 million applications are set to be made this year.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has been actively recruiting staff in an aim to double the workforce in the passport office to help tackle the demand.
During the pandemic restrictions only emergency cases were taken, and in Budget 2022 the Passport Office was given an additional 10 million euro to deal with the subsequent backlog.
Calls have been made for a second passport printing machine to be set up in Cork to alleviate the backlog.
The advice from Government officials is that if you plan to travel this year and your passport is out of date or lost, apply now online.
