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Governance summary (public)

Page reviewed

Find the right Free Travel application form

File: t-find-right-ft-application-form

Outcome at a glance

  • Evidence: All substantive claims are supported by inspected Department of Social Protection (DSP) sources.
  • Safety: No unsupported or misleading eligibility statements were found.
  • Publication: Approved, subject to minor corrections listed below.

Scope of review Evidence base Issues identified

Run metadata
  • Run ID: ssh-t-find-right-ft-application-form-20260127-01
  • Run date: 27 January 2026
  • Policy profile applied: Profile A. Public services
  • Review status: Complete

Scope of review

This governance review examined the SSH topic “Find the right Free Travel application form” to confirm that:

  • Information is accurate and aligned with current DSP guidance
  • Eligibility and process claims are supported by official sources
  • Users are directed to the correct Free Travel form for their situation
  • The content meets public-service standards for clarity, authority, and accessibility

The review was conducted under Profile A. Public services, which applies structured evidence inspection and editorial validation appropriate for regulated public guidance.

Evidence base

Claims on this page were verified using official Department of Social Protection (DSP) material only, including:

  • DSP service pages on the Free Travel Scheme (gov.ie)
  • Official application forms and instructions:
  • FT1 (main application)
  • FTM (medical route)
  • FT U/70 (companion and child companion)
  • FTNI1 (Senior SmartPass)
  • FTNI2 (replacement SmartPass)

Only DSP-owned sources on gov.ie and assets.gov.ie were used.

Key findings

Correct form identification

  • The page accurately distinguishes between FT1, FTM, FT U/70, and Northern Ireland SmartPass routes.
  • The decision table correctly maps common user situations to the appropriate form.

Medical route (FTM)

  • Requirements for medical certification and doctor involvement are clearly supported by DSP form wording.

Companion and child companion travel (FT U/70)

  • Companion Free Travel for individuals under 70 who cannot travel alone is accurately described.
  • Child companion arrangements for children with a visual impairment are supported by official DSP wording.
  • Medical consent and doctor-completed sections are correctly referenced.

Northern Ireland travel (Senior SmartPass)

  • Free Travel within Northern Ireland correctly requires a Senior SmartPass.
  • The in-person FTNI1 process is accurately described.
  • FTNI2 is correctly positioned as the replacement route for lost or damaged cards.

Issues identified & resolved

The following issues were identified during governance review.
They do not undermine eligibility accuracy and have been corrected before publication.

  1. Authority naming

    • One reference incorrectly names the HSE.
    • The responsible authority for Free Travel is the Department of Social Protection.

  2. Related link mismatch

    • The link labelled “Check if you qualify for Free Travel” points to an unrelated Medical Card task.
    • The link text and destination should match.

  3. Accessibility corrections

    • “SmartPass” is misspelled in one CTA.
    • A visually hidden label incorrectly references “FT1 U/70” instead of “FT U/70”.

  4. Terminology consistency

    • “Free Travel” should be consistently capitalised when referring to the scheme.
    • “cross border routes” should be standardised to “cross-border routes”.

  5. Clarity enhancements

    • Add first-use clarification for “Public Services Card (PSC)”.
    • Break long condition-heavy sentences into shorter, mobile-friendly bullet structures.

Version comparison

You can compare the original and governed versions of this topic:

Original version (pre-governance) Governed version (AI lifecycle)

Governance artefact trace (repository controlled)

This governance run generated structured artefacts that are maintained under version control within the SSH repository.

These include:

  • Snapshot-based evidence inspection notes
  • Source registry and authority verification records
  • Structured issues checklist with implementation tracking
  • Gate and approval documentation

All artefacts are reproducible, traceable, and auditable within the AI lifecycle branch.

What this means for readers

Users of this page can be confident that:

  • The guidance accurately reflects DSP Free Travel eligibility pathways.
  • Medical and companion requirements are correctly represented.
  • Northern Ireland travel requirements are clearly distinguished.

Eligibility decisions remain the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection.

Governance decision

This page is approved once the listed corrections are applied.
This summary provides transparency and assurance. It does not alter eligibility rules or application processes set by the Department of Social Protection.