Irish Citizenship Requirements, Do You Qualify?
REQUIREMENTS FOR IRISH CITIZENSHIP & HOW TO APPLY FOR IRELAND CITIZENSHIP
You May Already be an Un-registered Irish Citizen
Irish citizenship by descent is an entitlement to citizenship through family lineage (bloodline). It is how those with Irish ancestry claim citizenship: they are descendants who qualify for Irish citizenship through their Irish ancestors by meeting the Irish citizenship requirements, most commonly their parent(s), grandparent(s), and sometimes extended to great grandparents.
In order to be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship by descent and the benefits of being an Irish citizen, one of the following Irish citizenship requirements must be met per the Irish government:
5 Paths to Qualifying for Irish Citizenship by Descent - Meeting one of these represents a requirement for Irish citizenship
- You have an Irish-born parent.
- You have a parent who was not born on the island of Ireland, but was an Irish citizen when you were born.
- You had a parent who was an Irish citizen, but was deceased at the time of your birth.
- You have an Irish-born grandparent.
- You have a great grandparent who was Irish-born, in which case you may qualify for Irish citizenship, but only on the condition that your parent was registered on the foreign births register before your birth, and was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth (if born after 1986) or between 1956 and 1986. Or you may be able to apply for Irish citizenship by association.
Ireland Citizenship Requirements
Who is an Irish citizen by birth?
If you were born on the island of Ireland before January 1, 2005, you meet a requirement for Irish citizenship have the right to become an Irish citizen. The same applies if you were born in Northern Ireland before January 1, 2005, you are eligible for Irish citizenship and can choose to be an Irish citizen.
If you were born on the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005, however, other factors affect your eligibility in meeting the requirements for Irish citizenship:
- The citizenship of a parent when you were born.
- The history of where your parent(s) lived (residency) before you were born.
Ireland / Irish Nationality Requirements
If you have a parent born in Ireland or the UK
If you were born in Ireland, and either of your parents was an Irish or UK citizen when you were born, you are an Irish citizen and would meet the requirements for Irish citizenship.
If you were born in Northern Ireland to an Irish or British parent, you meet a requirement for Irish citizenship and can choose to be an Irish citizen.
If your Irish or UK citizen parent died before you were born, you meet the Irish nationality requirements and are an Irish citizen by birth.
Citizenship of Parent
If you have a parent who is an Irish citizen, and you were born outside Ireland, you would meet the Irish nationality requirements and therefore qualify for Irish citizenship and can apply through the Foreign Births Register.
If neither you nor your parent were born in Ireland, but your parent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you satisfy a requirement for Irish citizenship and can qualify for an Irish passport as you meet the Irish passport requirements.
If one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth and was born on the island of Ireland, you meet Irish nationality requirements and are automatically an Irish citizen.
If you were not born on the island of Ireland, you may still be eligible for Irish citizenship and meet the requirements for an Irish passport. You can become an Irish citizen if:
- You have an Irish-born grandparent, or
- You have a parent who was an Irish citizen (even if born outside of Ireland) when you were born.
If you fall under the above categories, you can meet the requirements for Irish citizenship and become an Irish citizen through the Foreign Births Register.
What is the Foreign Birth Register?
The Foreign Births Register contains all the details of those not born in Ireland who became Irish citizens by descent, through an Irish-born grandparent, or a parent who was an Irish citizen at the time of their birth.
If your parent registered this way through their grandparent (your great-grandparent), you, too, can claim Irish citizenship through descent and meet the Irish passport requirements.
You become an Irish citizen on the date of registration, and once you are entered onto the Foreign Births Register, you are an Irish citizen and can apply for an Irish passport.
In order to be eligible to apply to have your details entered onto the Foreign Birth Register (FBR), and become an Irish citizen, one of the following criteria is required to meet the Ireland nationality requirements:
- If you were not born on the Island of Ireland, but your parent (who was also born outside of Ireland) was an Irish citizen, or entitled to be an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you have the right to apply to become an Irish citizen.
- If you have a parent who registered on the FBR through their grandparent (your great-grandparent), you have a claim and right to Irish citizenship.
- If you have/had a grandparent who was born on the island of Ireland, you are entitled to claim Irish citizenship and eligible to apply to enter the FBR.
- If you have a great-grandparent who was born in Ireland (your grandparents, parents and you were born outside of Ireland), you may still be able to apply through the FBR, but only if your parent was an Irish citizen had entered their details onto the Foreign Births Register before your birth, and was an Irish citizen by the time you were born (if born after 1986) or between 1956 and 1986.
It should be noted that if the above requirements are not met, applications made through an ancestor who is a great-grandparent need to filed through the Department of Justice, and the Irish Minister for Justice has the absolute authority and discretion to grant or deny an application.
Trying to confirm if you qualify for Irish dual citizenship?
Start by gathering some basic information about your Irish ancestors:
- What is their full name, approximate date of birth and birthplace in Ireland?
- Confirm your Irish ancestors immigration dates
- Identify the direct bloodline relation drawing the Irish lineage between you and your Irish ancestor
If you don’t know the above information or want to confirm if you meet the Ireland citizenship requirements, contact us for a free consultation or use the websites below to help:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I qualify for Irish citizenship?
The majority of individuals who are descendants of Irish ancestors should qualify for Irish citizenship. Although Ireland citizenship requirements apply, if you have a parent, grandparent, and, in some cases, a great-grandparent, who is/was an Irish citizen, you are likely to qualify for Irish citizenship.
Do I qualify for an Irish passport?
In order to meet the Irish passport requirements and apply for a passport, you must first be an Irish citizen. Therefore, if you are not yet an Irish citizen you must become one before you can apply for an Irish passport. If you are an Irish citizen, you are able to apply for an Irish passport. The application form is online, but if you are unable to access it, and reside outside of Ireland, you can get assistance with your passport application at the Irish consulate that has jurisdiction where you reside.
Do I qualify for Irish dual citizenship?
If you have Irish ancestry, it is likely that you will qualify for Irish dual citizenship. If you have an Irish parent, grandparent, or, in rarer cases, a great-grandparent, you should be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship. You will need to prove your direct lineage to your Irish ancestor by presenting the required documentation. If you do not meet the criteria to apply for citizenship through descent, there are other avenues through which you may apply; namely, through naturalization.
What qualifies you for Irish dual citizenship?
If you have an Irish parent, grandparent, or, in certain cases, great-grandparent, you may be eligible to apply for dual citizenship.
Alternatively, if you are married to an Irish citizen, you may be able to apply for citizenship through naturalization; providing that you meet specific criteria, which includes residency requirements.
This page was last updated with help by Marco Permunian
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