Irish Citizenship
Irish Passports and Dual Citizenship
To be able to apply for an Irish passport you first need to have Irish citizenship. Dual citizenship is allowed in many countries, including Ireland and the United States. After gaining Irish citizenship, any child born to you, can also claim Irish citizenship.Irish Passports and EU
With an Irish passport, you can travel, work and live in any of the twenty-seven countries of the European Union - Ireland, Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark,
Italy, Malta, Greece, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Cyprus, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. Irish citizenship can be gained automatically by birth or can be claimed by descent.
Irish Citizenship by Birth
Anyone born in Ireland is automatically an Irish citizen. Children, whose mother or father were born in Ireland, are also automatically Irish citizens.
Irish Citizenship by Descent
Anyone born outside Ireland whose grandmother or grandfather, but not his or her parents, were born in Ireland may become an Irish citizen by registering in the Irish Foreign Births Register (FBR) at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin or at their nearest Irish Embassy or Consular Office. Citizenship by descent is not automatic and must be acquired through application. If you wish to apply for Irish Citizenship, you will need the following:
| Required Documentation |
| For your Irish born grandparent: |
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| For the parent from who you are claiming your Irish descent: |
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| For you: |
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We can provide certified copies of those Irish certificates (birth, marriage or death) that are required for a citizenship application.
When you have the neccessary certificates, you will need to obtain and complete a Foreign Birth Registration form and send it to the Department of Foreign Affairs or to your nearest Irish Embassy or Consular Office.
Be aware that it can take between 3 months and 1 year for the application to be processed. So if you are thinking of applying for Irish citizenship, do it as soon as possible. Any child born to you, before this process is complete, will not be able to claim Irish citizenship.