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Brexit
Original poster

Irish citizenship

199 replies

Apileofballyhoo · 01/08/2018 16:58

Just some information for anybody that's wondering. Estimates seen to vary but it looks like the following applies to 5 or 6 million people.

If you were born outside the island of Ireland and if either of your parents was an Irish citizen who was born in the island of Ireland, then you are entitled to Irish citizenship, and entitled to apply for an Irish passport under Irish law, irrespective of where you reside. You can also apply for Irish citizenship if one of your parents, while not born in the island of Ireland, was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth. In most cases applications of this type are made through a grandparent who was born in Ireland.

www.dfa.ie/irelanduk-citizenshipandpassports/

OP posts:
LyndaSnell · 01/08/2018 17:40

It's a long shot but here goes.

My late maternal grandfather was Irish. My mum and all but one of her sisters are dead.

Could I get an Irish passport?

flourella · 01/08/2018 17:47

LyndaSnell, yes. You would first need to apply to go on the Foreign Birth Register, by filling in the form (and getting it witnessed by a qualifying person) and sending it off with documents proving your relationship to your grandmother (birth and death certificates for her and your mother, your own birth certificate and copy of current photo ID, and any marriage and divorce certificates applicable to all three of you).

Once you are on the FBR, then you are a citizen and can apply for a passport.

I'm going to do it, through my dad's dad.

flourella · 01/08/2018 17:48

*grandfather, sorry

Original poster
Apileofballyhoo · 01/08/2018 18:08

Clicky link

www.dfa.ie/irelanduk-citizenshipandpassports/

OP posts:
KimCheesePickle · 01/08/2018 18:10

My DH is Northern Irish and has decided to apply for an Irish passport. What would be my rights to accompany him as his spouse if we wished to move to R of Ireland? I would be happy to go through the Irish citizenship process. I don't have any claims to other nationalities, besides British. I had hoped that because I may be descended from Huguenot refugees, I could look into French citizenship, but the French govt closed that loophole in the 1940s Sad

flourella · 01/08/2018 18:13

KimCheesePickle, you could definitely move there with him, and become a citizen through naturalisation after a certain length of time. I think this covers it:

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_citizenship/becoming_an_irish_citizen_through_marriage.html

KimCheesePickle · 01/08/2018 18:18

Thanks flourella Star

LyndaSnell · 02/08/2018 12:04

Thanks, flourella. We don't have birth/death certificates for my grandfather. He died in the 1960s in England. He had been a violent husband and father but I thought he might prove to be of some use now.

Original poster
Apileofballyhoo · 02/08/2018 12:15

Lynda

www.citizensinformation.ie/en/birth_family_relationships/registrar_birth_marr_death.html

OP posts:
flourella · 02/08/2018 12:20

Lynda, I don't yet have any of the certificates I need to apply, including the long form of my own birth certificate (I've only ever had the short form).

If you have an idea where and when everyone involved was born and died (and married and divorced if relevant) you can go on Ancestry .com and locate everyone's documents. I used the the free trial. Then, when you know all the details for sure, you can order proper copies of everything from the General Register Offices in the UK and Ireland. That will cost about £10 per certificate, so it will add up.

If your grandfather was definitely born on the island of Ireland, you can do this Smile

flourella · 02/08/2018 12:22

Irish Genealogy is another site for Irish births, etc.

SallyVating · 02/08/2018 12:42

Can I ask a question please? My dad was was northern Ireland but I was born here so does that make me eligible or not?

flourella · 02/08/2018 12:51

Sally, you are already a citizen of Ireland and can apply for a passport without registering your birth on the Foreign Births Register. This page shows what documents you'd need to send with your application:

www.dfa.ie/passports-citizenship/top-passport-questions/documentary-requirements-passport-applications/

LyndaSnell · 02/08/2018 12:54

You're right, flourella - I'm talking like a defeated remainer!

He died in my hometown sometime in the 60s and didn't have a common name so that's a start. I bet he was born at the turn of the last century as I've just found (on line) the baptism records of some of his children in the 1920s.

Mum didn't talk much about him as he was a figure of fear in her early life. She put his brutality down to his childhood and (I could be making this part up) him being adopted - so that could prove problematic when trying to locate a birth certificate if he was adopted by an English couple. He definitely was born on the island of Ireland though!

LyndaSnell · 02/08/2018 12:56

Thanks also to ApileofBallyhoo

Kool4katz · 02/08/2018 12:56

I've got to wait for the 5 years residency before I can apply and my 5 years won't be until next April.
Fucking hate Brexit and have de-friended any leave voters off my Facebook page.
I have 2 friends married to partners from NI but it's still going to cost them €1k each to complete their citizenship applications.

TheFaerieQueene · 02/08/2018 12:57

Can someone’s help? I have sent off for an application form for an Irish passport. I’m currently a U.K. passport holder.

My father was born in Ireland to Irish parents. He left as a child and now has a U.K. passport as a British subject, not citizen.

I imagine I qualify to hold an Irish passport, but other than his birth certificate and my birth certificate/marriage certificate, what else will I need to do to support my application?

I have tried to ring the helpline but I haven’t ever got through.

TIA

flourella · 02/08/2018 13:10

Lynda, I'm still wallowing in remainer's defeatism to a large extent, but knowing that I have an option to retain my rights as citizen of an EU country helps. I'm so grateful that Ireland offers this very generous route to citizenship.

Sorry that your mother's difficult childhood means that you don't know much about her father's circumstances. I know that my dad admired his father a lot, but he is very reserved and doesn't talk about anything so I've had to do it all myself. When my granddad died, everyone was surprised to learn his actual date of birth; as I recall, he'd been telling everyone a different year entirely! But the documents I've found online are all in order. You won't know there's an issue surrounding this possible adoption until you get looking!

flourella · 02/08/2018 13:12

TheFaerieQueene, follow the link in my post from 12.51 and look under the heading for first time adult passports.

TheFaerieQueene · 02/08/2018 13:21

Thanks. ☘️

SallyVating · 02/08/2018 13:27

Thank you flourella BrewCake

titchy · 02/08/2018 14:13

You need every bit of documentation known to man for each person you are trying to be Irish through - birth, death and marriage certificates, plus passport as proof if id, letter signed by professional person, then the same for you.... Then wait about a year.... It is not quick.

BloodyForms · 12/10/2018 12:12

Has anyone applied to be on the Foreign Births Register? I have all my documentation, but I'm struggling to find a witness, who must be one of the following:

Police Officer
Member of the Clergy
Medical Doctor
Solicitor
Bank Manager
School Head Teacher
Head of Dept at Uni/College
Magistrate/Judge

Both my GP and bank manager have said they cannot do this, and I don't know anyone else on the list, or know anyone who does!

What did you all do?

flourella · 12/10/2018 13:44

I haven't applied yet, but finding someone to witness the form will be a problem for me as well. I'm hoping that my brother will introduce me to his child's school head teacher, and that the head teacher will be happy to sign as a favour to him. But if that doesn't work out, I'm screwed!

I don't know your situation, but I am unusually socially isolated due to health problems and have literally no friends and only speak to my dad and brothers in my family. Do you definitely know nobody with children at school or who have recently left, or who go to church, or have a police officer in the family, etc? Colleagues, old friends, cousins you've not spoken to for years?(!) It might be embarrassing, but the worst they can say is no. They don't need to have known the potential witness or you for a minimum time, just be able to vouch for your identity and the witness happy to give their work contact details. But if the form isn't witnessed, the FBR will just send it back from what I've read on an immigration forum, so you might have to reach out to some unlikely people and be ready to get knocked back.

You probably know all that already; sorry I can't tell you it will be okay without a witness, but I don't think it will be!

BloodyForms · 12/10/2018 13:53

I'd already sent it in, witnessed by a "Principal Teacher", but didn't realise they meant "Principal" as in a head teacher, not head of dept. They e-mailed me back right away though to let me know.

I'm not religious and would feel hypocritical asking my parents to introduce me to their priest (but may have to!). My kids are also home educated so I have no head teacher to approach.

It seems a very old fashioned kind of list! I know lots of professional people e.g. chartered engineers etc, just no teachers, doctors or solicitors!