IRISH CITIZENSHIP

Please note this document is not and does not purport to be a legal document. The following information is intended for guidance only and is not a formal interpretation of Irish law. For further information on the relevant legislation, please contact the Embassy of Ireland or your local Irish Consulate. The law regarding Irish citizenship is set out in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Acts of 1956, 1986 and 2001, as amended.

CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH

  • Anyone born in Ireland is an Irish citizen, except children of parents holding diplomatic immunity in Ireland.
  • Anyone born outside Ireland, whose father or mother was born in Ireland, is an Irish citizen.
  • If one of the above does not apply, citizenship is not automatic and must be acquired through application.

CITIZENSHIP BY APPLICATION

  • Anyone born outside Ireland, whose father or mother is an Irish citizen not born in Ireland, can become an Irish citizen by having his or her birth entered in the Irish Register of Foreign Births at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin or at the nearest Irish diplomatic or consular mission.
  • The spouse of an Irish citizen may, until 30 November 2005, obtain Irish citizenship by making a declaration of acceptance of Irish citizenship. The declaration may be made not earlier than three years after the marriage to the Irish spouse.

CITIZENSHIP BY NATURALIZATION

  • Non-Irish nationals legally resident in Ireland may be eligible for citizenship through naturalization if they have been legally resident in the country for a total period of four years within an eight year period. Applicants must provide one year prior notification of their intention to apply and must show proof that they intend to reside in Ireland after naturalization. Application forms and details for Irish citizenship by naturalization are available from the Immigration Section of the Department of Justice of Ireland, 72-76 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (tel. 011-353-1-602.8202)

 

Please see The Irish Embassy’s web site for more information: http://www.irelandemb.org