How to Get Dual Citizenship in Ireland

If you were born in Ireland and have Irish parents or grandparents, you can apply for Irish citizenship by birth.

You can also claim Irish citizenship by descent if your qualifying parents or grandparent were Irish citizens at the time of your birth and they were registered in the Foreign Births Register (FBR). The FBR is a public database maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

For those who were not eligible for citizenship by birth, citizenship can be acquired through naturalisation. This requires a period of residence in Ireland that meets certain standards and a fee.

A person must be in Ireland for at least three out of four years to qualify for this type of application. However, this does not include periods spent in Ireland on a student visa or while waiting for a decision on an international protection application.

In addition, you must have a permanent address in Ireland, and the address must be your current address or one that you can use in future applications. You can find out more about these requirements by visiting the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform website.

If you are applying for citizenship by descent, the first step is to locate your grandparents’ birth certificates. The General Registrar’s Office in Dublin may be able to help with this.

Once you have the birth certificates, you need to send them to the Registrar of Births in Ireland. They will then verify your family’s history and then forward you a certificate of registration.

After that, you can apply for citizenship by naturalisation online. The application form will need to be filled out and submitted with your other documents. Then you will receive an approval letter through the mail and sign it in front of a witness.

You must also submit a passport, proof of legal residence in Ireland, and physical presence inside the country. You must then take an oath in front of a judge and pay the required naturalization fee.

Getting Irish citizenship is relatively easy, but it does involve some paperwork and a lot of legwork. To make the process as smooth as possible, you should hire a professional genealogist or dual citizenship specialist.

The application process involves collecting a range of documentation, including birth and marriage certificates, death certificates, and citizenship documents of your parents and your grandparents, as applicable. This is an especially important step for those with a long and complicated history in the country.

In addition to the necessary legal documents, you will need to provide personal information, such as your date of birth and place of birth. This is because the registrar will need to check if you meet the minimum age and citizenship eligibility requirements.

It is best to have a lawyer assist you with this process as they will know which documents are needed and which are not, how to obtain them, and how to complete the application correctly. It is also a good idea to have a second set of documentation, such as proof of financial standing in Ireland and a copy of your passport, as these are often not included in the original package.