The five steps to becoming an Irish national are by birth, ancestry, adoption, special declaration, and naturalization. A successful application grants access to all the perks and opportunities of being an Irish citizen.
Luckily, Ireland allows dual citizenship, so seeking citizenship through any of these five steps means you can work and live in Ireland or any other European Union country. The Irish passport is among the strongest you can have, with over 190 visa-free destinations.
Citizenship also marks a significant milestone in appreciating your identity if you trace your ancestors from the island of Ireland. Our researchers here at IrishResearchers.com have won accolades for helping individuals acquire Irish citizenship, mainly through consultations, research, documentation, and the application process.
They identify citizenship by birth and ancestry as the most straightforward of the five steps to becoming an Irish citizen.
Are You Irish If You Have Irish Ancestry?
Yes. You can qualify for Irish citizenship if you have a figure or grandparent entitled to Irish citizenship at the time of your delivery. For those born out of doors on the island of Ireland but have an Irish-born grandparent, you simply need to sign up on the Foreign Births Register within the Irish consulate close to you.
We can help you trace all the necessary documents to keep the register updated, expedite the process, and avoid frustrations.
Steps to Irish Citizenship
Irish Citizenship by Birth
Irish citizenship by birth was automatic for people born in Ireland until a referendum removed the automatic right from 1st January 2005.
Since then, a person’s qualification to Irish citizenship by birth is determined by their parents’ citizenship status. People born in Ireland on or after 1st January 2005 must meet the following criteria to qualify as Irish citizens by birth.
The parent is an Irish/UK citizen at the time of birth.
To qualify for Irish citizenship through birth, you must be born in Ireland and have an Irish/UK citizen parent at the time of your birth. This also applies if the parent died before your birth.
Not a UK or Irish citizen parent.
You can still qualify for Irish citizenship by birth if either parent has a reckonable residence in Ireland for about three years of the four years preceding your birth.
A few exemptions include people residing on a student visa or those pending a decision on a request for international protection.
The parent has the Without Condition Endorsement.
If you were born in Ireland and didn’t qualify through the steps already discussed, you could still be eligible for citizenship if your parents had the standard stamp 6 for dual citizens, which grants them the right to live in the country without any residence period restrictions.
You are stateless
You can qualify as a citizen by birth if you are born in Ireland and are designated stateless (A person with no right to be a citizen of another country). A stateless situation in Ireland may occur when a child is born there, but their parents’ country of origin does not allow dual citizen to children born abroad.
Descent Irish Citizenship
If you don’t qualify for Irish citizenship by way of birth, you continue to have a threat to apply through descent if you have Irish ancestry. Below are the two ways to pursue the course:
The parent was born in Ireland.
You qualify to claim Irish citizenship by descent if you were born abroad by an Irish citizen or an Irish-born who was entitled to citizenship at the time of your birth.
Parent born abroad
If your parents were born overseas and entitled to Irish citizenship at the time of your birth, you could qualify as an Irish citizen.
Irish Ancestors
The Republic of Ireland grants citizenship to individuals of Irish descent who accurately prove they have a grandparent born on the island of Ireland. This is a gateway for people of Irish ancestry to acquire free movement and relevance in their ancestral land.
Millions of people of Irish ancestry have their names included in the Foreign Births Register at the Irish embassy, granting them automatic citizenship and the right to apply for an Irish passport.
Ireland typically declines citizenship applications based on ancestry claims beyond parents or grandparents. However, the Minister of Justice has absolute discretion in considering your application for Irish citizenship based on Irish associations. So, if you have some blood or adoption relationship with an Irish citizen, your application and fate will be at the mercy of the minister.
Nonetheless, this application may take over two years to process and requires at least three years of reckonable residence.
Irish Citizenship by Adoption
Irish law grants citizenship to those adopted by Irish citizens. The Irish government must recognize adoptions, and the process involves verification by the Department of Justice and the Adoption Authority of Ireland. The adoption should be recorded in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions if conducted abroad.
Citizenship through adoption in Ireland is supplied through the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, which presents nationality to people followed by an Irish citizen within the US or adopted overseas but registered in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions.
The Department of Justice should verify such an adoption and get clearance from the Adoption Authority of Ireland.
Citizenship by Special Declaration
Special declarations mainly apply to foreign nationals seeking Irish citizenship. They must fulfill the following eligibility requirements to qualify:
- Be born on the island of Ireland between 2nd December 1999 and 31st December 2004 to a foreign national entitled to diplomatic immunity during the birth.
- Born between 2nd December 1999 and 31st December 2004 aboard a foreign aircraft or ship in Irish airspace or sea.
- Born in Ireland and previously declared alienage, but wants to reconsider. The alienage announcement applies when a character wishes to give up his citizenship to acquire citizenship out of the country that doesn’t permit twin citizenship.
Irish Citizenship by Naturalization
Suppose you don’t qualify for Irish citizenship by birth, descent, adoption, or special declaration. In that case, you can try naturalization, which mainly relies on the reckonable residence period you’ve accumulated in a country.
It’s well worth noting that even as you may qualify on all of the standards, the Ministry of Justice, through the Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), has absolutely the discretion to determine your software. Conditions to become an Irish citizen through naturalization are set out inside the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 as amended. To practice for Irish naturalization, applicants need to meet several criteria set by Irish law:
Citizenship for a spouse
You can follow for Irish citizenship via naturalization if you’ve been in a civil partnership or married to an Irish citizen for at least three years. In addition to the wedding, candidates need to live with their spouses and meet different situations stipulated below.
Age
Applicants must be over 18 years old. Minors qualify only if:
- They don’t qualify for citizenship by birth.
- Either of the parents is a citizen by naturalization.
- The child has Irish ancestry or associations.
Period of residence
You must have total reckonable residence in the State for four years, including a one-year mandatory residence, preceding your application. Applicants must spend the last year in the country, but the Ministry may allow up to three months away for exceptional cases.
The Ministry also allows young adults between 18 and 23 to apply through their parents’ residence.
Similarly, nationals of Switzerland, the UK, and the European Economic Area (EEA) can apply even without a residence permit.
Future intentions
Applicants of Irish citizenship by naturalization must show intention to remain in Ireland after the nationality is granted. If they must temporarily live abroad, they must complete FORM 5 to justify their need to keep their Irish citizenship.
Character
Applicants must submit a report from Ireland’s national police (Garda Síochána) detailing their background including;
- Any ongoing investigations against them.
- Any driving offences.
- Criminal record.
- Litigations.
- Civil cases.
It’s really worth noting that the minister of Justice can waive any of these conditions.
Approved candidates are invited to a citizenship ceremony wherein they are required to declare loyalty and constancy to the kingdom. They additionally take an oath to appreciate the democratic values of Ireland and look at the laws of the land.
Apply for Irish Citizenship
If you want help identifying where to start on your Irish citizenship application, contact us for a free consultation to make certain you start on the proper footing. Tracing your Irish ancestry, compiling all the documents, and making a citizenship application should be easy with the help of adept researchers.
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Conclusion about Irish dual citizenship
Whether you’re an Irish citizen living abroad or a person with an Irish grandparent trying to reconnect with your roots, claiming Irish citizenship offers numerous blessings. At IrishResearchers.Com, we provide complete offerings, including genealogical research, documentation, and guidance through the dual citizenship application process. Contact us for a consultation to explore your eligibility and start your journey towards dual Irish citizenship.
We offer various services to assist with your application, ensuring you have all the required supporting documents and a clear understanding of each step. With our expertise, gaining citizenship can be a seamless process.
For more detailed information or personalized advice, visit our website or book a session with our expert genealogists today.