Irish Citizenship by Descent

Summary

Ireland's Foreign Births Register is for people born outside Ireland who can claim Irish citizenship through a qualifying Irish family line.

The most common case is simple: you were born outside Ireland, and one of your grandparents was born on the island of Ireland. That can include a grandparent born in the Republic of Ireland or in Northern Ireland.

Great-grandparent cases are more limited. A great-grandparent born in Ireland is not enough by itself. Your parent must already have been Irish, usually through Foreign Birth Registration, before you were born.

If your parent was born on the island of Ireland and was Irish when you were born, you usually do not need this route. You may already be Irish and may be able to apply directly for an Irish passport.

Eligibility

You may be a fit if:

• You were born outside the island of Ireland.
• You have a grandparent who was born on the island of Ireland; or
• Your parent was already an Irish citizen when you were born, but was not born on the island of Ireland.
• You can document the family line with civil records.

You do not need to live in Ireland, speak Irish, invest money, or meet an income threshold for this route.

For a great-grandparent connection, timing matters. Your parent generally had to become Irish before you were born. If your parent registered after your birth, that usually does not make you eligible through that line.

What This Route Allows

If approved, Foreign Birth Registration makes you an Irish citizen from the date you are registered. After that, you can apply for an Irish passport.

What This Route Is Not

This is not the route for someone who is already Irish through an Irish-born parent. It also is not an unlimited ancestry route for anyone with an Irish ancestor far back in the family tree.

Documentation still matters. You need records that prove each link in the family chain.

Next Steps

1. Identify the qualifying Irish parent or grandparent.
2. Get the qualifying person's long-form birth certificate. Use the Irish General Register Office for births in the Republic of Ireland and GRONI for births in Northern Ireland.
3. Gather each birth, marriage, adoption, or name-change record needed to connect that person to you.
4. If relying on a parent who was Irish but not Irish-born, gather proof that the parent was Irish before you were born.
5. Apply through the Foreign Births Register process and follow DFA's document instructions carefully.
6. After registration, apply for an Irish passport.

Sources

• Department of Foreign Affairs — Foreign Births Register
• Department of Foreign Affairs — Born abroad
• Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended) — Irish Statute Book
• General Register Office (GRO) Ireland — civil records
• GRONI — Northern Ireland civil records
• DFA Passport Service