Q&A: Citizenship eligibility – can you get an Irish passport?
This topic has been covered a couple of times before on the site, but I don't mind touching on it again, especially as I receive quite a few questions about it. The latest was just this week from a young man named Daniel. Here's a copy of his email:
Hi my name is Daniel. I am currently trying to get citizenship but I am not sure if I can get it because my grandfather was born in the US. I was just wondering if I would be allowed to get it if he had it at the time of my birth even though he wasn't born in Ireland. My mother didn't have citizenship at the time of my birth.
Well Daniel, it'd be inappropriate for me to do anything else other than to point you to the official info on this topic. The requirements are very likely to change over time and it'd be neglectful of me to post anything here other than what is current status, and a link to finding official information on the subject.
The table below is a snapshot of current (Sept 2017) eligibility requirements. It is a little complicated, but for those of you familiar with your family history, you can probably figure it out quiet easily.
| If you are: | Then you are: | |
| A | Born in the island of Ireland on or before 31 December 2004 | Entitled to Irish citizenship or you are an Irish citizen |
| B | Born on the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005 | Entitled to Irish citizenship if one or both of your parents:
|
| C | Child of A, born outside the island of Ireland | An Irish citizen |
| D | Child of C and a grandchild of A, born outside the island of Ireland | Entitled to Irish citizenship, but you must first register in the Foreign Births Register |
| E | a child of D and a great-grandchild of A, born outside the island of Ireland | Entitled to Irish citizenship, by having your birth registered in the Foreign Births Register, but only if your parent D had registered by the time of your birth. |
Source:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/irish_citizenship/irish_citizenship_through_birth_or_descent.html#l97318
Important: For something as important as citizenship qualification, I want to re-clarify that this website is not the source of official information. You should check with the appropriate authorities for any immigration questions.
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Like Daniel – my wife is in a similar situation and is applying for Irish citizenship. Her father did not register her birth with the foreign registry nor did her grandfather (register her father’s birth). Had her grandfather and father done this she would automatically get citizenship as both of her great grandparents on her father’s side were born in Ireland.
So in her application she is asking for an exception to be made to the rule. She has the ancestry and can prove it but her birth was not registered. She has heard a few stories – one from the San Francisco Irish Consulate – that sometimes an exception is made and a person in her situation is granted citizenship.
Does anyone here know of any situations like this or have experience with this. Thanks.
Sean
Just curious as to how this played out for your wife? My mother is currently applying to be placed on the FBR (no issues for her as her grandparents were born in Ireland), but my brother and I were also hoping to register. Obviously our mother was not registered at the time of our birth, because nobody in her family knew this could be done! I know technically this makes is ineligible, but we have all of the paperwork to back it up – I too have been curious as to if any exceptions are ever made.
Hello, I too am curious about the outcome for both comments here. My father is the grandchild, and would have no issues meeting eligibility criteria based on his grandfather’s birth in Ireland if he registers on the Foreign Births Registry.
Another curiosity… my grandfather (my father’s father) was born abroad during WW1 in Mauritius to his Irish born (soldier) father, who was serving there in the British Army.
My grandfather’s birth was registered in Ireland, in the ‘Army Register Book’ under the Births, Deaths & Marriages (Army) Act 1879. Nobody can clarify if this means my grandfather is considered Irish born, although not technically born on the ‘island of Ireland’ – he was never a citizen of any other country apart from Ireland.
I’m considering applying to seek consideration of my case, if not based on my great-grandfather (I don’t believe my father registered himself before my birth), then my foreign born grandfather due to his registration in Ireland under those wartime conditions/practices.