How to apply for an Irish passport: the application process and eligibility rules explained

Here's how to figure out if you can get one before Brexit takes place, and how to go about it if you do qualify

With Brexit on the way, the number of British people applying for Irish passports has boomed.

A break from the European Union could leave people in Britain unable to live or work elsewhere on the continent unless they can acquire the right elsewhere.

Irish heritage is among the most common in the UK, with hundreds of thousands of Irish-born people living across the country – and even more who can trace their descent to an Irish parent or grandparent.

Those people are entitled to Irish passports. Check the information below to see if that applies to you, and how to do it.

Are you Irish?

William Lynch, a Lough Foyle oyster farmer, displays his Irish passport (Photo: Getty)
William Lynch, a Lough Foyle oyster farmer, displays his Irish passport (Photo: Getty)

We’ll start with the easiest one. You’re Irish if you were born in Ireland before 2005.

That applies to the entire island of Ireland – Northern Ireland too, even if your parents don’t hold Irish passports, for example.

Even if you moved away – and even if you moved away half a century ago – you’re still a citizen. You can skip to the “how to apply” part.

For those born after 2005 – and a referendum abolishing birthright citizenship – you’ll need to prove your parents were living in Ireland for three of the four years before your birth.

Do you have Irish parents or grandparents?

John Aldridge qualified for Ireland under the so-called "granny rule" (Photo: Getty)
John Aldridge qualified for Ireland under the so-called “granny rule” (Photo: Getty)

Next up, you’re an Irish citizen if at least one of your parents was born in Ireland before 2005 (which should cover the vast majority of Irish parents).

It’s as simple as that – you’re in.

You’re also entitled if you’ve got a grandparent who is an Irish citizen, although there’s an extra step in the process for you – more on that later.

For those who have an Irish great-grandparent, they’ll need their parent to have taken up their Irish citizenship by the time they were born.

Here’s an example to illustrate that:

John’s great grandmother Mary was born in Dublin but moved to Liverpool.

His grandmother Anne was born in Liverpool, where she was automatically an Irish citizen born abroad – because of her mother Mary.

His own mother Siobhan, however, was only an Irish citizen if she took steps to prove it.

If she’d done it by the time John was born, he’s entitled too. If she hadn’t, he’s out of luck.

Uncles, aunts, cousins or any other relatives don’t count.

How to start the process

(Photo: Getty)

If you’re relying on a grandparent – Irish people often refer to the “granny rule” when it comes to footballers’ eligibility – or a non-Irish born Irish citizen parent, then you’ll need to register on something called the Foreign Births Register before going any further.

This takes up to six months and requires quite a lot of documentation – but don’t worry, your eligibility isn’t going to change no matter what happens with Brexit. This is all written into Irish law, not international agreements.

The long way: you could always move to Ireland

Ireland and the UK have special rules about who’s allowed live and work where that go beyond the EU’s rules.

If your desire for EU citizenship is deep enough, or you won’t need to head for Vilnius for a few years yet, you could always resettle in Ireland and naturalise. It’ll take about five years.

How to apply for a passport

Made it this far? Okay, it’s time to apply.

You can’t do it online, or download the form, so if you’re outside Ireland, you’ll have to make your way to somewhere that can supply you with one.

There is actually a dedicated Irish passport office on Cromwell Road in Kensington, London (SW7 4ES) – or a large number of community centres and organisations around the country, from Glasgow to Portsmouth and everywhere in between, that can help.

You’ll need all this:

  • Original long form Birth Certificate
  • Original civil Marriage Certificate (if applicable)
  • Current Photo Identification e.g. passport or driving licence
  • Proof of name e.g. utility bill
  • Proof of address e.g. recent bank statement
  • Witness of Section 9 must be from approved list (see below)

Those born abroad to an Irish born parent will also require:

  • Irish born Parent’s original long form Birth Certificate
  • Irish born Parent’s original civil Marriage Certificate (if applicable)

You’ll need your Foreign Births registration certificate too, if that applies.

The list of people who can witness your application is a little old-fashioned, but includes a wide number of professions:

  • Member of the Police
  • Member of clergy
  • Medical doctor
  • Lawyer/Solicitor
  • Bank manager/assistant bank manager
  • Elected public representative
  • Notary public/ commissioner for oaths
  • Peace commissioner
  • School principal/vice principal
  • Accountant
  • Teacher
  • Dentist
  • Vet
  • Nurse
  • Physiotherapist
  • Speech Therapist
  • Lecturer
  • Credit Union manager
  • Pharmacist
  • Chartered Engineer
  • Post Master
  • Social Worker
  • Justice of the Peace

Where do you submit your application?

All that being sorted, you’ll need to submit it by appointment at the Passport Office in London, at designated Post Offices in Glasgow (140 West Nile Street) and Liverpool (1 – 3 South John Street) or by post to Cork Passport Office (PO Box 907, South City DSU, Cork, Ireland, T12 C825).

It costs €80 for a standard passport, or up to £144 for an expedited one if you’re really in a hurry.

How long you can expect to wait

(Photo: Getty)

Citizen’s Information reckons you should apply more than six weeks before you need the document.

Other speedier options will be quicker, if more expensive.

You’ll be issued with an online tracking number to check how the process is going.

Then, one day, a passport (burgundy, not blue) will drop through your letterbox – and you can proceed to the “EU passports only” counter to your heart’s content.

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