Irish Citizenship by Descent

Ireland ranks among the top five most developed nations on the UN’s Human Development Index, and its economy holds 3^rd position on the 2023 Index of Economic Freedom. The country offers an excellent quality of life to its people and visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to approximately 190 destinations worldwide. As a citizen of Ireland, you can live and work in the country and anywhere else in the EU and Switzerland at any time.

Each citizenship by descent case is unique but the following rule always applies: Unless at least one parent or an Irish-born grandparent, great-grandparent, or great-great-grandparent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, you have no automatic right to Irish citizenship on the basis of extended ancestry (that is, ancestors other than your parents up to your great-great-grandparents are not applicable: siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles).

§16 of the amended Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 gives the Minister for Justice and Equality the absolute discretion to grant (or waive the statutory conditions for) citizenship based on Irish descent or association.

When you acquire citizenship under the act, you enjoy full citizenship for life, which can be passed on to future generations by descent.

Requirements of Irish citizenship by descent

There are three ways you can obtain Irish citizenship based on ancestral links:

1. Automatic citizenship

If one or both of your parents was born in Ireland, you can apply for Irish citizenship and a passport straight away. This can include certain adoptees depending on where the adoption took place.

2. Citizenship by foreign birth registration

If you were born outside of Ireland, you can become an Irish citizen if:

1. One of your grandparents was born in Ireland, or
2. One of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, even if they were not born in Ireland

In these cases, you can become an Irish citizen through the process of foreign birth registration. Once you have been entered onto the foreign birth register, you are an Irish citizen and are entitled to apply for an Irish passport.

3. Citizenship by Irish descent or association

Another way to apply for citizenship is through naturalization. Applying for citizenship based on descent (also referred to as Irish association) is at the discretion of the Minister for Justice and Equality.

Conditions for descendants

§16(2) of the amended Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 defines Irish descent or association as being:

• A person related by blood, affinity, or adoption to an Irish citizen or someone entitled to be an Irish citizen
• The civil partner of an Irish citizen or someone entitled to be an Irish citizen
• A person related by blood, affinity, or adoption to a deceased person who was an Irish citizen (or entitled to be an Irish citizen) at the time of their death
• The civil partner of a deceased person who was an Irish citizen (or entitled to be an Irish citizen) at the time of their death

Applications based on Irish ancestors going back further than a grandparent are generally refused, as are applications based on being the sibling, cousin, aunt, or uncle, or the parent or grandparent of an Irish citizen (by ‘ascent’). Applicants who are likely to receive the minister’s approval of being granted Irish citizenship by descent or association should fulfill the following requirements:

• Legally reside in Ireland for at least three years
• Have a substantial and tangible connection to Irish society and the Irish state
• Have at least a parent or grandparent of Irish nationality

Documents required for automatic citizenship or citizenship by foreign birth registration

Documents required for the Irish ancestor 

• Original civil birth certificate (showing parental details)
• Original civil marriage certificate (if applicable)
• Other change of name document (if applicable)
• Photocopy of current state-issued ID document (for example, passport, driver’s license, national identity card) certified as a true copy of the original by application form witness
• Four color photographs (two of which must be witnessed)

Documents required for applicants

• Original civil birth certificate showing details of the applicant and parental details
• Photocopy of current state-issued ID document (for example, passport, driver’s license, national identity card) certified as a true copy of the original by application form witness
• Two separate proofs of address
• Four color photographs

Applications for citizenship by descent must be accompanied by substantive documentation supporting the claim.

Procedures and time frame of Irish citizenship by ancestry

Applicants are advised to read all the requirements carefully before submitting their application. Thereafter, they will need to complete a client intake form to check for eligibility.

Henley & Partners can seamlessly manage the entire automatic citizenship, citizenship by foreign birth registration, or citizenship by descent application process for you, from helping you prove your lineage with the help of a genealogist (at an additional fee) to drafting the legal documents, to corresponding with the Department of Foreign Affairs, to scanning, copying, and posting all documents, to you receiving your Irish passport in hand.

The process for acquiring Irish citizenship based on foreign birth registration currently takes nine months but may take up to 24 months.

On the other hand, the process for acquiring Irish citizenship based on descent or association generally takes between 24 and 30 months, but some cases can be concluded in 18 months.