Irish Grandparent
 

Hi all,

It's been a while. Updates: I had to back out of Previous BC PNP sponsorship due to baby no.2's arrival. So i'm back to at looking at options to make the move happen.

I've just found out that my Grandad (who's now passed) was an Irish Citizen. I was prompted to find out when I saw a recent post from christmasoompa. I didn't want to hijack the previous thread, so I started this one.

I'm now 34, and turn 35 next March. I know Irish citizens have until 35 to apply for IEC. Is this up until 35 years of age, or until you turn 36? Do i qualify as a citizen through descent? My mother was born in the UK and i dont believe she claimed her citizenship.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Matt

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Can't help at all with whether or not you're eligible for citizenship, but it's for those aged 35 and under i.e. until your 36th birthday.

If you ask in the Ireland section of the forum, you'll find people in the know there that can advise on your eligibility, and also how long it will take. From what I've read, there's a big backlog due to loads of people applying because they want an EU passport after Brexit, so you may be a bit tight for time and need to get a wiggle on if eligible. This thread has some useful info in - https://britishexpats.com/forum/repu...ssport-933220/

Good luck.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Thanks for the info. I'll have a look in the Ireland section and also in the thread link provided :) i better get a move on!

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Agree and there is still a long waiting list.Applications that have been sent to the FBR team have been securely held and will now be processed in strict date order. At present, due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration and the pause in the Service due to the Covid-19 restrictions you should allow approximately 2 years for processing of Foreign Birth Registration applications at this time.

Your birth can be entered on the Foreign Births Register if you are eligible to become an Irish citizen. Find out what you need to do before you begin your online application.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Ah. That's not going to work for the OP then, who needs it sorted before he turns 36 (ideally much sooner than that to be in with a chance of applying for the visa too). Worth a try though I guess, and an EU citizenship can only be a bonus going forwards anyway.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Agreed, i think it's worth getting anyway

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Helpful info:

The Foreign Births Register

You need the following documents for the Irish Grandparent:

• Original civil birth certificate
• Original marriage certificate or change of name document (if applicable)
• Certified photocopy of current state-issued identification (passport, drivers licence, national identity card) or certified copy of death certificate if they are deceased

Here's where you can get the Irish Birth certificate: Link

I've already ordered a death cert, will get the birth cert next. I will use this thread to document the timeline.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

• Applying for Irish birth certificate costs £20 and if found, delivered within 60 days.
• Foreign Births Register application costs €278.
• Birth certificate for me £11
• Death certificate for my Grandad £11

Now i just need to wait for all of the documents to arrive and then submit the application.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Fab, good luck. Hope you can get it sorted in time to get an IEC. If not, would your previous potential employer be happy to sponsor you again maybe?

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Thank you :) Unfortunately, that particular role has been filled. I've seen a few jobs that are still open after 60 days that fit my skillset, so i may approach them to see if they are open to sponsoring me. That's how I managed to land the previous one.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Yes you do. I know because my kids are just going through the process.

A child of an Irish citizen can apply for a passport in a similar way to how those in England can. When you receive a passport, you also receive a citizenship card too.

Grandchildren cannot apply for a passport straight away. So you will have to have apply to have your birth registered as a foreign birth. My daughters are in the process of doing so and they have been advised that the wait time is around 2 years. Once that is processed, and a citizenship card is received, you can then apply for a passport.

Edit: need to read the entire thread before posting !

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

I appreciate the reply nonetheless :) I really hope it doesn't take 2 years!! when did they apply? I'm finding It takes a while to collate all of the required documents.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

I applied for my Irish passport last year. IIRC I sent everything off from Canada in June and I got everything back in October. There was an issue as they require original documents, but one cannot courier them from Canada due to their address being a PO box. So, I couriered them to my mum in England who then sent them tracked to Dublin. However, as soon as they left England, Royal Mail tracking ended and the Irish mail denied ever receiving the documents. We made a complaint to Royal Mail who accepted our complaint and returned the mailing fee only, as we couldn't prove what the documents were worth (my birth certificate is the original one, so no cost) and they wouldn't accept the charges that the registries in Ireland and England charged for copies of my mum's birth certificate and marriage certificate.

I had given up on ever obtaining anything and then, completely out of the blue, my documents arrived and a day or two later, so did the passport and the citizenship certificate.

As soon as I had those, my youngest daughter wanted to go first and there was a hold on sending documents at that time, so the application couldn't be made. As soon as that became available, she sent everything off and received an acknowledgement of receipt on December 8, 2021. She is now waiting and, as soon as her documents are returned, the other daughter will send hers. They don't allow multiple applications to use the same documents and, as they are not in a particular rush to receive them, they are OK with the delay.

Re: Irish Grandparent
 

Crikey, that must have been very disconcerting! Glad to hear it all came through in the end! Thanks for posting the timelines.

I've just received my grandfathers birth certificate after 6 days, which is better than the up to 60 days they said on the website. Hopefully the other services are picking up also.