Irish Citizenship
Apr 6th 2023, 7:44 am
#1
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Irish Citizenship
Hello all - can anyone remind me where the process is and what documentation I need to put in an application for an Irish passport?
My Grandmother was born in Ireland in the early 1900s. I looked into this a few years ago and collected various documents, but other priorities intervened and I dropped it for a while.
In the meantime, my father passed away last year which I think might change the documentation that I need.
I am pretty sure I have already got the obvious ones like her birth records, my father's birth records, his marriage certificate to his mother, my birth record.
As I remember, I have to apply first to go on some kind of register which already takes a long time, and then I can apply for a passport after that?
There is also a slight issue in that my Grandmother seemed to claim she was 2 years younger (to the day) when her family moved to England when she was young, so most of the UK records are out by exactly 2 years when it refers to her birth date, but there seems to be plenty of other corroboration in various censuses and so on that this is the same person.
My Grandmother was born in Ireland in the early 1900s. I looked into this a few years ago and collected various documents, but other priorities intervened and I dropped it for a while.
In the meantime, my father passed away last year which I think might change the documentation that I need.
I am pretty sure I have already got the obvious ones like her birth records, my father's birth records, his marriage certificate to his mother, my birth record.
As I remember, I have to apply first to go on some kind of register which already takes a long time, and then I can apply for a passport after that?
There is also a slight issue in that my Grandmother seemed to claim she was 2 years younger (to the day) when her family moved to England when she was young, so most of the UK records are out by exactly 2 years when it refers to her birth date, but there seems to be plenty of other corroboration in various censuses and so on that this is the same person.
Apr 6th 2023, 6:22 pm
#2
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Apr 7th 2023, 12:09 pm
#3
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Thanks - it seems like the required documents and wording were slightly updated since the last time I was looking a few years ago but this is pretty helpful. Seems like I now have everything I need except for my Father's death certificate which I can get quite easily.
Apr 7th 2023, 12:49 pm
#4
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Re: Irish Citizenship
If neither of your parents were born in Ireland you’ll need to register your birth before you can apply for a Irish passport.
https://www.dfa.ie/citizenship/born-...foreign-birth/
https://www.dfa.ie/citizenship/born-...foreign-birth/
Apr 7th 2023, 1:25 pm
#5
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Has anyone been through this process already, and is it worth providing additional documentation if there are any discrepancies e.g. the birth date discrepancy I mentioned above?
Apr 7th 2023, 4:40 pm
#6
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Yes I'm aware - I followed the links from the prior link - as said it seems like I have all the documents needed except for one.
Has anyone been through this process already, and is it worth providing additional documentation if there are any discrepancies e.g. the birth date discrepancy I mentioned above?
Has anyone been through this process already, and is it worth providing additional documentation if there are any discrepancies e.g. the birth date discrepancy I mentioned above?
Fortunately the FBR are getting through the massive backlog now and the process is currently taking about a year.
Now that your father has sadly died, you will need a copy of his death certificate rather than a certified copy of his passport.
I had a few minor discrepancies on my certificates and I was very worried so I phoned the FBR office and they were very helpful. They said it's common to have discrepancies on certificates (literary skills were not as good back then) and they said I should send a covering letter with my application to explain them which I did.
Good luck with the application!
Apr 15th 2023, 10:35 am
#7
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Yes, I have been through the FBR process and I'm certainly glad I have!
Fortunately the FBR are getting through the massive backlog now and the process is currently taking about a year.
Now that your father has sadly died, you will need a copy of his death certificate rather than a certified copy of his passport.
I had a few minor discrepancies on my certificates and I was very worried so I phoned the FBR office and they were very helpful. They said it's common to have discrepancies on certificates (literary skills were not as good back then) and they said I should send a covering letter with my application to explain them which I did.
Good luck with the application!
Fortunately the FBR are getting through the massive backlog now and the process is currently taking about a year.
Now that your father has sadly died, you will need a copy of his death certificate rather than a certified copy of his passport.
I had a few minor discrepancies on my certificates and I was very worried so I phoned the FBR office and they were very helpful. They said it's common to have discrepancies on certificates (literary skills were not as good back then) and they said I should send a covering letter with my application to explain them which I did.
Good luck with the application!
I have also typed up a covering letter as you suggested. I would really love to know why my Grandmother made herself 2 years younger when she came to England (or maybe was done by her parents) but there is nobody still alive now who could explain it and even my father was surprised by this when I applied for a copy of the birth certificate - so even when living he didn't know why she had done this. I think that it was much easier to do this type of thing before records were digitised and globally accessible.
My cousin has provided a lot of other printed documents from census records and so on that tracks the same original family as they moved to England and around England in the first half of the 20th century. Do you think I should include that already or wait to see if they ask for it?
Apr 16th 2023, 10:41 am
#8
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Thanks for your help - I have just submitted my application online and I have a friend who is a lawyer coming round tomorrow to witness the various documents.
I have also typed up a covering letter as you suggested. I would really love to know why my Grandmother made herself 2 years younger when she came to England (or maybe was done by her parents) but there is nobody still alive now who could explain it and even my father was surprised by this when I applied for a copy of the birth certificate - so even when living he didn't know why she had done this. I think that it was much easier to do this type of thing before records were digitised and globally accessible.
My cousin has provided a lot of other printed documents from census records and so on that tracks the same original family as they moved to England and around England in the first half of the 20th century. Do you think I should include that already or wait to see if they ask for it?
I have also typed up a covering letter as you suggested. I would really love to know why my Grandmother made herself 2 years younger when she came to England (or maybe was done by her parents) but there is nobody still alive now who could explain it and even my father was surprised by this when I applied for a copy of the birth certificate - so even when living he didn't know why she had done this. I think that it was much easier to do this type of thing before records were digitised and globally accessible.
My cousin has provided a lot of other printed documents from census records and so on that tracks the same original family as they moved to England and around England in the first half of the 20th century. Do you think I should include that already or wait to see if they ask for it?
I really don't think your grandmother's age discrepancy will be a problem because it was a common occurrence back then and the FBR office see it all the time. As far as I know, the FBR only go by official public records and not census records (notoriously inaccurate because people told fibs on them!) but there is no harm in giving them the census stuff if you can easily add it in.
Someone's age was out by a year on my application but I explained it in the covering letter and it wasn't a problem.
I wonder how long your application will take? Hopefully less than a year.
Apr 16th 2023, 10:52 am
#9
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Glad I was able to help.
I really don't think your grandmother's age discrepancy will be a problem because it was a common occurrence back then and the FBR office see it all the time. As far as I know, the FBR only go by official public records and not census records (notoriously inaccurate because people told fibs on them!) but there is no harm in giving them the census stuff if you can easily add it in.
Someone's age was out by a year on my application but I explained it in the covering letter and it wasn't a problem.
I wonder how long your application will take? Hopefully less than a year.
I really don't think your grandmother's age discrepancy will be a problem because it was a common occurrence back then and the FBR office see it all the time. As far as I know, the FBR only go by official public records and not census records (notoriously inaccurate because people told fibs on them!) but there is no harm in giving them the census stuff if you can easily add it in.
Someone's age was out by a year on my application but I explained it in the covering letter and it wasn't a problem.
I wonder how long your application will take? Hopefully less than a year.
- Do you recommend sending it by some kind of registered post or special service? I've heard that those kind of proof of delivery services don't tend to work with government agencies as they tend to use a separate sorting office and they won't sign for it anyway.
- Do the original documents that I send get returned eventually?
- If / when it's accepted do you get some kind of official certificate or card that gets sent to you with some kind of citizen reference that you can then use to apply for a passport?
- Was it clear to you about marriage certificates? I have them but on the website it kind of implies that marriage certificates are only needed if the person changed their name on getting married. However on the actual application form itself, the notes seem to suggest you have to send marriage certificates regardless (which seems odd if you haven't changed your name because being married or not is irrelevant to whether your application should be granted).
Apr 16th 2023, 12:54 pm
#10
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Thanks yes I will be posting it off tomorrow. The website says 9-12 months from when they first receive all the required documents. Couple of other questions
- Do you recommend sending it by some kind of registered post or special service? I've heard that those kind of proof of delivery services don't tend to work with government agencies as they tend to use a separate sorting office and they won't sign for it anyway.
- Do the original documents that I send get returned eventually?
- If / when it's accepted do you get some kind of official certificate or card that gets sent to you with some kind of citizen reference that you can then use to apply for a passport?
- Was it clear to you about marriage certificates? I have them but on the website it kind of implies that marriage certificates are only needed if the person changed their name on getting married. However on the actual application form itself, the notes seem to suggest you have to send marriage certificates regardless (which seems odd if you haven't changed your name because being married or not is irrelevant to whether your application should be granted).
- Do you recommend sending it by some kind of registered post or special service? I've heard that those kind of proof of delivery services don't tend to work with government agencies as they tend to use a separate sorting office and they won't sign for it anyway.
- Do the original documents that I send get returned eventually?
- If / when it's accepted do you get some kind of official certificate or card that gets sent to you with some kind of citizen reference that you can then use to apply for a passport?
- Was it clear to you about marriage certificates? I have them but on the website it kind of implies that marriage certificates are only needed if the person changed their name on getting married. However on the actual application form itself, the notes seem to suggest you have to send marriage certificates regardless (which seems odd if you haven't changed your name because being married or not is irrelevant to whether your application should be granted).
The original documents are returned to you by post when the application process has been completed.
Once your FBR application has been approved, you will receive an email saying your application is about to be approved and to check that your address has not changed in the meantime.
About a week later you will receive a congratulations email telling you that your FBR certificate will be posted to you imminently.
You will then receive said FBR certificate by recorded delivery in the next week or so. It's an A4 sized certificate with your photo, the parent's birth name and your birth name. You can then go ahead and apply for your Irish passport!
Re marriage certificates, you need your grandparents' marriage certificate and your parents' marriage certificate but not your own unless you have changed your surname and it is not the same name as your birth surname.
To recap you need the following original documents:
Grandparent's birth, marriage and death certificates.
Parent's birth, marriage and either death certificate or certified copy of passport.
Your birth certificate, marriage certificate if not using birth name and certified copy of your passport.
Covering letter and printed copy of FBR application form.
9-12 months waiting time is a massive improvement!
Apr 16th 2023, 1:04 pm
#11
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Re: Irish Citizenship
We sent my certificates by recorded delivery from Spain and it took exactly one week to arrive in Dublin. I would definitely recommend you do the same.
The original documents are returned to you by post when the application process has been completed.
Once your FBR application has been approved, you will receive an email saying your application is about to be approved and to check that your address has not changed in the meantime.
About a week later you will receive a congratulations email telling you that your FBR certificate will be posted to you imminently.
You will then receive said FBR certificate by recorded delivery in the next week or so. It's an A4 sized certificate with your photo, the parent's birth name and your birth name. You can then go ahead and apply for your Irish passport!
Re marriage certificates, you need your grandparents' marriage certificate and your parents' marriage certificate but not your own unless you have changed your surname and it is not the same name as your birth surname.
To recap you need the following original documents:
Grandparent's birth, marriage and death certificates.
Parent's birth, marriage and either death certificate or certified copy of passport.
Your birth certificate, marriage certificate if not using birth name and certified copy of your passport.
Covering letter and printed copy of FBR application form.
9-12 months waiting time is a massive improvement!
The original documents are returned to you by post when the application process has been completed.
Once your FBR application has been approved, you will receive an email saying your application is about to be approved and to check that your address has not changed in the meantime.
About a week later you will receive a congratulations email telling you that your FBR certificate will be posted to you imminently.
You will then receive said FBR certificate by recorded delivery in the next week or so. It's an A4 sized certificate with your photo, the parent's birth name and your birth name. You can then go ahead and apply for your Irish passport!
Re marriage certificates, you need your grandparents' marriage certificate and your parents' marriage certificate but not your own unless you have changed your surname and it is not the same name as your birth surname.
To recap you need the following original documents:
Grandparent's birth, marriage and death certificates.
Parent's birth, marriage and either death certificate or certified copy of passport.
Your birth certificate, marriage certificate if not using birth name and certified copy of your passport.
Covering letter and printed copy of FBR application form.
9-12 months waiting time is a massive improvement!
One thing regarding marriage certificates - I assumed that the marriage certificate needed for my father was the one between him and my mother.
My parents divorced later on and my father got married again, so the name of his spouse on his death certificate is not the same one obviously. Hopefully this is not a problem.
Apr 16th 2023, 2:20 pm
#12
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Cheers and thank you again.
One thing regarding marriage certificates - I assumed that the marriage certificate needed for my father was the one between him and my mother.
My parents divorced later on and my father got married again, so the name of his spouse on his death certificate is not the same one obviously. Hopefully this is not a problem.
One thing regarding marriage certificates - I assumed that the marriage certificate needed for my father was the one between him and my mother.
My parents divorced later on and my father got married again, so the name of his spouse on his death certificate is not the same one obviously. Hopefully this is not a problem.
I would mention it in the covering letter and be prepared to provide the decree absolute and second marriage certificate later if necessary but I doubt they will be needed and I wouldn't hold things up now.
You might want to join this forum, it's very helpful and friendly:
https://www.immigrationboards.com/ir...7641-5650.html
Mar 21st 2024, 6:35 pm
#14
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Rather than starting new thread I’ll revive this one.
My wife has now managed to pull all of her documents together with the exception of her (living) mothers ID. Shes in her 80’s, resides in the UK, she’s never had a passport, never driven and so has no formal photo ID. Does anyone know what else could be acceptable for a FBR application? I’ve tried calling several times for clarification but can never get through. Thanks in advance.
My wife has now managed to pull all of her documents together with the exception of her (living) mothers ID. Shes in her 80’s, resides in the UK, she’s never had a passport, never driven and so has no formal photo ID. Does anyone know what else could be acceptable for a FBR application? I’ve tried calling several times for clarification but can never get through. Thanks in advance.
Mar 21st 2024, 7:06 pm
#15
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Re: Irish Citizenship
Rather than starting new thread I’ll revive this one.
My wife has now managed to pull all of her documents together with the exception of her (living) mothers ID. Shes in her 80’s, resides in the UK, she’s never had a passport, never driven and so has no formal photo ID. Does anyone know what else could be acceptable for a FBR application? I’ve tried calling several times for clarification but can never get through. Thanks in advance.
My wife has now managed to pull all of her documents together with the exception of her (living) mothers ID. Shes in her 80’s, resides in the UK, she’s never had a passport, never driven and so has no formal photo ID. Does anyone know what else could be acceptable for a FBR application? I’ve tried calling several times for clarification but can never get through. Thanks in advance.
However just to update in the meantime., I recently finally received the certificate that I was successfully added to the FBR, so they were satisfied with my explanations and did not request any further information. It took a bit less than a year. I have not yet applied for the passport as I need my passport in early May so I will wait till afterwards.