This article provides a general overview of Foreign Birth Registration as it stands in 2025. Specifically, it explores the application process for adults not born in Ireland but who may be eligible for citizenship. Personal circumstances, and applications on behalf of minors will influence the pathway and accompanying documentation required. Readers are also advised to visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website for more details.

Up until 2020, things were relatively straightforward for UK citizens seeking to relocate to a country within the European Union. Legislation post Brexit changed all that of course. Now residency and even free movement in Ireland and other EU countries are fraught with limitations.

No surprise then that, for those eligible, the Irish passport is worth its weight in gold as a pathway to EU relocation. Over the last five years or more there has been an exponential growth in applicants living overseas who wish to assert their right to Irish citizenship. In the UK, the reaction to Brexit has been one part of the phenomenon. Economic and political factors in other countries—notably the US—have also been major influences. Prior to passport application however, the first process for foreign nationals is to have their Irish citizenship formally acknowledged via Foreign Birth Registration (FBR).

ELIGIBILITY AND THE APPLICATION PROCESS

For foreign nationals who have Irish ancestry, Irish citizenship is not an automatic right. Acknowledgement of citizenship is made through the FBR process and available only to those born outside of Ireland with certain direct links to heritage. Eligibility criteria includes where a grandparent was an Irish citizen through being born in Ireland; or a parent who is Irish through naturalisation or adoption; or where a parent is an Irish citizen through their own entry on the Foreign Birth Register. Importantly, if the nearest ancestral link is a great-grandparent (or a more distant relative), the individual will not be eligible for FBR.

Applications are made online at the website of An Roinn Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála (The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Guidance is available on the site to check for eligibility and outlines a range of supporting documentation to be submitted. There are slightly different application pathways to follow depending on the heritage link and whether the individual is an adult or an adult is completing an application for their child under 18 years of age. In all cases, the completed application is submitted online, and now with an assigned unique identifying number, a copy is printed off, signed by a witness, and sent by mail to the Dublin office.

CERTIFICATES AND IDENTIFICATION

Documentation is needed to ‘prove’ heritage though the relationship links of successive family members. Invariably this includes includes a range of birth, death and marriage certificates. In addition, photographic and written evidence for identification is needed. These are:

• A copy of applicant’s passport, driver’s licence or national ID card (certified by the application form witness).
• Two methods to prove the address of the applicant, such as utility bills or bank statements.
• Four colour photographs of the applicant (of specific dimensions, two of which are certified and signed by the witness).
• Photographic identification of the parent, certified by a professional as listed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is also needed. For parents no longer living, a death certificate is required instead.

COSTS

The cost of the FBR application in 2025 is €286 per adult (€161 for under 18s). The fee is payable on submission. There is also a small administration and postage charge.

The cost of obtaining documentation should also be factored in. Copies of a UK birth, death or marriage certificate in the UK are currently £12.50 each, or £16 if the GRO index reference number is unavailable. This is the number used by the General Register Office which aids exact location of the certificate. Expect to need at least 4 to 6 certificates as a minimum depending on the types of documentation required. An expedited processing and delivery option for these documents from the registry source to the applicant’s home is available but can be expensive.

TIMESCALES

One particular peak period of FBR applications was naturally around the time of Brexit. Waiting lists up to two years were created for application reviews (this was also due to slower application and processing methods). Now, applicants should expect to wait approximately 10 months for review. The individual is notified when the submitted application is ready for assessment.

There may be situations where the review process is delayed. In theory the witnesses must be available for contact, so correct and up to date details are essential. The most common reason for a delay or application rejection is inadequate or incorrect documentation.

Assuming all goes well, notification of successful entry onto the register arrives by email within a few weeks of review. An FBR certificate signed by an Authorised Officer follows shortly after, and supporting documents are returned. Once in possession of the FBR certificate, a separate application is required for the 10-year Irish passport. Current passport fees are €75 to €105 depending on whether the standard size or larger 66-page format is required.

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website does give guidance for the supply of appropriate documentation. However, circumstances can be unique. Some demands of FBR application can be tricky to comply with. Examples include issues around obtaining certificates from the foreign national’s current place of residence, the need for official certificate translations, and the difficulties of providing evidence of identification (such as an elderly grandparent who does not possess a passport, driving licence or other form of photographic ID).

The timescale involved is another frustrating element. Once the application and documentation are sent out into the wild, there is no way of monitoring progress through the system. The first notification the applicant will receive is at the review stage. On the upside, if there is an issue with particular forms of documentation or the application itself, the review team will reach out by email. Responses back to the team should prompt to avoid closure of the application.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Full details of eligibility and requirements for FBR certification, and the application portal can be found at www.ireland.ie .

Other than the information on The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website, additional online support is limited. One useful social media resource is the Facebook group Foreign Birth & Passports Ireland. Consisting of experts and fellow / former applicants, the community provides a forum for discussion about past experiences and practical advice which is not provided elsewhere.