Dual Citizenship in Ireland for Canadian Citizens

The qualification for Irish citizenship through descent is dependent on your parent, whether they were Irish citizens at that time, and their status at the time of your birth. However, you need to meet certain requirements to qualify for dual citizenship of Irish descent.

• You are qualified for Irish citizenship if either of your parents were born in Ireland, even if you were not born in Ireland. This implies that you do not need to apply for dual citizenship; you automatically become an Irish citizen.
• You are qualified for Irish citizenship through descent from your Irish grandparent(s); whether or not your parents were from Ireland, Northern Ireland, or a British citizen, one of your grandparents must have been born in Ireland. However, you must register your birth under the Foreign Birth Registration to claim your citizenship.
• You are eligible for dual Irish citizenship if either one parent or Irish-born grandparents have/had Irish citizenship at the time of your birth.

There are processes to take when applying for Irish citizenship as a Canadian citizen. If you want to claim Irish dual citizenship through descent or birth, you must have registered your birth in the Foreign Births Register, which involves documenting the ancestry from which you want to claim. The application process here involves:

• Submit your birth certificate and marriage certificate, if needed
• Submit any name change documentation, if applicable
• Submit proof of identity, in the form of a passport/national identity card/driver’s license, etc.
• Two proofs of your residence address
• Four passport-sized photographs of you. As a form of identification, a professional witness that knows you personally must sign two of your passport photos. He/she must also stamp your application form with their official stamp to verify that the copy of your state identification is genuine.

There are cases where you will need to provide some other supporting documents, especially if you are claiming Irish dual citizenship through a grandparent or parent; you must be able to provide their birth certificate, marriage certificate, and death certificate, if applicable. You must also prove that your grandparent or parents are Irish citizens by providing their passport/driver’s license etc. After your documents have been submitted to the necessary quarters, it may take up to 6 months for your application to be processed.

If you are applying for Irish citizenship based on your time spent in Ireland, whether as a spouse of an Irish national or under an eligible stamp, visa or permit, there are specific processes as well. They are:

1. Fill in the relevant application form.
2. Gather all the required documentation together. The documents you are to submit are dependent on the citizenship route through which you are applying and your particular circumstances.
3. Send in your application by post to the Citizenship Division of Immigration Service Delivery (ISD).

The documents you are to send depend on how you came to live in Ireland. Typically, those documents include:

• A copy of your current Canadian passport and all previous passports that have stamps contributing to your period of reckonable residency
• Original birth certificate and marriage/civil partnership certificate (if relevant)
• passport photographs
• A copy of your current Immigrant Registration Card
• Up-to-date tax clearance certificate

If applying based on your stay in Ireland as a spouse of an Irish citizen, you may need to provide additional documents that include your partner’s proof of citizenship and proof you lived together.

After applying for dual citizenship and your application has been approved, you can then proceed to apply for an Irish passport.

An Irish passport is a means of identification that shows that you have officially become an Irish citizen.

However, due to changes in the Irish immigration laws on 29th March 2016, you may no longer need to provide a photocopy of your public services card for identification for any first-time applicant of an adult passport.

When applying for your Irish passport, you will need to provide proof of residence address with other documentation required to prove that you are worthy of an Irish passport.

The documents to submit depend on the route taken towards Irish citizenship.

If you acquired Irish dual citizenship through naturalization, you must provide these stated documents below:

• Naturalisation certificate
• Foreign passport
• Birth certificate
• Civil marriage/civil partnership certificate.

The application fee for Irish dual citizenship is €175, which is non-refundable regardless of the reason, whether the application was rejected based on false documents or insufficient information.
Besides the citizenship application fee, other costs may incur later; for example, you will need to pay for your official Certificate of Naturalization.

The cost for a naturalization certificate differs in individual categories. These include:

• Adults: €950
• Minor: €200
• Widow, Widower, or Surviving Civil Partner of Irish citizen: €200
• Recognized refugee or stateless person: €0

Total Law’s excellent immigration lawyers are vastly experienced in dealing with Irish dual citizenship and can provide advice and support to make your application process smooth.

Our immigration lawyers will help you determine that you meet the eligibility criteria, help you gather the supporting documents to ensure there are no delays or denials, and help you complete a high-standard application to maximize your chances of success.

For advice and assistance with your Irish citizenship application, contact us today at +1 844 290 6312 or use the online contact form to get in touch.