Irish Citizenship Application
Irish citizenship can be applied for by a foreign national that has spent a reasonable amount of time in Ireland. Individuals of Irish descent are also qualified to apply for Irish nationality and citizenship.
For advice and assistance with your application, contact us today at +44 (0) 333 305 9375 or use the online contact form to get in touch.
Page Contents
- Obtain Citizenship in Ireland
- Ways to Obtain Irish Citizenship
- Eligibility Criteria for the Irish Citizenship
- Good Character Requirements
- Documents Required to Get An Irish Citizenship
- How to Apply for an Irish Citizenship
- Irish Citizenship Processing Time and Costs
- Attending a Citizenship Ceremony
- What Counts Towards Reckonable Residence for Irish Citizenship?
- Benefits of Irish Citizenship
- Renouncing Irish Citizenship
- Reclaiming Irish Citizenship
- How Can Total Help?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Obtaining Citizenship in Ireland
The most popular way to become an Irish citizen is through a process called naturalization. Simply put, naturalization is the process where a foreign natural living in Ireland applies to become a full Irish citizen or permanent resident.
Individuals that can apply to retain Irish citizenship are those that are either married to an Irish citizen, those living on the island of Ireland or those living in the States.
When applicants are approved and become Irish citizens, they become eligible to apply for an Irish passport, and they get to enjoy living in the state with no restrictions. If you have not lived in Ireland as a reckonable residence (five years and above), you will not be eligible to apply for Irish citizenship.
Though naturalization is the most common way a foreign individual can become an Irish citizen, another way that works is Citizenship by Birth and Descent. This process is for individuals who possess Irish ancestry.
You can also get into Ireland if you have been granted refugee status.
Ways to Obtain Irish Citizenship
Irish citizenship is primarily governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956. You may be an Irish citizen by birth, or obtain citizenship in the Republic of Ireland (also referred to as the ‘State’) by descent, naturalisation, marriage or association.
We have discussed all pathways to Irish citizenship in detail to help you understand whether you may be eligible to apply to become a citizen in Ireland.
Irish Citizenship by Birth
If you were born on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland) on or before 31 December 2004, you will automatically be an Irish citizen. Your children born outside Ireland will also be entitled to Irish citizenship.
If you were born on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland) on or after 1 January 2005, you may automatically be an Irish citizen provided one (or both) of your parents is:
- An Irish citizen, or
- A British citizen, or
- Entitled to live in Northern Ireland or the State without restriction on their residency, or
- A foreign national who has legally been a resident in the island of Ireland for at least three out of four years immediately prior to your birth
Irish Citizenship by Descent
Children, who have been born abroad to non-Irish parents but have at least one Irish grandparent, can claim Irish citizenship by descent through the Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) process. Likewise, if a child was born abroad to Irish parent(s) who themselves were born outside Ireland, the child will have to enter themselves into the FBR to become an Irish citizen.
It is also possible to obtain citizenship by descent in Ireland through an Irish great-grandparent in rare cases, provided all of the following are true:
- The said great-grandparent was born in Ireland
- The child’s parent became an Irish citizen by descent through their grandparent (i.e., the child’s Irish great-grandparent)
- The concerned parent entered their details into the FBR when the child was born (if born after 1986) or between 1956 and 1986 (if born before 1986)
Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation
If you are a foreign national residing legally in Ireland for five years or more, you may apply to become an Irish citizen through the legal process of naturalisation. You will also have to meet all other requirements as specified by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD), the Irish immigration authority, before you can apply, such as:
- Be of 18 years of age or more
- Meet the reckonable residence requirement
- Be able to submit proof of residency in Ireland for every year of residency claimed
- Be of ‘good character’
- Intend in good faith to continue to reside in the State (or the island of Ireland in cases of spouse/civil partners to Irish citizens) after naturalisation
- Be willing to attend a citizenship ceremony if your citizenship application is approved and make the declaration of fidelity and loyalty to Ireland
Also note that while ISD is responsible to thoroughly review the applications for Irish citizenship by naturalisation on behalf of the Irish Minister for Justice, the Minister has the final authority to decide whether or not an applicant will be granted citizenship.
Irish Citizenship by Marriage
Irish citizenship by marriage can be viewed as a sub-category of the Irish citizenship by naturalisation process. The only considerable difference between the two processes is the number of years you are required to live in Ireland.
If you are a foreign national spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen, you may apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation after living legally on the island of Ireland for three years instead of five years. The other citizenship by naturalisation requirements as stated above remain as is.
Irish Citizenship by Association
You may also apply to become an Irish citizen by association if you are able to prove that you are related by blood, or through adoption or affinity, to an Irish citizen (alive or deceased).
The association pathway is applicable for those who have been born outside Ireland, and have neither an Irish parent or grandparent, but have close ties with the country. For example, if you have a sibling, cousin or uncle who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen (or was an Irish citizen at the time of their death), you may apply for Irish citizenship by association on the basis of blood connection.
Likewise, if your spouse or civil partner, or their immediate family members (i.e., your in-laws), is/are an Irish citizen(s) (or entitled to be so), or was/were an Irish citizen(s) at the time of their death, you may claim an affinity connection to apply for Irish citizenship by association.
Legally adopted children of an Irish citizen (or entitled to be so) or someone who was an Irish citizen at the time of their death, can also apply for Irish citizenship via the association pathway.
Eligibility Criteria for the Irish Citizenship
There are some primary conditions that applicants must meet if they want to claim Irish citizenship.
- You must be above 18 years of age to apply for Irish citizenship. The exception to this rule is married applicants. Married applicants can apply for citizenship even if they are under 18 years.
- You must have lived in Ireland for a particular length of time, at least five years (reckonable residence)
- You must declare your unwavering loyalty to Ireland. You will also declare your passion and respect and obey all the laws in the State, its views on democracy and its democratic values in the formal citizenship ceremony.
- You must have the intention of making Ireland your permanent resident.
- You must be able to illustrate good character.
A significant criterion is the number of years the applicant has spent in Ireland; reckonable residence. People from the United Kingdom have a specific length of period that they will have to stay in Ireland before they are seen as reasonable residents. Examples of these periods of time are:
- The time spent in Ireland on an employment permit.
- The time spent as the spouse or civil partner of a researcher or someone with a Critical Skill Employment Permit.
- The time spent on a Stamp 5.
- The time spent on a Stamp 4.
Good Character Requirements
Before you can apply to become an Irish national, you must prove that you have good character and can display them exceptionally. The Department of Justice and Equality need to be sure that you are of good character and will not constitute a nuisance to their country.
If you have broken any of the conditions or rules of the permit you have been living under, there is very little chance that your Irish citizenship will be accepted.
If you have any criminal record or you are involved in any criminal proceeding, it will be noted by the deciding bodies. You must state in full the details of all your proceedings in your application form.
Foreign nationals living in Ireland illegally will not be entitled to Irish citizenship.
Documents Required to Get An Irish Citizenship
The actual documents you need to submit will be dependent on where you apply and your circumstances.
The standard application form is called Application Form 8, and the necessary documents you need to include in this are:
- An original valid passport.
- Two recent photographs that contain your signature and date.
- A copy of your birth certificate.
- A copy of the completed online residency checker.
- A certified copy of your current Irish Resident Permit.
- A copy of your passport’s biometric page.
- A certified copy of your marriage certificate (if necessary)
- Copies of valid payslips within the last six months at least.
- A letter from your current employer in your residence showing when you started employment.
- A valid copy of “permission to remain” that was issued by the Irish Naturalization and Immigration Services.
Applicants that are nationals of Switzerland, EEA and EU are permitted to live and work legally in Ireland without the need for a visa or to apply for immigration stamps. Although to qualify for this, applicants must prove that they have lived in Ireland for a valid time period.
All documents that are not in the English Language must be clearly translated by an accredited translator.
If you are eligible to apply for an Irish citizenship, you can register in the foreign births register.
How to Apply for Irish Citizenship: A Step-by-step Guide
If you are automatically an Irish citizen or entitled to be so, you do not need to apply for Irish citizenship. In such cases, you may directly apply to the Department of Foreign Affairs for an Irish passport.
If you are eligible for Irish citizenship by descent, you will have to register yourself for FBR instead, which is an online process. A parent or legal guardian can make the application on behalf of a minor. On the other hand, if you are claiming Irish citizenship via an Irish grandparent (or great-grandparent), you will need to file your application through the Department of Justice, and the final decision in your cases will be at the discretion of the Irish Minister for Justice.
You will have to apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation (including citizenship by marriage/civil partnership) via the following process:
- Once you have confirmed your eligibility, start applying for Irish citizenship by naturalisation with filling up the required form online. To register an account, you will need a valid email ID (you may contact ISD for paper forms if you cannot access the online service)
- Ensure you are using the correct form to apply. For example, adult applicants will be using Form 8, whereas Form 9 is for applications made by naturalised Irish parents or legal guardians on behalf of minors, etc.
- Upload all your required supporting documents online. Your proof of identity documents must total 150 points for each year lived in Ireland. Same for your proof of residency documents
- All uploads must be true copies certified by an appropriate witness (e.g., a practising solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, Peace Commissioner, or Notary Public)
- If you are applying for Irish citizenship based on marriage/civil partnership, your application must include the relevant Statutory Declaration, duly signed by you in the presence of a practising solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, Peace Commissioner, or Notary Public
- Tick the Statutory Declaration box if you are an adult applicant (or a young adult), to legally declare that you understand the application form, and that all the facts provided in the form by you are true and correct to the best of your knowledge
- Pay the required application fee online to complete your application process
- If you are using a paper form, send the completed form and other supporting documents to the Department of Justice, along with a bank draft (drawn on an Irish bank and payable to the Secretary General, Department of Justice) for the application fee payment
Applicants for Irish citizenship by association will also follow the same process, during which an officer of the Minister of Justice will duly examine the genuineness of the applicant’s claim, and accordingly determine which of the naturalisation condition(s) is/are not met by the applicant, and if those condition(s) may be considered for waiving. The final decision lies with the Minister, who may decide to grant a certificate of naturalisation even if any (or all) of the statutory naturalisation conditions is/are not met.
Irish Citizenship Processing Time and Costs
The exact time it will take to process your Irish citizenship differs based on where you are applying and the complexity of your case.
The standard duration of time it takes to get a reply after applying for Irish citizenship through naturalization is about six months after your application has been tended. You must be sure to submit all the appropriate forms and pay all the required application fee.
If an applicant forgets to add an essential document to the application, the applicant will be given 28 days to provide it. If, after this time, the applicant still fails to provide the document, the application will definitely be rejected.
The final decision on whether an applicant’s application will be accepted or not depends on the Minister of Justice and Equality.
The exact cost of applying for Irish citizenship depends on the branch you are applying from and the circumstances surrounding your application. But the general fee for citizenship application is €175.
If your application is considered, you will then pay your official Certificate of Naturalization fee. The fee for this certificate varies depending on the individual.
- Adult: €950
- Stateless person or a recognized refugee: €0
- Minor: €200.
- Surviving civil partner or spouse of a late Irish citizen: €200 .
Attending a Citizenship Ceremony
Attending a citizenship ceremony concludes your citizenship journey in Ireland. As such, the event formally grants Irish citizenship to successful applicants. Be advised that a citizenship ceremony is not just a formal event to recognise and celebrate foreign nationals who are successfully becoming Irish citizens. It comes with a legally binding implication.
It is mandatory for all adult applicants to attend the citizenship ceremony once they have received their invitation. If you fail to attend, the process of getting Irish citizenship will not be complete, and you will not receive your certificate even though your citizenship application has been successful.
An Irish citizenship ceremony consists of two main procedures. First, you will need to register yourself when you arrive at the event venue. This step confirms to the Irish citizenship authorities that you are attending the event as required following their invitation.
The next step is to take an oath of fidelity to the Irish nation. The presiding judge will administer the ‘Declaration of Fidelity to the Irish Nation and Loyalty to the State’. Apart from the presiding judge, government ministers, and your fellow applicants, the ceremony is usually also attended by press reporters and/or photographers who will be there to cover the event. The entire event may take a couple of hours, so plan accordingly.
Your citizenship certificate will be sent to your address by registered post within four to six weeks following the citizenship ceremony. Minors are not required to attend the citizenship ceremony. They will receive their citizenship certificate by post after the certification fee is paid.
What Counts Towards Reckonable Residence for Irish Citizenship?
Reckonable residence for Irish citizenship refers to the period of residence in the State (or in the island of Ireland for spouses and civil partners of Irish citizens) that counts while calculating your length of stay in Ireland. Usually, time spent in Ireland on stamps 1, 1G, 3, 4, 5 are counted as reckonable residency.
However, time spent as an international student (generally with a Stamp 2 or Stamp 2A) or as an asylum seeker (unless you have been granted refugee status later on) will not be counted. Time spent in the State while you were undocumented will also not be considered for the reckonable residency calculation purpose.
Use the online residency calculator on the Department of Justice website to check if you meet the reckonable residency conditions. To calculate the length of your reckonable residence, first check the type(s) of immigration stamps you have on your passport and your Irish Resident Permit (IRP) card. You need to fill in the start and end dates of all your Irish immigration stamps on the calculator to determine the total length of your reckonable residency period.
If you are a foreign national legally married to or in a civil partnership with an Irish citizen, or a minor (i.e., aged less than 18) whose parents have received Irish citizenship by naturalisation, you need three years of reckonable residency instead of five years.
If you have been granted refugee status in Ireland and applied for citizenship by naturalisation on or after 8 December 2025, you must complete five years of residency from the date of your arrival. If your application was received by ISD before 8 December 2025, the previous three-year residency requirement will be applicable instead.
If you are a young adult and do not have the required length of reckonable residence yourself, you can use your parent’s reckonable residence.
If you are an adult foreign national from the UK, Switzerland or an EEA country, a reckonable residence calculation is not required. You need to provide documentary evidence of your residence history in Ireland with your application instead.
The Minister for Justice may waive the usual residency requirements in cases of Irish citizenship by descent or association. Whether the Minister waives such conditions or not in a specific case is completely at their discretion.
Benefits of Irish Citizenship
With Irish citizenship comes the right to live, work and study in the State for an indefinite period, the right to enter and exit the country freely, the right to vote, the right to stand for public office, and access to public funds. As an Irish citizen, you will also be able to work or study in EU/EEA countries with no restrictions.
Once you have become a citizen in Ireland, you can apply for an Irish passport. An Irish passport allows you to travel either visa-free or on a visa-on-arrival basis to 185 countries as of early 2026. It also confers the right to receive diplomatic protection abroad as an Irish subject upon the holder.
Renouncing Irish Citizenship
While Ireland allows dual and multiple citizenship, you may decide to renounce your Irish citizenship to become a citizen of another country, given that the concerned country’s law does not permit dual citizenship.
Only adult citizens (i.e., aged over 18 years) who live outside the State and have obtained (or are going to obtain) citizenship of another country, can renounce Irish citizenship by completing a declaration of alienage Form 13.
Your declaration must be witnessed by an acceptable witness. The form contains a list of acceptable witnesses for this purpose. You must then send your form to ISD for processing.
Reclaiming Irish Citizenship
Once you have renounced your Irish citizenship, you can reclaim it only if you were born on the island of Ireland. In such a scenario, you will have to make a declaration of citizenship.
You must complete a declaration of citizenship form, get it witnessed by an acceptable witness, and submit it to ISD for processing.
How Can Total Law Help?
If you decide you need an expert immigration lawyer to guide you throughout this process, Total Law is the best choice for you. We work closely with our clients to provide top-notch services. We have an in-depth understanding of how the process of applying for Irish citizenship works, and we have experienced, qualified and polite attorneys that are ready to help.
Total Law can help make your application process more seamless. We can prepare you for what to expect every step of the way, significantly increasing your chances of getting approved to become an Irish resident.
Call our professional client care team today to get at +44 (0) 333 305 9375.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common way to apply for Irish citizenship is by naturalization.
Yes, it is possible to get dual citizenship if you want to get your Irish citizenship but still maintain your regular citizenship. You don’t have to give up your citizenship when you want to apply for Irish citizenship.
No, you can’t. To be eligible for an Irish citizenship, you must have stayed in Ireland for a long period of time ( five years and above).
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy, the law may change, and the information may not reflect the most current legal developments. No warranty is given regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information, and we do not accept liability in such cases. We recommend consulting with a qualified lawyer at Total Law before making any decisions based on the content provided.