An Irish passport is one of the most sought-after travel documents in the world.
I have both Irish and English citizenship and have always used the Irish passport in preference.
It's kitschy but true; being Irish is seen as being more, well, likeable or something.
The easiest way to get an Irish passport of course is to be born in Ireland.
But, if you drew the short straw on that one, you're going to need an Irish parent or an Irish grandparent.
If you have an Irish great-grandparent you need to satisfy the following requirements;
There are two circumstances under which a great-grandchild is eligible to apply for Irish citizenship by descent:
The Irish Consulate in New York explained that the parent would need to be registered in the "Foreign Birth Register" which is held at the Consulate, effectively a listing of those of Irish citizens born abroad who are entitled to Irish citizenship who have their births "registered."
Meanwhile, Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen has indicated that he would favor relaxing naturalization laws and allowing Americans whose nearest Irish relative is a great-grandparent to claim citizenship, provided they have spent some time either working or studying in Ireland. So watch this space.
A practical use of an Irish passport is that you will be entitled to work and travel freely in any of the 27 countries in the European Union.
You won’t need a work permit for this – and once you have worked in a European Union county for a certain length of time, you will be entitled to unemployment compensation, health care and pension rights.
How else then can you get an Irish passport? Getting a passport is really the easy part – it’s getting Irish citizenship that takes a little time.
Born in Ireland
To get an Irish passport, you must first become an Irish citizen. Fortunately, Americans can hold dual citizenship, as can Irish, so there’s no conflict there.
Let’s look at the scenarios that allow you to claim Irish citizenship.
Anyone born in Ireland before January 1, 2005 is an Irish citizen. After that date, it is not automatic, and the citizenship and residency history of both parents is taken into account.
Marriage to Irish citizen
You are also entitled to Irish citizenship if you are married to an Irish citizen.
To claim citizenship by marriage, you must meet the following conditions: you must be married to an Irish citizen for at least three years; you must have had one year of "continuous residence" on the island of Ireland immediately before the date of your application; and finally, you must have been living on the island of Ireland for at least two of the four years before that year of continuous residence.
If you were born outside of Ireland and either your mother or father (or both) was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, then you are entitled to Irish citizenship.
Permanent residency
If you have been a permanent resident in Ireland, you can try to become a citizen through naturalization. You will need to have lived permanently in Ireland for the previous five years, be over 18 and not have a criminal record.
But let’s face it – living in Ireland for five years is a lot of effort just to get that Irish passport. A much better way to get an Irish passport is to have at least one Irish grandparent. And by Irish, we mean an Irish grandparent who was or is an Irish citizen.
Irish grandparents
What to do next?
After getting an Irish grandparent, the next thing to do is to call an Irish consulate and ask them to send you an application form. There are Irish consulates in most of the major U.S cities. They should also be able to advise you on getting the right documentation in order for your application.
You’ll need a copy of your grandparent’s birth certificate from Ireland. If you don’t have a copy you can get one from the General Registry Office in Dublin. (Click here to go to their Web site.)
You will also need: Your grandparent's certificate of marriage; your parents' birth and marriage certificates; and an original death certificate for any of these relatives who have passed away. If the grandparent is deceased, you’ll need to show a certified copy of their death certificate, and if alive, a current official I.D. (such as a driver’s license or passport.)
To access the Irish documents, it will help you to know as much information about where and when your Irish grandparent was born, which may involve some genealogy research.
If one of your parents is Irish, and you would like to get an Irish passport, the process is easier. You need: their marriage certificate; a current official I.D; a copy of their death certificate if your Irish parent has passed away, a full long-form birth certificate of your Irish parent, showing your grandparents’ names, places of birth and ages at birth.
You will also need: your own long-form birth certificate; documentation to show that you have changed your name, such as a marriage certificate, if this has happened; a notarized copy of your current passport, and at least three other notarized copies of proofs of identity, one of which must be a photo I.D; a bank/utility statement with your current address; and two signed passport photos.
Once you have established your Irish citizenship – which can take up to 18 months to process – you can apply for an Irish passport. This can take up to six weeks to process and you can do this through your nearest Irish consulate.
And then, you too can sashay through the EU passport section at Dublin airport after the overnight flight from New York!
20 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.inseattle | May 11, 2011, 03:52 PM EDT
Can I get "Political Asylum" from the US? :)
terryboylan | Mar 24, 2011, 10:58 AM EDT
Can I get my dual citizenship if I hand carry all the forms requested to Ireland? Or do I have to go through the Irish Consulate in New York or the Embasy in Washington DC. Which is faster
iamdiva | Mar 20, 2011, 01:37 AM EDT
One of my great-grandparents were born there, but I don't even know their first name only the surname. This would be a dream come true to learn more about my heritage, but one day I will know the information and hopefully the process will be easier! :)
desdamona | Mar 13, 2011, 04:26 PM EDT
Great my mother was born in tydavnet county monaghan, I"ll move on this and visit the consulate in ny.
howareya | Mar 08, 2011, 11:34 AM EST
I have just gotten the forms for my twin grandbabies to register them with the Foreign Births Registry! My kids are Irish citizens by mean of their father and both sides of grandparents being born in Ireland. You never know when you might need an Irish passport!
thunder | Mar 06, 2011, 08:11 PM EST
I'm in the process of getting a passport now. I called ahead and went to the church where my Grandmother Nora was baptised and that is legit also. She was born in 1901 in Clifden a glorious part of County Galway. Can't wait to back.
mariamoran | Mar 06, 2011, 03:56 PM EST
Hmm...ALL of my ggparents were born in Ireland but I'm sure my parents didn't register.
SCVMal | Mar 05, 2011, 09:34 PM EST
Faith 'N Begorrah....and because of my age, it will be free, too!~ Slainte!
brondell | Mar 05, 2011, 08:14 PM EST
Too bad for me---only my great-grandfather was born in Ireland-and I'm too old to wait until the powers that be ease up on the requirements.
rpmschevy | Mar 05, 2011, 01:42 PM EST
Wait a minute. Did you forget to add Niall's method? Where is the illegal alien method? Per Niall it is perfectly acceptable for criminals to come to the United States, take tax dollars and jobs, and then demand citizenship. Kelly why do you not show that method? Your article is lacking and considering Niall is like the head honcho why is this not written here? Wait, did I hear something about Ireland having a law against such a thing? Ah. Per Niall it is only acceptable to break American law. I see.
GeorgeDillon | Mar 05, 2011, 01:30 PM EST
The easiest way to get an Irish passport is to land at Dublin Airport from London or Paris and flush your Nigerian passport down the commode in the plane. Then scream "Political Asylum" as you go thru Immigration. Tell them you're from Sudan or Somalia--they won't be able to tell that you're a Nigerian. They'll find you a house and pay you an allowance for being a "refugee" and shortly thereafter your Irish passport will arrive. Don't believe me? Check out the Waiting Room in the Irish Passport Office in Dublin. It's full of Africans and Arabs. Or look around you on a flight into or out of Dublin. You'll see several African "refugees" leaving to transit in Paris or Brussels for Africa, the place they feared so much that they sought "refuge" as far away as Ireland, avoiding a score of other safe havens on the way.
Whitepark | Mar 05, 2011, 12:41 PM EST
Dara Kelly you have some nerve telling the Irish people what not to sing,I dont know what rock you climbed out from under, our music is a large part of our heritage and history,We now have peace in Ireland and we are grateful for that, opinions like yours can destroy that causing resentment.
ShaneODowd | Mar 05, 2011, 10:38 AM EST
I took all of my documents with me to Ireland, much faster! Took my long form birth certificate, my mother's birth & marriage certs went to the garda station. They took a few minutes to do whatever it is they do with documents, received a stamp on my papers, popped into passport office and had a passport in a few days! You can pay extra to expedite the service. So very proud to use my passport on a trip to London a few days later only to find out they don't even stamp it!! UK Border Agency has a special line for Irish Travelers, you just breeze through! Whoosh!
toddlohenry | Mar 05, 2011, 10:02 AM EST
What if your Irish grandparents have passed on to their eternal reward?
Correll | Mar 05, 2011, 09:58 AM EST
Great my father and Grandparents were all born in Killarney
pndirishandprou | Mar 05, 2011, 09:52 AM EST
Anyone can "travel freely" within the EU once you are inside, no need for an Irish/EU passport for that. But, yes, it is a big plus to have an Irish passport. Outside of North America (don't try to enter Canada from the US with your Irish passport, it would be a hassle) I use my Irish passport exclusively. In an encounter with Islamic terrorists it may be a lifesaver. If you do extensive international travel and quality for Irish citizenship go for it. You are not only entitled to live and work in all EU countries (except for Romania and Bulgaria for the moment) but also in Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. How about Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana, Nouvelle Calendonie or Mayotte? No problem, call it home with your Irish passport.
ripley838 | Mar 05, 2011, 09:45 AM EST
Or be a member of MI-6 or the Mossad, or...
ciarrai | Mar 05, 2011, 09:33 AM EST
Who in his right mind would want to sashay through Dublin EU passport section when he can land in Shannon and see the Ireland we came for right away without all those trappings of civilisation that Dublin so thoroughly supplies?
antoman | Mar 05, 2011, 09:19 AM EST
Ask Israel for one.
DrTrelawney | Mar 05, 2011, 09:10 AM EST
"English citizenship?" Surely, you mean "British citizenship".