The US, as well as Canada, Australia, and Great Britain, have all seen a surge in residents applying for Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) in Ireland.
The figures are being highlighted by the Washington, DC-based group Irish By Descent on the foot of a Freedom of Information request it lodged with Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs.
In June, the group obtained annual FBR application figures for the US, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia covering 2013–2025.
The information provided to Irish By Descent shows that annual FBR applications from US residents rose from 11,601 in 2024 to 18,910 in 2025, an increase of approximately 63%.
The 2025 total was also the highest annual total in the 2013–2025 figures, and was more than twice the 6,984 applications recorded in 2022.
Measured over the longer term, applications rose approximately 816% from 2,064 in 2015 to 18,910 in 2025.
In 2026, up to and including May 18, there had been 6,605 FBR applications from US residents.
Meanwhile, there was a 46% increase in FBR applications from Canada, a 22% increase from Australia, and an 11% increase from Great Britain between 2024 and 2025.
What is Irish Foreign Birth Registration?
In Ireland, the Foreign Births Register is for people who can apply to become Irish citizens through their Irish-born grandparents or their parent who was an Irish citizen at the time of their birth, but was not born in Ireland.
If you were born outside of Ireland, you can become an Irish citizen if one of your grandparents was born in Ireland, and / or one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, even though they were not born in Ireland.
Once a person is entered onto the Foreign Births Register, they are an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport.
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