To apply for entry on the Foreign Births Register and claim Irish citizenship, applicants are requested by the Department to provide a comprehensive set of original and certified documents.
These include:
Applicant Documents:
- Original civil birth certificate (showing parent’s details)
- Marriage certificate or change of name document (if applicable)
- Copies of state-issued ID (passport, driver’s licence, or national ID)
- Proofs of address
- Passport Photographs
Documents for Irish Ancestor (Parent or Grandparent):
- Original civil birth certificate
- Marriage certificate or change of name document (if applicable)
- Certified copy of ID or death certificate
- These documents will be filed with the completed FB1A (or B) form with the FBR Unit in Dublin.
What if I can’t provide these documents?
The FBR Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs require that full evidence of a person’s entitlement to citizenship is provided to them for their checks and verification processes. This is absolutely right and proper. The certification of a person’s entitlement to Irish citizenship (and indeed thereby EU citizenship) is not a trivial matter.
However – while the list set out by the Department is definitely what an applicant should aim to provide, the matter which is to be verified by the Department is the person’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. The Department is not entitled to fetter their discretion in what they can accept as good evidence of that entitlement. As such, with proper legal guidance, it is possible to provide alternatives to the documents set out and achieve recognition.
Please contact our experienced team of immigration law solicitors at info@mcgrathmullan.ie
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