Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation Applications

Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation

• You may be eligible to apply for Irish Citizenship by naturalisation if you are living in the Irish state or if you are living on the Island of Ireland and married to an Irish citizen. You may also be eligible to apply for Irish Citizenship if you are of Irish descent or have Irish associations or have been resident abroad in the Irish public service or have been declared to be a refugee or stateless as defined by law.
• If your Irish Citizenship application is approved you will be invited to attend a Citizenship Ceremony where you will receive a Certificate of Irish Naturalization and make a declaration of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the state of Ireland.

How to become an Irish Citizen

Below we detail how to become an Irish Citizen by applying for Irish Citizenship by way of naturalisation.

Criteria for applying for Irish Citizenship as an adult

• Are of full age (aged 18 or over, or if aged under 18 you are married)
• Meet the relevant conditions for residence
• Intend to reside in the Irish state or if you are the spouse / civil partner of an Irish citizen intend to reside in the island of Ireland
• Are of good character
• Will attend a citizenship ceremony and make a declaration of fidelity.

Irish Citizenship criteria for applying as a dependant young adult

You may apply for Irish citizenship as a dependant young adult if you meet the eligibility requirements for an adult application and you

• Are aged 18 – 23 when you apply
• Entered the Irish state legally as part of a family unit
• Are currently attending secondary school in the Irish state, or you went directly from secondary school directly into third level education in the Irish state
• Are continuously dependent on your parents, you are not financially independent.

Irish Citizenship criteria for applying as Minors / children

• A minor (child) is someone aged under 18 who is not married at the time of application.
• A child cannot make the application for Irish Citizenship by themselves.
• The Irish Citizenship application must be made by their parent, legal guardian or a person acting on the child’s behalf “in loco parentis”

Irish Citizenship Adult application

To apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation based on residence, you must prove that you

• Have been – and are now – legally resident in the Irish state, and
• Have built up enough reckonable residence in the Irish state
• You must prove that you have been legally resident in the Irish state for at least 5 years out of the last 9 years. This includes 1 year continuous residence in Ireland immediately before the date you apply.
• You can do this by showing your immigration permission stamps or documents from the Department of Justice indicating your permissions granted in Ireland.

Irish Citizenship Adult application based on residence for the UK, EU / EEA & Swiss nationals

• To apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation based on residence in Ireland, you must prove that you have been resident in the Irish state for at least 5 years (1825 or 1826) out of the last 9 years
• This includes 1 year (365 or 366 days) of continuous residence in Ireland  immediately before the date you apply.
• The UK, EU / EEA and Swiss nationals do not need to use the residence calculator.
• You must send 3 different documents for each year you claim you were resident in Ireland to use as proof of Irish residence. You should submit photocopies of each document and ensure that each document shows your name and address.

Irish Citizenship Adult application based on marriage to or civil partnership to an Irish citizen

You can apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation based on your marriage to or being the civil partner of an Irish citizen. To apply, you must meet the eligibility and other requirements as listed here.

• Have been married to, or in a civil partnership with, an Irish citizen for 3 years
• Have been (and are now) living together in Ireland in an ongoing marriage / civil partnership of not less than 3 years.
• Be of full age (18 or over) when you apply
• You must prove that you have been legally resident on the island of Ireland for at least 3 years out of the last 5 years. This includes 1 year of continuous residence in Ireland immediately before the date you apply.
• You must be a legally resident on the island of Ireland. If you are a non – EU / EEA and non-Swiss spouse / civil partner of an Irish national, you must keep your immigration registration up–to–date at all times during your residence both in the Irish state and on the island of Ireland.

Irish Citizenship Application Processing

Currently it takes 19 months approximately for a straightforward Irish Citizenship application to be processed from the date it is received to the date a decision is made. However, processing times can vary depending on circumstances.

Irish Citizenship Application Checks

• Used the correct (most recent) version of the application form
• Paid the application fee
• Completed the statutory declarations
• Submitted all documents as listed in the form’s Guidance Note.

Irish Citizenship Submission

When processing is complete, we will prepare a submission on your Irish Citizenship application for decision by the Minister for Justice. There is no guarantee your Irish Citizenship application will be successful even if you meet all conditions required by law. The Minister has absolute discretion for granting Irish citizenship.