Please note we have now moved to online payments for applications for Foreign Birth Registration. Please have your debit/credit card details and all the required supporting documents ready before you begin your application. Further information can be found under the Supporting Documents section below.
Processing times depend on the level of demand. Currently, applications for Foreign Birth Registration can take between nine and twelve months to process from the date of receipt of a complete application with all the required supporting documentation.
An application for Irish citizenship through Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) can be submitted by any person with a grandparent born in any part of Ireland or by any person whose parent received Irish citizenship prior to the birth of the applicant.
You need to include personal details about yourself and your family in your online application to confirm that you're entitled to Irish citizenship.
All the information you need can be found on the supporting documentation that you'll have to submit with your application form.
Once you begin your online application, you have to complete it fully. You can't save your details and finish it later. So make sure you have these documents to hand before you start.
Original certificates plus one photocopy of each original document must be submitted in all cases - laminates are not accepted
Depending on the circumstances under which you are claiming Irish citizenship, you may also need:
If the parent of the applicant acquired Irish Citizenship through one of the above before their child was born, the child may apply for Foreign Birth Registration.
The documentation required to prove the line of descent in these circumstances is as follows:
We may ask you to submit more documents to support your application.
South African Applicants Resident in UK - Please note:
South African Certificates submitted must be the Vault Copy or Unabridged Computerised Version. Laminated Certificates will not be accepted.
Nigerian Applicants Resident in UK - Please note:
Original Nigerian Certificates/documents submitted for Foreign Birth Registration may have to be verified by the relevant Authorities in Nigeria. Applicants resident in the UK should contact this Embassy/Consulate Edinburgh for further details before submitting their application. Laminated Certificates will not be accepted.
We may check the authenticity of all documentation you submit as part of your application.
Getting replacement certificates
Checklist
When you submit and print your online application form, a checklist of the documents you need will also print out. You need to:
Remember...
If you haven't included all the necessary documents, your application will be returned to you.
In the interest of the environment please do not include any plastic pockets with your application.
The fee for Foreign Birth Registration includes the price of posting your FBR certificate and returning your documents to you by Special Delivery. Please do not include a stamped addressed envelope with your application.
If using a postmaster to certify photocopies of Photo ID, you must include the cover sheet given to you at the Post Office.
Before you send your application form to the relevant office, you must have it witnessed by an appropriate person.
Who can be a witness?
The witness must be from one of the following professions only and :
(a) Must be currently residing and practicing in the UK
(b) Must not be related in any way to the Applicant
Your witness needs to:
Remember...
If your application hasn't been properly witnessed, it will be returned to you.
You need to submit two passport-sized photographs with your application.
Your witness must sign and date these photographs.
If you're applying on behalf of a minor, you also need to submit two passport-sized photographs of yourself. They should also be signed and dated by you and your witness.
Over 18 years of age
Under 18 years of age
Payment methods
Payment is made by debit/credit card as part of the online application process.
We strongly encourage you to gather all the required documents prior to completing the online form – incomplete applications will not be accepted