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Foreign Births Registration - Guidelines for Applicants Resident in Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas

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.

Applications for Foreign Birth Registration can take up to six months to process from the date of receipt of a complete application with all the required supporting documentation.

*At present, applications to the following Missions are excluded from the new online payment system. You should contact that office directly or visit their website for details on how payments can be made for your application. List of Embassy contacts.

  • Embassy Abuja
  • Embassy Addis Ababa
  • Embassy Dar es Salaam
  • Embassy Freetown
  • Embassy Nairobi
  • Embassy Maputo
  • Embassy Malawi
  • Honorary Consulate Auckland

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. Therefore, make sure you have these documents in front of you before you start.

Original civil long form certificates of birth, marriage and death must be submitted with your application in all cases.  We do not accept photocopies, laminates, baptismal certificates, Church marriage certificates or funeral home certificates.  If you do not have the original you can apply for a replacement (see tab 7).

You will need:

Your details

  • Civil long form birth certificate
  • Civil long form marriage certificate
  • Original Divorce Decree (final) if Divorced and Current Civil Marriage Certificate (if remarried)
  • Original Deed poll valid for at least two years (if you’ve changed your name other than by marriage)plus three official documents showing proof of usage in your new name
  • A certified copy of your official photo identification such as your driver's licence, your passport from another country, or your college identification card. The person who witnesses your application form can do this – they should confirm that they have seen the original.
  • If over 18 years - Three separate documents showing proof of Residence e.g. phone bill, gas/electricity bill.
  • If under 18 years – A school report/Doctor’s letter showing proof of residence of applicant and three separate proofs of residence for the applying Irish parent.

Your parent’s details (through whom you’re claiming citizenship)

  • Civil long form birth certificate
  • Civil long form marriage certificate (if married)
  • Original Divorce Decree (final) if Divorced and Current Civil Marriage Certificate (if remarried)
  • Original Deed Poll (if they changed their name other than by marriage)
  • Declaration of Alienage (if they ever renounced their Irish citizenship)
  • Copy of current passport or other official photo ID e.g. driving licence, health card; or
  • Death Certificate if Deceased

You will also need, depending on how your parent acquired Irish citizenship, one of the following.  You need to show that your parent was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth:

Your Irish-born grandparent’s details

Your parent is automatically an Irish citizen if one of their parents was born in Ireland.

  • Civil long form birth certificate
  • Civil long form marriage certificate (if married)
  • Original Divorce Decree (final) if Divorced and Current Civil Marriage Certificate (if remarried)
  • Deed poll (if they changed their name other than by marriage)
  • Declaration of Alienage (if they ever renounced their Irish citizenship)
  • Copy of current passport or other official photo ID e.g. driving licence, health card; or
  • Death Certificate if Deceased

Your parent’s Naturalisation Certificate

Your parent needs to have been naturalised before your birth.

  • Date of their naturalisation
  • Number of their naturalisation certificate
  • Include the original certificate with your application, and
  • An original letter from the Department of Justice and Equality acknowledging receipt of their declaration of intention to retain Irish citizenship

Your parent’s Foreign Births Registration Certificate

Your parent needs to have been entered in the Foreign Births Register before your birth.

  • Date on which their birth was registered on the Foreign Births Register
  • Office from which their registration was issued
  • Foreign Births Entry Number (found on the certificate)
  • Include the original certificate with your application

Your parent’s Post-Nuptial Declaration

Your parent needs to have been granted their Post Nuptial Declaration before your birth.

  • Date on which their Post Nuptial Declaration was granted
  • Number of their Post Nuptial Declaration Certificate 
  • Include the original certificate with your application

Your parent’s Irish adoption certificate  

  • Date of their adoption in Ireland
  • Include the original certificate with your application

If your parent was adopted abroad by an Irish citizen, their certificate of entry on the Irish Register of Foreign Adoptions which must have taken place before you were born.

You will need to show that your parent’s adoptive parent (your grandparent) was an Irish citizen at the time of the adoption, and that your parent was an Irish citizen at the time that you were born.

  • Date of their certificate of entry on the Irish Register of Foreign Adoptions (must be before you were born)
  • Include the original certificate with your application
  • Include supporting documents to show that your grandparent was an Irish citizen at the time of the adoption, as per the categories above.

Extra Documentation

We may ask you for further information, or to submit more documents to support your application. 

Any queries

If you have any questions that aren’t addressed here, please contact the Embassy.

Checklist

When you submit and print your online application form, a checklist of the documents you need will also print out. Make sure you’ve included all the documents on the checklist in your application – any omissions will delay your application. Sign and date the checklist and include it with your application.

Before you send your application form, you must have it witnessed by an appropriate person.

Who can be a witness?

The witness must be from one of the following professions and:

(a) Must be currently residing and practicing in Canada, Jamaica or the Bahamas, depending on where you are resident

(b) Must not be related in any way to the Applicant

(c) Must either know you personally or be introduced to you by a third party who knows you personally

  • Member of the Clergy
  • Medical Doctor
  • School Principal
  • Bank Manager
  • Solicitor/Lawyer
  • Police Officer
  • Magistrate/Judge

Your witness needs to:

  • Witness you signing Section D of your application form and your photos (including the minor’s photos for under 18s)
  • Fully complete, sign and stamp Section E of your application form - 'Certificate of Identity'
  • Delete as applicable whether they personally know you, or that you have been introduced by a third party known to them (we do not insist that they have known you for two years).
  • Sign and date your two passport-sized photos (if under 18, two passport-sized photos for the minor and two for the parent/guardian)
  • Provide a business/work address and contact number. Private addresses and cell phones for witnesses are not accepted.

If the witness does not have an official seal/stamp, please submit their business card/ a copy of their membership card for their profession’s governing body/ other confirmation from their profession’s governing body that they are a practising member of their profession. 

Remember...

If your application hasn't been properly witnessed, it will delay your application.

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

  • Registration plus Certificate: €270
  • Non-refundable postage and handling fee: €8
  • Total: €278

Under 18 years of age

  • Registration plus Certificate: €145
  • Non-refundable postage and handling fee: €8
  • Total: €153

Payment methods

Payment is made by debit/credit card as part of the online application process.

Applications for Foreign Births Registration are now being processed in Ireland.

Begin your online Foreign Births Registration application

 

Applicants will be provided with a postal address in Ireland to which to forward their applications and supporting documentation upon completion of their online application. Please note that citizenship applications can no longer be accepted in person at Embassy Ottawa.

Queries

Any queries in relation to your FBR application should be submitted via email only

Did you apply for FBR before 1 July 2016?

If you submitted your application for citizenship online before 1 July 2016, please contact the Embassy directly, quoting your 10-digit application reference number.

Where to apply for certificates of birth or marriage

Original civil long form Certified Registration certificates of birth and marriage, as applicable, must be submitted with your application in all cases – photocopies or laminates are not accepted, nor are baptismal certificates or Church marriage certificates.

Original documents are those issued by the relevant civil registrar authorities for the country of your birth/ marriage. If you do not have your original certificates you can apply for new Certified Registration certificates from these locations in Ireland, Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas:

Ireland: long form certificate

General Register Office,
Joyce House,
8-11 Lombard Street East,
Dublin 2.
Tel:+353 1 635 40 00
Website: www.groireland.ie

Northern Ireland: long form certificate

General Register Office for Northern Ireland,
Oxford House,
49-55 Chichester Street,
Belfast,
BT1 4HL.
Tel: 0300 200 7890
(028 9151 3101 if calling from outside Northern Ireland)
Website: www.nidirect.gov.uk

Canada:

In Canada, civil birth and marriage certificates are sometimes called Registration /Statement / Act of Birth/Marriage/death – the certificate you should apply for is listed next to each Province and Territory:

Alberta: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage
Service Alberta
Phone: 780-427-7013
www.servicesalberta.gov.ab.ca

British Columbia: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Vital Statistics Agency
Phone: 250-952-2681

Manitoba: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Vital Statistics Agency
Phone: 204-945-3701
www.vitalstats.gov.mb.ca

Northwest Territories: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Department of Health and Social Services
Phone: 867-777-7400
www.nhlthss.gov.nt.ca

Nova Scotia: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Service Nova Scotia & Municipal Relations
Phone: 902-424-4381
www.gov.ns.ca

Nunavut: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Registrar General of Vital Statistics
Phone: 867-645-8002
www.gov.nu.ca

Ontario: Certified Long Form Birth/Marriage Certificate
Service Ontario
Phone: 416-325-8305
www.serviceontario.ca

Saskatchewan: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage
Vital Statistics
www.isc.ca

Yukon: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Department of Health and Social Services
Phone: 867-667-5207
www.hss.gov.yk.ca

New Brunswick: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Affidavit required in addition to the Birth Certificate as it does not include sufficient information for Irish citizenship purposes
Vital Statistics, Service New Brunswick
Phone: 506-453-2385
www.snb.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Affidavit required in addition to the Birth Certificate as it does not include sufficient information for Irish citizenship purposes
Vital Statistics, Government Services
Phone: 709-729-3308
www.gs.gov.nl.ca

Prince Edward Island: Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Vital Statistics, Dept. Health & Social Services
Phone: 902-838-0883
www.gov.pe.ca

Quebec: Act of Birth/Marriage
Affidavit required in addition to the Birth Certificate as it does not include sufficient information for Irish citizenship purposes
Le Directeur de l’Etat Civil, Ministère de la Justice
www.etatcivil.gouv.gc.ca

Jamaica

Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate
Registrar General’s Department
Twickenham Park
St. Catherine
Jamaica
Phone: 876-749-0550
www.rgd.gov.jm

Bahamas

Certified Registration of Birth/Marriage Certificate

Registrar Generals Department Shirley House
#50 Shirley Street
P. O. Box N-532
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas
registrargeneral@bahamas.gov.bs
Phone: (242) - 397-9143-58
www.bahamas.gov.bs/rgd

If the birth or marriage took place outside of the countries listed above, please contact the relevant civil registrar authorities for that country.