Ireland — Citizenship Guide

Why Ireland?

Irish citizenship unlocks the right to live, work, and study anywhere in the European Union, plus the Common Travel Area with the United Kingdom. Ireland permits dual citizenship, so you generally do not need to give up your existing citizenship.

Citizenship by descent

Ireland is unusually generous with descent-based citizenship:

• You are automatically an Irish citizen if you were born on the island of Ireland before 1 January 2005.
• You are automatically an Irish citizen if you were born abroad to a parent who was an Irish citizen born in Ireland.
• If you have an Irish-born grandparent, you can claim citizenship by registering your birth on the Foreign Births Register.
• In more distant cases (e.g. a great-grandparent), you may qualify only if your parent was registered on the Foreign Births Register before your birth.

Naturalisation

Adults who do not qualify by descent can naturalise after 5 years of reckonable residence out of the last 9 years, including 1 year of continuous residence immediately before applying. The period is reduced to 3 years for spouses of Irish citizens. Applicants must also demonstrate good character and an intention to reside in Ireland.

Dual citizenship

Ireland has no restriction on holding dual or multiple citizenships.

Fees & timeline

The naturalisation application fee is €175, and a separate certificate fee applies if approved (currently €950 for adult naturalisation). Registration on the Foreign Births Register costs €278. Processing times vary, so check the Irish Immigration Service for the latest figures.