Apply For Irish Citizenship and Passport Thanks To Your Irish Born Grandparent

Irish Citizenship - Who is Eligible to Apply ?

Article 2 of The Irish Constitution of 1937 defined who was entitled to become an Irish citizen as follows:

It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born [1] in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish Nation. That is also the entitlement of all persons otherwise qualified in accordance with law to be citizens of Ireland. Furthermore, the Irish nation cherishes its special affinity with people of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage.

Citizenship has traditionally been understood as a legal status grounded in residence, allegiance, and integration within a state. But by the time the 1937 Constitution came into operation on December 29th 1937, millions of Irish born citizens left the State generation after generation for almost 100 years. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the new Irish nation wished to acknowledge the Irish diaspora by proclaiming in the last line of Article 2 its cherished “special affinity” with those of Irish ancestry living abroad.

Ireland’s “diaspora citizenship” seeks to give tangible meaning to this “special affinity” by granting Irish citizenship to non-residents based on their Irish ancestral heritage. Through the Foreign Birth Register (FBR), individuals who were born outside of the State, may acquire Irish citizenship if their grandparent was born in Ireland. Registration of their birth confers full Irish citizenship and European citizenship rights.

The onus is on the grandchild, or their parent on their behalf, to preserve their right to Irish citizenship through the FBR. Furthermore, so long as each generation’s birth is registered on the Foreign Birth Register before the next generation is born, the next generation will be the child of an Irish citizen at birth and will also be entitled to claim Irish citizenship through the FBR, even if they were also born outside the State.

[1] In 2024, effective from January 1st 2005, the 27th Amendment to the Irish Constitution was approved by the people in a referendum, and Article 9 reads:

9.1 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, a person born in the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, who does not have, at the time of the birth of that person, at least one parent who is an Irish citizen or entitled to Irish citizenship or nationality is not entitled to Irish citizenship or nationality, unless provided for by law.

9.2 This section shall not apply to persons born before the date of the enactment of this section.

Foreign Birth Register Applications up 95% to 54,097 in 2025

The volume of applications for Irish citizenship through the Foreign Birth Register has increased 95% from just under 28k in 2022 to 54k in 2025.

The 95% increase in Foreign Births Register applications between 2022 and 2025 reflects overlapping forces:

Brexit-related labour and residency constraints
Political and economic uncertainty in the United States
Ireland’s top global passport ranking
Administrative capacity improvements
Word-of-mouth diffusion effects
Intergenerational planning
Anticipatory genealogical engagement ahead of the 1926 Census release

Crucially, this phenomenon is distinct from inward migration or naturalisation trends. It represents the formal consolidation of diaspora citizenship in a globalised but increasingly fragmented world.

Ireland’s constitutional affinity with its diaspora, combined with institutional support under the Diaspora Strategy 2020–2025, positions the Foreign Births Register not as an anomaly but as a core instrument of transnational citizenship policy.

Some Common Scenarios Explained

I was born outside of Ireland. My parent was born in Ireland and is an Irish citizen

You are an Irish citizen since birth regardless of which country you were born in. You do not need to register your birth with the FBR and you can apply for an Irish passport at any time.

I was born outside of Ireland. My parent was born in Ireland and is not an Irish citizen

If your parent was born in Ireland on or after January 1st 2005, and their parents were not Irish citizens, then you are not entitled to apply for Irish citizenship. The same applies if you were born in Ireland.

I was born outside of Ireland as was my parent. My grandparent was born in Ireland

To claim Irish citizenship you must apply to have your birth registered on Ireland’s Foreign Birth Register. Once registered, you can apply for an Irish passport at any time.

I was born outside of Ireland and adopted by non-Irish citizens. My biological parent was an Irish citizen

If your biological parent was born in Ireland, you are already an Irish citizen and entitled to apply for an Irish passport at any time. If your biological parent was born abroad, but your biological grandparent was born in Ireland, you must first apply to the FBR to register your birth. You can then apply for an Irish passport at any time.

I was born outside of Ireland and adopted by Irish citizens. My biological parents were not Irish citizens

For foreign adoptions to confer Irish citizenship they must be registered in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. Once your legal adoption is registered, you are an Irish citizen and able to apply for an Irish passport at any time. This applies even if you were adopted by an Irish citizen who was also born outside of Ireland. (See Section 11 Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended)

I was born outside of Ireland. My parent was adopted by Irish citizens. My biological grandparents were not Irish citizens

In order for you to claim Irish citizenship, your parent’s adoption by Irish citizens would have to be recognised in Irish law by registering it in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions by the Adoption Authority of Ireland. You will then be an Irish citizen and able to apply for an Irish passport at any time.

I was born outside of Ireland. My parent was born outside of Ireland. My grandparent was adopted by Irish citizens. My grandparent's biological parent was not an Irish citizen

You are the grandchild of an Irish citizen, regardless of where your grandparent was born. You are entitled to apply to have your birth registered on Ireland’s Foreign Birth Register. Once registered, you are free to apply for a passport at any time.

I was born outside of Ireland as was my parent and grandparent. My grandparent was adopted by non-Irish citizens. My grandparent's biological parent was an Irish citizen.

As you are the third consecutive generation born outside of Ireland, and your grandfather was not adopted by Irish citizens, you are not entitled to apply to have your birth registered on the FBR unless your parent had applied to have their own birth registered on the FBR before you were born. If your parent did register their birth on the FBR before you were born, they were an Irish citizen when you were born and you are entitled to apply based on their FBR registration.

My great grandparent was born in Ireland, but I am the third consecutive generation to be born outside of Ireland

As you are the third consecutive generation born outside of Ireland, you are not entitled to apply for Irish citizenship unless your parent registered their own birth on the FBR before you were born. If your parent did register their birth on the FBR before you were born, they were an Irish citizen when you were born and you are entitled to apply based on their registration.

Free Booklet

If you are interested in applying for Irish citizenship through the Foreign Birth Register, we have produced this FREE BOOKLET which explains the process, the certificates of birth, marriage, and death, you have to submit, and all the other documentation required to support a successful application. Government fees are €278 per application or €153 for a minor. We offer to find and source the certificates for you and guide you through the application process so that you get it right first time.

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