Applying for Citizenship in Ireland by
naturalisation.
Presentation by
Brian Killoran
Information and Referral Service Coordinator
Immigrant Council of Ireland
Applying for Citizenship in Ireland.
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by birth, if certain criteria are fulfilled, no longer automatic
since 1 January 2005
by descent, if parents or grandparents born in Ireland are
citizens and certain criteria are fulfilled
by naturalisation following a period of residence in Ireland
Criteria for adult naturalisation:
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Be aged over 18 years old
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Be of ‘good character’ (not defined)
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Resided lawfully in Ireland for at least five years in previous
nine years
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Intend to continue living in Ireland if naturalisation granted
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Swear a declaration of fidelity and loyalty to the State
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The above is the criteria to apply, the process is discretionary
and is decided by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law
Reform.
Reckonable Residency:
 Certain types of residence are not recognised for the purposes of
applying for citizenship:
 living in Ireland as an international student
 asylum seeker
 or any time spent unregistered with the GNIB pending
renewal of work permits or other immigration status
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‘Reckonable Residency is time spent registered with the Garda
National Immigration Bureau on a type of status that counts
towards naturalisation.
Spouses of Irish Citizens…
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Must be married for three years and marriage still valid &
subsisting
Must be resident in Ireland continuously for the 12 months
immediately prior to the application.
Resident in Ireland for at least two years of the four years
preceding the application
Processing time is the same
The Application Process:
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In the case of adult applicants, the application form is Form 8.
For naturalised adults applying for their minor children, this is a
Form 9. The forms are available on the INIS website
www.inis.gov.ie in the Citizenship Section.
Supporting documentation – checklist.
Application must be signed by three Irish citizen references and
sworn by a solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths.
There is no fee for applying but, if the application is successful,
then there is a fee of €950 (adult) or €200 (minors,
widow/widower of Irish citizen). There is no fee for refugees or
stateless persons.
The Application Form:
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Take your time filling in the form, mistakes can cause delays.
Use of Tippex or ‘crossed out’ sections will likely cause the form to be
returned.
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Section 4: previous addresses: must give all addresses for last nine years (or five years if a
spouse of Irish citizen), not just addresses in Ireland
Section 5.5 and 5.6: only complete if any period of residence in Ireland was for
international study. Not relevant if you happened to have been studying if your residence
was on some other basis (refugee, employment permit, IBC/05 etc)
Section 6: do you intend to live in Ireland: you must tick YES
Section 7: marital status: must answer correctly, check if you do not understand. e.g. have
seen some tick single when they have no contact with spouse but are in fact separated
Section 12: criminal offences, etc. Even if no conviction but charged, you must put details
of matter in section 12.7
Lodging the Application:
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If you are satisfied that you have completed the form fully and
have all of the documentation ready:
Not required but useful to have a covering letter, setting out
any further information you think relevant (i.e. qualifications,
request to waive residence requirement, etc)
Keep a copy of the application form and all of the
documentation you provide
Send application to the Citizenship Section, DJELR, Tipperary
Town. The full address is provided on the Checklist.
Send by registered post and keep the receipt.
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Citizenship Division acknowledges receipt – 4 to 6 weeks.
Current stated processing time if 2 years – this can be longer in
some cases.
Applicant will receive a reference number for their application.
Starting with 68/……/
Applications are ‘screened’ upon receipt – may be returned for
errors, applying too early, incorrect documentation attached etc.
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Notify the Citizenship Division of:
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Change of Address
Change of name
Change of marital status
Change of immigration status.
Maintain Immigration Status: The applicant is required and
advised to maintain their immigration status while the
application is being processed.
If Citizenship is Granted:
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You will be notified in writing of a positive decision.
You will now need to swear an ‘Oath of Fidelity’ to the State.
This is done at a District Court.
Following this you return the declaration and required fee to the
DJELR who then issue a Certificate of Naturalisation.
Following this, you can then apply for an Irish Passport if you so
wish.
If the application is refused:
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The main reasons why applications appear to be refused,
include:
The applicant does not satisfy the eligibility criteria (including
residence, if that was not detected at the early stages of
screening the application or if the Minister has been requested
but is exercising discretion not to waive the residence period)
The applicant has been in receipt of social welfare payments
(not including Child Benefit). This does not necessarily affect
applications made by refugees.
The applicant has been convicted of criminal offences or has
come to the ‘adverse attention’ of An Garda Siochana
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No formal right to appeal a refusal.
Possible to seek legal advice concerning having a decision
judicially reviewed. Very lengthy, complicated and in some cases
expensive procedure.
Possible to reapply for naturalisation.
In Summary:
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Process is discretionary: you may be eligible to apply but there
is no entitlement to naturalise
Frequent delays: although stated to be currently 2 years,
frequently it can take much longer and it is not unusual to be at
least three years or more
Don’t apply in haste: take time to ensure form correctly filled
and all documents attached as this will facilitate the smooth
processing of the application
Maintain your immigration status while pending and notify
relevant changes
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Thank you!