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What is citizenship by naturalisation?
Naturalisation means you can legally become a citizen of a country even though you were not born there.
Every country has its own laws and rules about becoming a citizen. Ireland is no different. So, how do you become an Irish citizen by naturalisation? There are three main ways you can apply for Irish citizenship by naturalisation:
- 1
You have legally lived in Ireland for five years
- 2
You are married to or in a civil partnership with an Irish citizen
- 3
You are applying on behalf of a minor.
If you are in Ireland as a refugee, you can also become an Irish citizen after three years. We have a system in place to help you through the citizenship process.
Each pathway to citizenship has its own specific requirements, which are explained below. However, generally you must:
All citizenship applications are processed by the Citizenship Division in Immigration Service Delivery (ISD).
Who is eligible for citizenship by naturalisation?
A. You are an adult and have legally lived in Ireland for five years
To be eligible to apply for naturalisation based on residence, you must meet the following criteria:
You must be 18 years of age or over
You must be able to prove your identity
You must meet the relevant conditions for residence
- You must have continuously lived in Ireland for a full one year period right before you apply. You can be away for up to 70 days during this year, with an extra 30 days allowed in exceptional cases, at the discretion of the Minister
- Additionally, during the eight years immediately before that period, you must have a total residence in Ireland of four years
You must have proof of residency in Ireland for every year of residency claimed
You must intend to reside in Ireland after you become a citizen
You must be willing to attend a citizenship ceremony and make a declaration of fidelity
You must be of good character.
Please note: If you had permission to live in the State but you spent long periods of time abroad, you must provide as much detailed information as possible in support of your application.
In addition to proving your legal residence, you must show that you have built up enough reckonable residence in Ireland to be granted citizenship, specifically:
- 1825 or 1826 days of reckonable residence based on your accumulated permission stamps. Calculate your reckonable residence here
- This includes 365 or 366 days (1 year) of continuous residence immediately before the date you apply.
You can do this by showing your accumulated immigration permission stamps or documents from the Department of Justice indicating your permissions granted.
Make sure you keep your immigration permission registered (with no gaps) during your residence. Gaps in your registration may lead to your application for citizenship being deemed ineligible.
You may apply for citizenship as a dependant young adult if you meet the eligibility requirements for an adult application and you:
- Are aged 18-23 when you apply
- Entered the State legally as part of a family unit
- Are currently attending secondary school in the State, or you went directly from secondary school into third level education in the State
- Are continuously dependent on your parents and you are not financially independent.
To apply as a UK, EU/EEA and Swiss national, you must have been a UK, EU/EEA or Swiss national for more than 5 years. If not, you must apply as a non-EU/EEA and non-Swiss national.
B. You are married to – or in a civil partnership with – an Irish citizen
You may be applying for citizenship based on marriage to an Irish citizen. You may be applying based on civil partnership with an Irish citizen. To be eligible to apply in both cases, remember:
You must be 18 years of age or over
You must be able to prove your identity
You must be married to – or in a civil partnership with – an Irish citizen for three years or more. The marriage or civil relationship must be genuine and enduring
You must be living with your spouse or civil partner on the date you apply for citizenship and on the date you are granted citizenship
You must have lived legally on the island of Ireland for three out of the last five years before making your application. This must include one full year of continuous residence immediately prior to your application. Absences up to 70 days are permitted within this year, with an additional 30 in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Minister
You must have proof of residency in Ireland for every year of residency claimed
You must intend to reside in Ireland after you become a citizen
You must be willing to attend a citizenship ceremony and make a declaration of fidelity
You must be of good character.
Please note: In addition to your own proof of residency documents, you will need to send us proof of residency for your Irish spouse or civil partner. These are outlined in the Citizenship Guidance Document.
In addition to proving your legal residence, you must show that you have built up enough reckonable residence in Ireland to be granted citizenship, specifically:
- 1095 or 1096 days of reckonable residence based on your accumulated permission stamps. Calculate your reckonable residence here
- This includes 365 or 366 days (1 year) of continuous residence immediately before the date you apply.
You can do this by showing your accumulated immigration permission stamps or documents from the Department of Justice indicating your permissions granted.
Make sure you keep your immigration permission registered (with no gaps) during your residence. Gaps in your registration may lead to your application for citizenship being deemed ineligible.
C. You were declared a refugee under the International Protection Act 2015
If you are a refugee, and the Citizenship Division team has a system in place to help you through the citizenship process.
To be eligible to apply for citizenship:
Make sure you keep your immigration permission registered (with no gaps) during your residence. Gaps in your registration may lead to your application for citizenship being deemed ineligible.
D. You are applying on behalf of a minor (child)
A minor is a child who is under 18 years of age and is not married at the time of your application.
A minor cannot make their own application for citizenship. This can only be done by their parent, legal guardian or a person legally acting on the child’s behalf ‘in loco parentis’.
There are three ways to apply on behalf of a minor:
If you are an Irish citizen by naturalisation, you may submit an application for citizenship on behalf of your child. The child must:
- Be under 18 years of age
- Meet the relevant conditions for residence
- Have a naturalised parent.
There are specific documents that you must provide when applying for a child. Click here for more information on these documents.
The Minister for Justice has the discretion to grant citizenship to a child of Irish descent or association. Irish descent or association means that the child is related by blood or adoption to an Irish citizen. It can also mean that the child is related to someone who is entitled to be an Irish citizen.
Section 16 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 (as amended) allows the Minister to waive or ignore certain requirements. However, this does not guarantee citizenship based on Irish descent or association.
Each application will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This will be done in accordance with Irish law in place at the time.
There are specific documents that you must provide when applying for a child. Click here for more information on these documents.
For more, see information on citizenship by Irish descent or association.
The people of Ireland voted to change the constitutional right to citizenship in the 27th Amendment to the Irish Constitution. This ended the automatic entitlement to citizenship by birth to everyone born in Ireland.
If the child was born on the island of Ireland on or after 1 January 2005, their entitlement to Irish citizenship depends on:
- Your residency history in Ireland as parent or guardian
- Your child’s residency history in Ireland. Your child must have lived continuously in Ireland for one year right before applying, and in the 8 years before that, they must have lived in Ireland for a total of two years.
There are specific documents that you must provide when applying for a child. Click here for more information on these documents.
How do I apply for citizenship by naturalisation?
You can apply online for Irish citizenship by naturalisation.
The application fee for each application for naturalisation is €175. The fee must be paid via the online portal before your application is accepted.
Paper forms are available if you cannot access our online service.
To get a paper form, please contact us through the dedicated Customer Service Portal.
Here’s a handy list to make sure that your application is ready to go. Please read it carefully.
- Make sure your application form is fully completed
- Check that your proof of identity documents total 150 points for each year lived in Ireland
- Check that your proof of residency documents total 150 points for each year lived in Ireland
- Make sure that the documents you submit are true copies, certified by an appropriate witness such as a practising solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, Peace Commissioner or Notary Public
- If applying based on marriage to or civil partnership with an Irish citizen make sure your application includes the relevant Statutory Declaration. This must be signed in the presence of a practising solicitor, Commissioner for Oaths, Peace Commissioner or Notary Public
- If the application is being made by a person of full age including a young adult, please make sure that the Statutory Declaration box is also ticked. The Statutory Declaration is a legal document. Signing it means that you understand what you are signing. It also means that the facts you give are true and correct to the best of your knowledge
- Make sure that all the documents we need for your successful application are submitted with the application.
The application fee for each application for naturalisation is €175. It must be in the form of a bank draft only. The fee is made payable to the Secretary General of the Department of Justice
What happens next?
Most applications for citizenship by naturalisation are processed within 19 months. After you apply, you will get:
An application number
An e-vetting link.
We may ask you to send further documentation. In some cases, we may ask you to explain or clarify information that you gave in your application.
Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) will notify you that your application has been approved. They will also tell you that the Minister intends to grant you a certificate of naturalisation. You will be invited to a citizenship ceremony to make a declaration of fidelity.
It is mandatory for successful applicants over the age of 18 to attend their citizenship ceremony.
- 1
Pay the certification fee. The following fees must be paid before you receive your certificate of naturalisation:
- €950 – Adult
- €200 – Minor
- €200 – Widow, Widower or Surviving Civil Partner of an Irish citizen
- €0 – Recognised refugee or stateless person.
- 2
Upload a copy of your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) and travel document (if applicable) if you are from a country outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK.
- 3
You will be invited to attend a citizenship ceremony. At the ceremony, you will take an oath of fidelity and make the appropriate declaration.
- 4
You will receive your certificate of naturalisation by post in the weeks following the ceremony. When you have received this, you are entitled to apply for an Irish passport. Please note: minors or children do not attend this ceremony.
If your application was not successful
Applications are decided by the Minister for Justice who may exercise total discretion when granting citizenship.
If your application is refused, we will give you a reason for the decision. You cannot appeal this decision. However, you may apply again if you wish.
There are many reasons why your application for citizenship by naturalisation can be rejected or fail. The main ones are listed below and will result in you losing your application fee.
Relevant links
Citizenship Guidance Document – This guidance document provides information regarding the identity documents and residency proofs, which should be submitted to support your application for naturalisation.
Change of address form – If you change your home address or email address at any stage, it is your responsibility to notify the Citizenship Division in Immigration Service Delivery (ISD). You must provide us with proof of your new address.
Paper Form 8 (Irish version) –
Download Foirm 8 (Adult application form)
Paper Form 9 (Irish version) –
Download Foirm 9 (If one of the minor’s parents has already been naturalised)
Paper Form 10 (Irish version) –
Download Foirm 10 (If the minor is of Irish descent or has Irish associations)
Paper Form 11 (Irish version) –
Download Foirm 11 (If the minor was born in the State after 1 January 2005, and was not entitled to Irish citizenship at the time of birth, but has since accumulated 3 years’ reckonable residence)
