Ancestry Citizenship For
UK Nationals

Ancestry Citizenship For UK Nationals

Do you have an Irish Parent or Grandparent?

If you are fortunate enough to have Irish ancestry you have the opportunity to remain an EU citizen after Brexit. This means that you will

Be able to travel and work freely in all EU member states
Your children will become Irish & EU citizens in the future
Opens up more education and work opportunities for your children
Faster EU travel, avoid airport queues

If you are lucky enough to have an Irish parent or Grandparent, don’t miss out on the opportunity to acquire your Irish passport.

To speak to a solicitor about applying for Irish citizenship or naturalisation, contact us on +353 (0)1 872 3143 or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you within three hours or less.

How it works

You were born to a parent that was an Irish Citizen at the time of your birth.

You have an automatic right to Irish Citizenship and there is no need to apply to become a citizen of Ireland.

You were born in the UK to a parent whose parent(s) were Irish Citizens.

If your grandparents were born in Ireland, but you were born abroad, you are entitled to claim Irish Citizenship by descent or ancestry. To do this your birth must be registered in the Foreign Births Register to claim Irish citizenship.

Your Great-grandparent(s) were born in Ireland.

You may be able to apply for Irish Citizenship by Association please visit Citizenship By Association.

Foreign Birth Registration

The Foreign Birth Register is a facility to allow individuals that were born outside of Ireland, but have Irish parents or Grandparents, to apply for Irish Citizenship. To register your birth your parent must have been Irish citizen at the time of your birth. This is usually the case if:

your grandparent was born in the Republic of Ireland before 1987,
your parent had his or her birth registered in the Foreign Births Register before your birth or before 1987, or,
your parent held an Irish passport validly issued before your birth.

You are automatically an Irish citizen if one of your parents was an Irish citizen at the time of your birth, and was born on the island of Ireland. You don’t need to apply to become an Irish citizen in this case.

About Dual Citizenship

If you are able to apply for Irish Citizenship, you can keep your British citizenship too. Ireland and the UK recognise dual citizenships, meaning you don’t have to give up your rights in one of the countries to have the same rights in both. This means you can become an Irish citizen but remain living in the UK, allowing you to travel throughout Ireland and the European Union.

How We Help

At Gibson and Associates, our team is highly experienced in dealing with immigration, visa and citizenship issues. We specialise in assisting residents of the UK, helping them through the Irish naturalisation process by organising and managing the entire process – from Foreign Birth Registration to complete application. This ensures all necessary bureaucracy is completed correctly and on time, giving you the highest chance of application approval. We also help those with newly obtained citizenship obtain Irish passports.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOMING AN IRISH CITIZEN?

Irish citizenship opens the door to a life in Ireland, as well as the opportunity to travel and work freely throughout the 27 countries in the European Union. To become an Irish citizen, there are certain requirements:

You need to be at least 18 years old (or married if you are under 18) unless you are a minor born in the Republic of Ireland after 1st January 2005
You are of good character – any criminal records and ongoing proceedings will be taken into consideration during the application process
You have lived in Ireland for a year before the date of your application for Irish citizenship, and have lived in the state for at least four years out of the last eight years – i.e. you should have lived in Ireland for a total of five years of the last nine
You intend to continue to live in Ireland after naturalisation
You will make a declaration of fidelity to the nation and a declaration of loyalty to the state, observing the laws of the state and respecting its democratic values

OTHER RULES RELATED TO ELIGIBILITY FOR IRISH CITIZENSHIP

You may also be eligible for Irish citizenship if:

You are of Irish descent or a parent or guardian applying on behalf of a minor who is of Irish descent
You were born in Ireland
You are a naturalised parent applying on behalf of a child
You are the spouse or civil partner of an Irish citizen or naturalised person
You have been a resident abroad in the public service
You are recognised as a refugee or a stateless person

Next Steps

If you meet the eligibility requirements outlined above, you should proceed to book your appointment with an immigration consultant on the booking form below.

Alternatively, if you are unsure that you meet the eligibility requirement or have further questions, you can talk to a member of our client care team by filling out the immigration form for a quick and free eligibility assessment.

Book your appointment today

What Happens When an Application for Irish Citizenship is Approved?

When an application for Irish citizenship is approved, the Citizenship Division will write to the applicant to notify them that the Minister for Justice has deemed them as a suitable applicant to be granted citizenship or naturalisation. You will then be required to submit two passport photographs, a bank draft to the sum of €950 and your original IRP.

Applicants who have been granted refugee status will be asked to submit their original travel document in addition to the above.

The letter following application approval will also ask you to confirm the following details to ensure that the correct details are recorded on your certificate:

Name
Date of birth
Country of birth
Nationality

Once you have submitted the required documents, you will be invited by post to attend a citizenship ceremony. Here, you will swear an oath of fidelity to the state and receive your certificate. From the date of the citizenship ceremony, you will be an Irish citizen.

After receiving citizenship, we would recommend you apply for your Irish passport as soon as possible, particularly if you are planning on travelling. First-time applicants must submit a paper-based application to the Passport Office using an APS 1E form – these are available at any An Post post office, garda station or the Passport Offices in Cork and Dublin.

Why Choose Gibson & Associates?

We are one of Ireland’s leading law firms dedicated to using our years of experience to make sure that you benefit from the best possible outcome. We will be by your side throughout the Irish citizenship application process, using clear, plain language to explain your options and the next steps you should take.

You and your circumstances are unique – your solicitor should be too. You will be assigned a dedicated point of contact who will take charge of your case from start to finish – this person will never change.

Our solicitors put their clients at the heart of everything they do and work tirelessly to get you the best results. We treat clients the way we would like to be treated – for us, ‘good enough’ just isn’t good enough!

Meet Our Immigration Team

Kellie-McLaughlun

Kellie McLaughlin

Denis McGettigan

Sharon Shaw

Gillian Morrison

sorcha

Sorcha Duffy

What Our Clients Say

Professionalism, Responsiveness

Gibson & Associates assisted me with an application for Irish citizenship by association. While we will not know the results of my application for some time, I can attest that the assistance and advice I received from Kellie and the team at Gibson & Associates was extremely helpful, thorough, and professional. I am very satisfied with the support they gave me and would highly recommend them to anyone seeking advice on applying for Irish Citizenship.

Brian Thalken

I was interested in obtaining Irish Citizenship through my Irish born grandparent. After some research I decided to hire Gibson & Associates. Kellie McLaughlin, working as my Immigration Specialist, has been very helpful and professional through the whole process. My application has now been submitted to the Foreign Birth Department, and I am confident that all my paperwork is in order. I would recommend Ms. McLaughlin and Gibson & Associates to anyone seeking their Irish Citizenship. I look forward to spending more time in the beautiful country of Ireland in the future. Many thanks to Kellie McLaughlin and Gibson & Associates for making the process easier.

Elizabeth Cullen/USA

Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value

A few months ago, I was on youtube and came across a video from Gibson and Associates Solicitors stating that 4th generation Irish were eligible for dual citizenship. Needless to say, I contacted them immediately (had given up on the idea of dual citizenship decades ago when I was told only 3rd generation were eligible). After a wonderful consult with Kellie McLaughlin, confirming that I was in fact eligible, began the paperwork process. Thanks to Kellie’s awesome help, support, follow-up, caring, hand holding, detailed editing on things I missed on application, etc. (getting great grandmother’s birth certificate from Ireland took long time and Kellie went beyond call of duty by making a phone call to them on certificate status)…happy to report that my application was submitted the other day. Now I just have to wait the 12-18 mths for government’s approval. In the meantime, I will continue to highly recommend Kellie McLaughlin at Gibson and Associates Solicitors to anyone seeking ‘five star’ (and beyond) legal services.

Theresa

I’ve been working with Kellie McLaughlin at Gibson & Associates on my daughter’s ‘Application for Foreign Birth Registration’, and I cannot say enough good things about my experience. From the moment I contacted the firm my interactions with them have been first class. I’m based in the States and we’re in the midst of a pandemic, yet every person I’ve been in contact with has been professional, knowledgeable, kind and responsive. I highly recommend them for their superior services regarding Irish Immigration. If you’re in need of these services, don’t hesitate to contact Gibson & Associates – you won’t regret it!

Madaline

We Are Waiting to Hear From You

For help with any immigration matters, contact us by phone on +353 (0)1 872 3143 today, or complete our online enquiry form and let us know a convenient time to call you back.

For more information on Irish immigration law, take a look at our blog:

Can I Get Citizenship Through DNA testing?

Immigration Law