Citizenship by Association For
USA Nationals

Citizenship By Association For USA Nationals

Do you have an Irish Great-Grandparent?

Many people dream of moving to Ireland for business, retirement, work, study or just to deepen their connection with their Irish heritage. An Irish passport is one of the most sought after in the world and will enable you to travel and work freely in all other EU countries.

If you are lucky enough to have an Irish Great-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

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

The children of Irish born parents and grandparents have an automatic right to Irish Citizenship by descent. For descendants of Irish born great-grandparents, the process is different and is known as citizenship through association. Association means demonstrating strong links with Irish society and the Irish state.

We have successfully obtained citizenship through association for many clients. If you are of Irish associations, the Minister for Justice and Equality has absolute discretion to waive the conditions for naturalisation.

Citizenship Through Association

An individual is deemed to have strong Associations with Ireland if he/she

is related by blood, affinity or adoption to, or is the civil partner of, a person who is an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen, or
was related by blood, affinity or adoption to, or was the civil partner of, a person who is deceased and who, at the time of his or her death, was an Irish citizen or entitled to be an Irish citizen.

Irish associations and affinity should be supported by substantive documentation supporting the claim.

About Dual Citizenship

If you are able to apply for Irish Citizenship, you can keep your American citizenship too. Ireland and the United States 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 USA, allowing you to travel throughout Ireland and the European Union.

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