Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 6 Dec 1990

Vol. 403 No. 6

Written Answers. - Passport Office Birth Certificate Form Requirement.

Alan Shatter

Question:

24 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the short form of birth certificate is acceptable for the purposes of an application being made by or on behalf of a child for a passport; and if not, if he will give consideration to the acceptance of the short form of birth certificate, particularly in the context of adopted children.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Collins)

The Passport Office require that applications being made by or on behalf of a child, including an adopted child, should be accompanied by the long form of the child's birth certificate. The reason for this requirement is that this form of birth certificate contains information which is essential for the proper processing of such applications.

Under the terms of the Guardianship of Infants Act, 1964, the father and the mother of a child are its joint guardians, subject to any qualifying court order as provided for in the Act. To safeguard the rights of parents as laid down in the Act, the Passport Office require that the written witnessed consents of both parents be obtained when an application is being made by or on behalf of a child. To ensure that those giving the consents are in fact the child's parents, the long form of the birth certificate which names the child's parents is also required.

In the case of an adopted child, the Passport Office not only require the written witnessed consent of the child's guardians but also proof of the child's Irish citizenship. The question of the citizenship of an adopted child is addressed in the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956. Under its terms a child, who is not already an Irish citizen, becomes one upon an adoption order being made under Irish adoption law, provided that at least one of the adoptive parents is an Irish citizen. The long form of the birth certificate issued in such cases indicates not only the names of the adoptive parents — which enables the validity of the consents to be checked — but also the country of birth of the child. If it transpires that the child was not born in Ireland, the parents are required to prove that at least one of them is an Irish citizen.

On the other hand, as the Deputy is aware, the short form of the birth certificate gives only the name, sex and date of birth of the person named in the certificate as well as the district where the birth was registered. As such it clearly does not contain sufficient information to deal with the types of applications mentioned by the Deputy.