Skip to main content
Normal View

Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Mar 1995

Vol. 451 No. 3

Written Answers. - Irish Citizenship.

Jim Mitchell

Question:

64 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the requirements for the granting of Irish citizenship and an Irish passport, respectively; and if a person (details supplied) in Dublin 8 will be granted an Irish passport in view of the circumstances in this case. [6610/95]

Only Irish citizens may hold Irish passports.

A person wishing to obtain Irish citizenship must fulfil the conditions for naturalisation which require that the applicant:— (a) is of full age; (b) is of good character; (c) had had a period of one year's continuous residence in the State immediately before the date of the application and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, has had a total residence in the State amounting to four years; (d) intends in good faith to continue to reside in the State after naturalisation; and (e) has made, either before a justice of the District Court in open court or in such manner as the Minister, for special reasons, allows, a declaration in the prescribed manner, of fidelity to the nation and loyalty to the State.
In certain circumstances, the Minister may waive the conditions for naturalisation, for instance, where the applicant is of Irish descent or has Irish associations or where the applicant is married to a person who is an Irish citizen.
As well, a person who has been married to an Irish citizen for three years can obtain post-nuptial citizenship on making a declaration accepting Irish citizenship and on his/her spouse submitting an affidavit to the effect that they are living together as husband and wife and the marriage is subsisting.
A person may claim Irish citizenship by descent only if a parent or a grandparent was born in Ireland.
The person in question should contact the immigration and citizenship division of my Department to ascertain whether she meets any of the above requirements.
Top
Share