Vol. 516 No. 4
58 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the regulations and entitlements to passports for children born abroad to an Irish mother or EU father and who are back living here following the break-up of marriage; if they qualify for Irish passports; if the approval of the father is necessary; the way in which this can be arranged since contact with him is not required or desirable from other points of view; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8425/00]
Children born abroad whose mother was born in Ireland are Irish citizens and are, therefore, entitled to Irish passports.
When passport applications are made by or on behalf of children under 18 years of age the Passport Office requires that the written consent of their parents or legal guardians be given. In the event that the written consent of a parent or guardian cannot be provided for any reason, before it can issue passports for children in those circumstances the Passport Office requires a court order dispensing with such consent.
