Written Answers. - Citizenship Applications.
John Bruton
Question:
588
Mr. J. Bruton
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the way in which a resident here, originally from Algeria, who has been working here for the past seven years, may apply for Irish citizenship; and the length of time the process of application takes.
[8581/02]
There are three ways in which a non-national can obtain Irish citizenship: by descent, by naturalisation or by marriage to an Irish citizen (post-nuptial citizenship). I have set out some general information about these methods of acquiring Irish citizenship.
A person whose father or mother was an Irish citizen at the time of his or her birth is an Irish citizen from birth. A person whose grandparent was born in Ireland may become an Irish citizen by registering in the Foreign Births Register at an Irish embassy or consular office or at the Department of Foreign Affairs. A person whose great-grandparent was born in Ireland may register in certain circumstances. Further information in this regard may be obtained from Consular Section, Department of Foreign Affairs, Hainault House, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 or from any Irish embassy or consular office.
A non-national married to a person who is an Irish citizen otherwise than by naturalisation, post-nuptial declaration or honorary citizenship may accept Irish citizenship as his or her post-nuptial citizenship by lodging a declaration not earlier than three years from the date of the marriage or three years from the date the applicant's spouse became an Irish citizen, whichever is the later. The marriage must be subsisting and the couple must be living together as husband and wife at the time of application.
The Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended in 1986, provides that the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform may grant a certificate of naturalisation at his or her absolute discretion. The applicant has to fulfil certain statutory requirements, including being of good character and having a total of five years residency in the State in the nine year period preceding the date of the application. The Act also empowers the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to dispense with the statutory conditions in whole or in part, in certain specific circumstances, for example, if the applicant is of Irish descent or has Irish associations.
It appears from the information supplied by the Deputy that the person referred to is eligible to make an application for a certificate of naturalisation at this point in time. Without further information, I am not in a position to advise the Deputy as to whether the person concerned could obtain citizenship by one of the other methods outlined. More detailed information on citizenship matters and any relevant application forms can be obtained by telephoning the citizenship helpline, telephone no. 01 – 602 8202, on any Tuesday and Thursday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The current average processing times are 15 months and six months for applications of naturalisation and post-nuptial citizenship respectively.
