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Citizenship Applications

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 December 2020

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Questions (591, 592, 593)

Peadar Tóibín

Question:

591. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State in each of the past 20 years. [39877/20]

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Peadar Tóibín

Question:

592. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State to persons on the grounds that they were born in Ireland in each of the years between 2000 and 2010. [39878/20]

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Peadar Tóibín

Question:

593. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State to children in each of the years between 2000 and 2010. [39879/20]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 591 to 593, inclusive, together.

Entitlement to Irish citizenship is governed by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended. The Act distinguishes between the entitlement to citizenship by birth and descent and to the acquisition of citizenship through the naturalisation process.

Following a referendum of the Irish people, the 27th amendment to the Constitution changed the situation in relation to entitlement to Irish Citizenship. As a result, Section 6 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956 was amended by the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2004.

The changes came into effect on 1 January 2005. As of that date, a person born in the island of Ireland is not entitled to be an Irish citizen, unless that person's parents have been legally resident in the island of Ireland for a total of three years during the four years preceding that person's birth. The parent of a child who meets these requirements can apply directly to the Department of Foreign Affairs for an Irish passport and therefore does not require a naturalisation certificate.

It is open to the parent, guardian or person who is in loco parentis to the child to lodge an application for naturalisation on behalf of the child if and when the conditions for naturalisation are satisfied, including a requirement to have a total of 5 years residence in the State. This ensures that there is a pathway to obtaining Irish citizenship through the naturalisation process for those children.

No applications for citizenship were granted to children born in the State during the period 2000 to 2010 because prior to 2005, a child born in the State had an automatic entitlement to Irish citizenship and thereafter they must have 5 years residence before making an application.

Table 1 below sets out the certificates granted since 2010 to minors born in the State who did not at birth have an entitlement to Irish citizenship.

Table 1

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020 (to date)

Minor born in State post 1 Jan 2005

331

485

191

72

102

53

76

42

4

Some or all of the conditions for naturalisation may be waived where the applicant is a naturalised Irish citizen acting on behalf of their minor child. Last year, 94% of certificates issued in respect of minors were cases where the parent was a naturalised Irish citizen.

Table 2 below sets out the certificates granted since 2000 in respect of all minors under the age of 18.

Table 2

Year

Certificates Issued to minors (under the age of 18)

2000

24

2001

86

2002

200

2003

370

2004

299

2005

354

2006

159

2007

433

2008

693

2009

791

2010

1,389

2011

945

2012

5,219

2013

6,354

2014

6,130

2015

2,601

2016

2,090

2017

1,406

2018

1,262

2019

900

2020 (to date)

485

Total

30,880

Table 3 below sets out the number of citizenship certificates granted by the State in each of the past 20 years.

Table 3

Year

Certificates issued

1999

1,433

2000

1,143

2001

2,817

2002

2,817

2003

3,993

2004

3,784

2005

4,079

2006

5,763

2007

4,649

2008

3,245

2009

4,533

2010

6,387

2011

10,749

2012

25,039

2013

24,263

2014

21,104

2015

13,565

2016

10,038

2017

8,195

2018

8,223

2019

5,790

2020 (to date)

5,481

Total

177,090

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