Michael D. Higgins
Ceist:521 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the time period which must elapse before someone married to an Irish citizen can apply for Irish citizenship. [7553/01]
Written Answers. - Citizenship Applications.
Section 8 of the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, as amended in 1986, provides that a non-national married to a person who is an Irish citizen, otherwise than by naturalisation or where the grant of citizenship was a token of honour, may accept Irish citizenship as post nuptial citizenship by lodging a declaration not earlier than three years from the date of marriage or three years from the date on which the applicant's spouse became an Irish citizen, otherwise than as indicated above, whichever is the later, provided that the marriage is subsisting at the date of lodgement of the declaration, and the couple are living together as husband and wife and the spouse who is an Irish citizen submits an affidavit to that effect when the declaration is being lodged.