Vol. 572 No. 6
342 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the procedure whereby a person born in Australia and who has been living here for approximately three years can apply for Irish citizenship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23934/03]
I am assuming that the person in question is not entitled to Irish citizenship by descent or on the basis of his or her marriage, prior to 30 November 2002, to an Irish-born national. The current legislation governing Irish naturalisation is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended in 1986, 1994 and 2001. The statutory requirements for naturalisation are set out in the legislation, and a residency requirement of five years is normally required for applicants who are not married to an Irish spouse. For applicants married to an Irish spouse, the residency requirement is normally three years.
