
The Foreign Births Register () is an official register of foreign births with
Irish citizenship
The primary law governing nationality of Ireland is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. Ireland is a member state of the European Union (EU), and all Irish nationals are EU citizens. They ...
that is kept by the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian government responsible for foreign policy and international relations, development aid (under the name Australian Aid), consular services, overseas trad ...
in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
.
[Section 27(1), Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956](_blank)
''Irish Statute Book
The Irish Statute Book, also known as the electronic Irish Statute Book (eISB), is a database produced by the Office of the Attorney General of Ireland. It contains copies of Acts of the Oireachtas and statutory instruments. '', Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland. A Foreign Births Entry Book is also maintained in every Irish diplomatic mission and consular office, the contents of which are from time to time transcribed into the Foreign Births Register.
The system of citizenship registration was established by the ''Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956''. A person born outside Ireland to an Irish-citizen parent who was also born outside Ireland may acquire Irish citizenship by registering onto the Foreign Births Register or a Foreign Births Entry Book.
[Section 3(1), Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 2001](_blank)
''Irish Statute Book'', Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland. Such people become Irish citizens from the date of registration,
''Irish Statute Book'', Office of the Attorney General, Dublin, Ireland. or for those registered on or before 30 June 1986, from their date of birth, or 17 July 1956 if they were born before that date.
Once a person is on the foreign births registration certificate, any children they have who are born after this registration date are entitled to Irish citizenship by also registering on the Foreign Births Register (children born outside Ireland to Irish-citizen parents born outside Ireland do not become Irish citizens automatically). Thus, the Irish citizenship of future generations born abroad can be preserved as long as the youngest generation registers onto the Foreign Births Register before having any children.
Once entered, a certified copy of the entry is issued, which takes the form of an
A4 certificate bearing the signature of a senior consular official and the stamp of authenticity from the authority responsible for having made the entry e.g. Irish diplomatic mission. This certificate is printed on specially produced security paper incorporating a UV reactive Harp watermark and may be used as proof of Irish citizenship when applying for a passport without any further proof of citizenship being required. A statutory fee is charged for access to this facility which varies depending on the issuing authority. If the application is made in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
at the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian government responsible for foreign policy and international relations, development aid (under the name Australian Aid), consular services, overseas trad ...
, the current fee is €278 if over 18 and €153 if under. Fees outside Ireland vary from embassy to embassy, but is generally an equivalent to €278 in the local currency.
As of 4th April 2023, applications for Foreign Birth Registration has a processing time of approximately 9 months
from the date of receipt of a complete application with all the required supporting documentation.
See also
*
Irish nationality law
The primary law governing nationality of Ireland is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. Ireland is a member state of the European Union (EU), and all Irish nationals are EU citizens. They ...
References
{{reflist
Irish nationality law