Sample Plan — Ireland

Ireland offers one of the most accessible descent-based citizenship routes in Europe. If you have an Irish-born parent or grandparent, you likely qualify for Foreign Birth Registration (FBR), which confers Irish citizenship before you apply for a passport. The process is administrative rather than discretionary, meaning eligibility is determined by lineage documentation rather than consular judgment.

Foreign Birth Registration (FBR) through the Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs. This is the standard route for applicants born abroad to Irish-born parents or grandparents.

• Your full birth certificate (apostilled) • Irish-born parent's or grandparent's birth certificate • Marriage certificates for each generation in the chain • Death certificates (if applicable) • Your current passport copy • Two proof-of-address documents

Foreign Birth Registration processing: 12–18 months from submission to certificate issuance. Passport application: 4–8 weeks after FBR certificate is received. Total from start to passport in hand: approximately 14–20 months.

• FBR application fee: €278 (online) / €306 (paper) • Document authentication (apostille): $10–$20 per document • Certified translations (if needed): $30–$60 per document • Irish passport (10-year): €75–€95

If your parent was born abroad to an Irish citizen, they must have been registered on the Foreign Births Register before your birth for you to qualify. If they were not registered, you may still qualify through your Irish-born grandparent, but not through a great-grandparent unless your parent was registered before your birth.