Foreign Birth Registration?

mendelsfeeder · Post by **mendelsfeeder** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 2:46 pm

Dear all,
I thought I should post my experience after following this thread for a while.
I just received my 'Congratulations you are now an Irish citizen' email.
My story is a little unusual and so may not be useful to many of you (and I'm sorry about jumping the queue), but I thought it may at least bring some hope, that the FBR office does seem to be fully operational and able to approve an FBR fairly quickly when needed.

I had an annoying timing issue with my FBR application, in that I needed to wait until Sept 2018 to apply (so that I had been using my new surname for a period of 2 years), but I also have a baby due this month (March 2019), so when I sent off my application I had pretty much 6 months to the day (assuming I didn't give birth early) to receive my citizenship in order for my unborn child to be eligible.

Timeline:
25 Sept 2018 - Application sent to London embassy (including note that I was pregnant)
2 Oct 2018 - Email from noreply@dfat.ie saying application received
7 Feb 2019 - Contacted FBR via webchat to enquire about progress. They had my application, but no note on my account that I was pregnant and had requested fast-tracking. The web agent gave me an email address to send my proof of pregnancy to. I sent my maternity exemption certificate that day. Was told that the agent would be back in touch soon.
28 Feb 2019 - went on webchat again to enquire about progress, agent said my application hadn't been checked yet but he would chase it up
At this point I feel like these enquiries don't really impact much and I'm pretty resigned to missing out on the opportunity for my child (due in 3 weeks) to become an Irish citizen (should they wish to in the future), then surprise this morning:
1 March 2019 - received the 'Congratulations you are now an Irish citizen' email.

So just over 5 months - but less than 1 month from sending them proof of my pregnancy.

Apparently the certificate (and return of documents) will take another 2-3 weeks. But I have been entered to the FBR before my child is born, so that's fine by me!

If anyone has genuine reasons for an urgent approval, I'd recommend using the webchat, asking to speak to an FBR agent and explaining the situation. They clearly have the ability to turn an application round in less than 24 hours where needed. And I know how frustrating the wait is, but I hope my experience is a good sign for all of you that things are becoming more streamlined and you will get your good news soon (as long as there aren't too many annoying people like me jumping the queue).

Good luck to you all. I'd go and celebrate with a Guinness now, if I was allowed to drink.......

Rbs3 · Post by **Rbs3** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 4:52 pm

This is great news - congratulations! It’s good that they can take these things into account.
It’s also great news for everybody else as it shows that Balbriggan is up and running (finally!!).
I applied via London in late July, and have been at a final ‘management approval’ stage since at least Jan 7th (when I checked). I suspect that they have been committing resource to other things: Brexit preparations, passports, etc. I think I also read that they were training staff in February, so my guess is that they haven’t added anyone to the register these last few weeks... until now!
All the best with your remaining weeks of pregnancy.

PasadenaTom · Post by **PasadenaTom** » Fri Mar 01, 2019 7:55 pm

mendelsfeeder wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 01, 2019 2:46 pm
I just received my 'Congratulations you are now an Irish citizen' email.

Congratulations! And I join Rbs3 in wishing you and your baby the best as you await his or her arrival. Maybe your certificate will arrive on the same day. So that may be reason to have two bottles of Guiness at the ready.

ThePsychoToad · Post by **ThePsychoToad** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 8:50 pm

I'm finally looking into getting on the FBR and had a quick question.

I have two grandparents who were born in Ireland. Their daughter (my mother) is a British citizen. She wasn't born in Ireland and I don't believe she was put on the FBR (she has now passed away).

What's thrown me is that when you go onto the application page on the DFA website it asks "Did Parent (through whom Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of… Birth to a Person Born in Ireland,Naturalisation, Post Nuptial Declaration, Foreign Births Registration or Adoption"

Am I eligible even though my mother was never an Irish citizen?

upliam · Post by **upliam** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:40 pm

ThePsychoToad wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 02, 2019 8:50 pm
I'm finally looking into getting on the FBR and had a quick question.
the application page on the DFA website it asks "Did Parent (through whom Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of… Birth to a Person Born in Ireland,Naturalisation, Post Nuptial Declaration, Foreign Births Registration or Adoption"

Am I eligible even though my mother was never an Irish citizen?

Hi,
Your mother acquired her Irish Citizenship by "Birth to a Person Born in Ireland". She would have been considered an Irish Citizen and not required to apply through the FBR. You would be applying for a FBR through your Grandparents.
Hope this is helpful.
Good Luck on your FBR application!

ThePsychoToad · Post by **ThePsychoToad** » Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:06 pm

upliam wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:40 pm

ThePsychoToad wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 02, 2019 8:50 pm
I'm finally looking into getting on the FBR and had a quick question.
the application page on the DFA website it asks "Did Parent (through whom Irish citizenship is said to be derived) acquire Irish citizenship by virtue of… Birth to a Person Born in Ireland,Naturalisation, Post Nuptial Declaration, Foreign Births Registration or Adoption"

Am I eligible even though my mother was never an Irish citizen?
Hi,
Your mother acquired her Irish Citizenship by "Birth to a Person Born in Ireland". She would have been considered an Irish Citizen and not required to apply through the FBR. You would be applying for a FBR through your Grandparents.
Hope this is helpful.
Good Luck on your FBR application!

Ahh so my mother was automatically an Irish citizen regardless. Thanks!

Now I need to figure out if my grandparents ever renounced their Irish citizenship! My granddad was in the British Armed Forces for his entire career so its possible he did.

Rbs3 · Post by **Rbs3** » Sun Mar 03, 2019 6:38 am

People only normally renounce citizenship in order to take up citizenship of another country which doesn’t allow dual citizenship. So in this case it is unlikely that citizenship was ever renounced as UK and Ireland both allow dual citizenship. I do not believe the armed forces would require it either.

If you have two grandparents that were Irish-born, you can use documents for either - you don’t have to do both. I would go with whichever one has the clearest and most consistent documentation, eg correct dates, spellings of surnames, etc. Each of the documents speak to one another across the three generations, so choose the grandparent whose documents achieve this the best.

Good luck!

mattskilondon · Post by **mattskilondon** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:09 am

Now I need to figure out if my grandparents ever renounced their Irish citizenship! My granddad was in the British Armed Forces for his entire career so its possible he did.

My Irish grandfather was also in the British Army and did not renounce his Irish citizenship. I'm now a happy owner of an FBR certificate and an Irish passport. I'm sure you will be fine!

brawn401 · Post by **brawn401** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:04 am

A glimmer of hope maybe? I spoke to DFA last week and they said that there is now a note on my application saying it should be signed off by end of March.

That will be 8 months in total from sending application to (at least email) approval. Not counting my chickens yet though considering how long it has taken thus far

Aussie_MJ · Post by **Aussie_MJ** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:21 am

Fingers crossed. Today makes six months since I submitted my application online. Still have not received any communication from Dublin to acknowledge that they have received my paperwork.

It's impacting on my job prospects as trying to move to Amsterdam so hoping its not too much longer

nic123 · Post by **nic123** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:26 pm

Brawn 401

Well that's better news. My application sent in 25th June 2018 Been sent for approval November. Keep thinking must be soon!

accountname · Post by **accountname** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:56 pm

Hi all,

Been following this for a little while now - started my application in October (through a grandfather from Laois).
The (slightly disjointed) timeline so far is:
28/10/18: Online application submitted & fee paid
24/11/18: Supporting documentation posted
26/11/18: Supporting documentation signed for
26/02/19: Receipt acknowledged by email

So fair enough, my bad - it took longer than I expected to get the last couple of documents in and I finally wound up mailing them almost a month after making the application. But it was three months after their receipt before I had any acknowledgement - if I hadn't used tracked post that would have been terrifying! Perhaps my timing was just unlucky with them opening the new office or something. Takes as long as it takes, I guess.

My question is: does anyone here have any inkling as to whether my queue position might be based on when I submitted the application? Or should I instead be expecting back-of-the-queue processing times starting from last week?

Kind of regretting not doing this years ago - probably first floated the idea around 2010 and admin inertia put it off until now, which is just about the worst possible moment thanks to the B-word rush! But of course, having done nothing about it for almost a decade, now that the process is under way I'm all excited and impatient! I'm due to visit in July, but it's probably best if I give up hope of that being with an Irish passport now...

upliam · Post by **upliam** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:15 pm

accountname wrote: ↑
Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:56 pm
Hi all,

My question is: does anyone here have any inkling as to whether my queue position might be based on when I submitted the application? Or should I instead be expecting back-of-the-queue processing times starting from last week?

Hello,
You might try contacting DFA through the WebChat and ask which date to base your processing time on. 3 months is a long delay to acknowledge your application. I was recently told by DFA the current processing time is 8 to 9 months minimum for all FBR applications in the system.
Good Luck to you!

Forestier1 · Post by **Forestier1** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:14 pm

Completed my online application & paid my 278 euros yesterday.
Final screen was as below.
Posted my documents direct to Ballybriggan today.
Hopefully, the process will speed up now that UK applicants no longer have to send everything to the Irish Embassy in London.

“Foreign Birth Registration
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade processes applications for Foreign Birth Registration (citizenship by descent).
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Along with an increase in the number of applications received, an increase of incomplete applications has also been seen. Approximately 50% of applications received are not complete. Applications requiring clarification or further documents take longer to process. In addition, these incomplete applications delay the processing of the complete applications.

Applications generally take 5-6 months to process from the time all the required documentation has been submitted to the Foreign Births Registration team. In 2018, 88% of applications for Foreign Birth Registration were processed within six months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has responded to increased demand by creating a new, dedicated Foreign Birth Registration team, by reviewing and streamlining our processes, introducing improvements for efficiency and security. The new processes being introduced will create efficiencies to allow us to manage the increased volume of applications. These improvements will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently established a centralised Customer Service Hub to manage all queries related to foreign birth registration/ citizenship by descent, and passport applications. To improve our service to our customers, and to ensure that we are compliant with GDPR and Data Protection legislation, communication with our customers is now received via our LiveChat service and by phone instead of by email.

Our Embassy in London and Consulate General in Edinburgh no longer process Foreign Birth Registration, as these have been centralised to the Foreign Birth Registration team in Dublin. Queries regarding applications for Foreign Birth Registration should be directed to our Customer Service Hub, where they will be handled by telephone or LiveChat.

7 February 2019”

Aston13 · Post by **Aston13** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:00 pm

Hey, everyone, first post for me on here, even though I have been trawling through these forums for a while.

I have been gathering everything for FBR for a while now, it involved tracking down my grandparent I have never met and dragging him to a notary to get his passport certified today

.

I am finally on the last stage and can't wait to get my application sent. However, I am concerned about this part:

Three separate documents showing proof of residence e.g. utility bill, bank correspondence, government correspondence.

I have many letters from HMRC, pensions, SFE, employers etc. The concern is they are all 1-2+ years old. I have nothing newer than that and I can't find any further detail on dfe.ie. What date range for letters is typically accepted? Would newer letters be preferred or vice versa.

Cheers

.

Court2 · Post by **Court2** » Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:13 pm

Forestier1 wrote: ↑
Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:14 pm
Completed my online application & paid my 278 euros yesterday.
Final screen was as below.
Posted my documents direct to Ballybriggan today.
Hopefully, the process will speed up now that UK applicants no longer have to send everything to the Irish Embassy in London.

“Foreign Birth Registration
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade processes applications for Foreign Birth Registration (citizenship by descent).
Foreign Birth Registration, by its nature, can be a detailed and complex process often involving official documentation related to three generations and issued by several jurisdictions. Along with an increase in the number of applications received, an increase of incomplete applications has also been seen. Approximately 50% of applications received are not complete. Applications requiring clarification or further documents take longer to process. In addition, these incomplete applications delay the processing of the complete applications.

Applications generally take 5-6 months to process from the time all the required documentation has been submitted to the Foreign Births Registration team. In 2018, 88% of applications for Foreign Birth Registration were processed within six months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has responded to increased demand by creating a new, dedicated Foreign Birth Registration team, by reviewing and streamlining our processes, introducing improvements for efficiency and security. The new processes being introduced will create efficiencies to allow us to manage the increased volume of applications. These improvements will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently established a centralised Customer Service Hub to manage all queries related to foreign birth registration/ citizenship by descent, and passport applications. To improve our service to our customers, and to ensure that we are compliant with GDPR and Data Protection legislation, communication with our customers is now received via our LiveChat service and by phone instead of by email.

Our Embassy in London and Consulate General in Edinburgh no longer process Foreign Birth Registration, as these have been centralised to the Foreign Birth Registration team in Dublin. Queries regarding applications for Foreign Birth Registration should be directed to our Customer Service Hub, where they will be handled by telephone or LiveChat.

7 February 2019”

If anything, the process has significantly slowed down before and after the move. No one has reported good news on this site for months now and several members including myself are at the 6 month mark now having received no email notification and when contacting the DFA via phone or webchat receive generic replies that our applications are in the system.

moodor · Post by **moodor** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:58 pm

Hi there,

Just an update from me having today spoken to the FBR team on the phone.

I applied on 14th November 2018 and sent in all paperwork straightaway. My application was formally acknowledged on email on 20th February 2019.

The guy on the helpline told me that it should be around 10-11 months in total, from the moment you apply (for me, Nov) to being on the register.

Not sure if that helps.

accountname · Post by **accountname** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 2:25 pm

Excellent news, in a sense! Of course, bumping to a 10/11 month figure eats up the difference anyway, but at least that phrasing sounds like it's not an extra 3 months for the delay in acknowledging receipt. Was probably going to be a while until I got round to contacting them so thanks for sharing.

Besha · Post by **Besha** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 5:21 pm

Long time lurker, first time poster adding my story to the all-too-common pile!

Applying via paternal Grandfather, sadly deceased long before I was born.

02.12.18 - application submitted
*minutes later* - the horrible realisation that we didn’t have civil certificates of my grandparents’ marriage and my Dad’s birth
12.12.18 - replacements received (marriage certificate from Ireland, birth certificate from the UK)
13.12.18 - photos taken, application witnessed and posted off
14.12.18 - documents received at London Embassy
15.01.19 - sent off web enquiry to confirm documents had been received
22.01.19 - email response received to confirm everything had been sent to Dublin
22.02.19 - email confirmation that application has been received for processing

And here we are! I’m not expecting to get anything prior to July/August and am trying to remain chill despite having a bit of a need for it; my other half lives and works in Stockholm and I’m expecting to move from the UK to Sweden this year. I’d quite like for it to be as stress free as possible!

I think it’s utterly ridiculous people who applied months before me got confirmation the same day I did but I totally appreciate that they’re doing their best.

I was financially in a position to do this about a year ago (before I was with my other half) and chose not to. I’m definitely kicking myself now but this is the position I’m in and I guess there’s not much point in stressing too much! Hopefully they’ll get into a groove and we’ll get a wave of good news soon!

pistashio · Post by **pistashio** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:06 pm

I have been following this forum to see how other peoples FBR journey compares to mine. It seems I am not the only one who has been waiting since July last year. I thought I'd sign up to share my experience.

End of July 2018 - Application submitted online and posted to the embassy in London.

Early November 2018 - Email received from dfa requesting the post office receipts from when my ID documents were certified. My brother who had his application approved at the beginning of 2018 never submitted these. I do not recall ever seeing anything that stated they were required. If anyone is using the post office it may be wise to include the receipt to avoid any further delays.

Early December 2018 - Emailed dfa to check whether the documents were received. Received a response to say they were and that my application was submitted for decision on 30th November.

I heard nothing throughout December or January.

Early February 2019 - I emailed to check on the status of my application to be given some good news. I was told my registration was successful and I am a citizen as of 13th December 2018. However due to pressure from increased applications my certificate has not yet been printed. I was assured my certificate and documents would be back with me soon.

Well here I am, early March, still no certificate or original documents. I intend on chasing them up again this week. How can it take so long to print a certificate?

Michael123 · Post by **Michael123** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:10 pm

Called to see if any updates.. was told will not be added to the FBR until Aug or Sept, that is now 12-13 months. Considering an application withdrawal, I could use the money for something else rather than play cat and mouse with these people. I was told up to 6 months, then 8, 10 and now a min of a year?!? Not worth it, I can still go there without an Irish Passport, I can use the FBR money towards airfare.

Court2 · Post by **Court2** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:03 pm

They claim that their office move has improved efficiency. Certainly nothing seen to evidence that on this forum, if anything it’s got worse.

Michael123 · Post by **Michael123** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:15 pm

Court2 wrote: ↑
Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:03 pm
They claim that their office move has improved efficiency. Certainly nothing seen to evidence that on this forum, if anything it’s got worse.

Agreed. When I applied in Aug the wait was 4 months, now according to the latest its triple that.

Sulla · Post by **Sulla** » Tue Mar 05, 2019 11:53 pm

Michael,

That's just appalling. I feel annoyed just reading of your plight. There is no doubt in my mind that staff in the department have not been doing their job properly. This is quite clear from the massive discrepancy in the processing times for applications received on or around the same date. It is compounded by the fact that they do not follow their own procedures for quickly returning incomplete applications and instead choose to use their time to deal with helping applicants who failed to follow a very simple set of instructions. That this is to the detriment of all other applicants does not seem to factor into their decision making process.

As to the notion of withdrawing your application, I urge you not to. You are already in the system and the FBR will come through eventually. Second nationalities and passports are to be valued. It may come in very useful one day for work or travel purposes. Admittedly, there is little current difference between the visa free access afforded by the US and Irish passports - entry to Iran and Mongolia not being high on most folks priority list. However, things could change in the future and don't forget that career wise the Irish passport allows you to live / work anywhere in the EU. The fee for FBR is minuscule compared to what CBI schemes (like St. Kitts) involve. It's really worth holding on.

Sulla · Post by **Sulla** » Wed Mar 06, 2019 12:13 am

As a general update on my own situation, I still await the arrival of the FBR certificate. It should be in the post from Dublin either already or in the next 2-3 days. If the embassy was accurate in their communication, it ought to be with me in a week or so.

It has been observed previously that they seem to print FBR certificates in batches. Therefore, it is probable that this forum may see quite a few applicants receive their certificate at approximately the same time.

Fingers crossed.

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