Foreign Birth Registration

thecastle2 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:40 pm

Faull_guy wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 03, 2020 2:22 pm

I was one of the April 2019 applicants as per Sulla’s info below.........

April 2019 applicants and date FBR applications received / added. All received dates 2019.
KAR110 - received April 9th / Pending
Brexit Irishman – received April 14th / Pending
Faull_Guy – received April 16th / Pending
LA8887 – received April 24th / Pending
Fvigaud – received April 26th 2019 / Pending

My application was received April 30th, 2019 with my pending message received May 8th, 2019 when my documentation arrived. I have yet to hear anything from FBR

I'm glad to hear that things are moving again, or so it seems.

Hi again everyone. I noticed that virtual citizenship ceremonies have started on the Emerald Isle. Made me check in once again on this forum. Glad I did!

Massively encouraging to read that things are moving again. Realised I made a mistake with previous post, I got confirmation of documents received email on April 29th 2019, not the 16th. So hopefully only a matter of weeks now. Pandemic allowing!

Hoping for the luck of the Irish!

(The Real) Brexit Irishman.

How does the address confirmation work?

They email you asking if your original address is still valid..?

A) you say yes and they mail the FBR there
B) you say no, then have to send in proof of address before they move FWD?

given COVID, it's not looking likely I will be at the same address.

JeremyNYC wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 11, 2020 2:23 pm

How does the address confirmation work?

They email you asking if your original address is still valid..?

A) you say yes and they mail the FBR there
B) you say no, then have to send in proof of address before they move FWD?

given COVID, it's not looking likely I will be at the same address.

Yes that is correct.

tomriddle2u wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:57 am

cdfly wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:39 pm

My sister's due date is coming up in a month and a half... applications were paid back in january/feb.... With the news above, I'm tempted to post the paperwork to dublin this week.
Anyone know if the post would reject the mail (from the USA)?

If I was you I would send it, make sure you send it registered so it can be tracked. Also, make sure you mark on the outside of the envelope the application number and pregnancy. It may just be added to a pile or it could be worked on. If you don't send it then your sisters child will not be able to apply for Irish citizenship as she was not registered as an Irish citizen at the time of birth. Make sure there is solid proof of pregnancy so something on headed paper confirming your sister is pregnant and due date.

I agree, I posted about this a few posts ago. Check my posts out. I sent proof of official due date from the hospital / midwife and the case was escalated. I clearly marked pregnancy addition to original application on envelope. Hope you get it turned around on time. The staff in Dublin will do all they can for you. They were great with ours and frequent clear contact.

PD9 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:23 pm

tomriddle2u wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:57 am

cdfly wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:39 pm

My sister's due date is coming up in a month and a half... applications were paid back in january/feb.... With the news above, I'm tempted to post the paperwork to dublin this week.
Anyone know if the post would reject the mail (from the USA)?

If I was you I would send it, make sure you send it registered so it can be tracked. Also, make sure you mark on the outside of the envelope the application number and pregnancy. It may just be added to a pile or it could be worked on. If you don't send it then your sisters child will not be able to apply for Irish citizenship as she was not registered as an Irish citizen at the time of birth. Make sure there is solid proof of pregnancy so something on headed paper confirming your sister is pregnant and due date.

I agree, I posted about this a few posts ago. Check my posts out. I sent proof of official due date from the hospital / midwife and the case was escalated. I clearly marked pregnancy addition to original application on envelope. Hope you get it turned around on time. The staff in Dublin will do all they can for you. They were great with ours and frequent clear contact.

Yup, your post inspired me to run to the post office! I was afraid that with the FBR office closed, they would reject mail and our documents would be lost to postal purgatory forever... TOTALLY missed the part where it was a PO Box! Mailed on 8 July and package was processed through a Dublin sorting facility yesterday so hoping for delivery today or tomorrow! Did the FBR office contact you first?

few other questions from the very pregnant sister...
- How are things verified? Is it just "oh these are originals/certified true copies and the lineage matches up, so you're good!" OR does FBR have access to US databases to cross check? We submitted her certified passport, cert drivers license, birth cert, marriage cert...but her name change just went through for social security and they will be updating their licenses prior to the birth. (I assume the passport will wait a bit as the US renewal system is currently a hot mess.) To add onto that fun, her and her husband decided to make up an entirely new last name - after the irish pub they had their first date in! Is this something we will have to scramble for the FBR or something she can just deal with come passport...?

- We did a pandemic move recently but still technically own the house my FBR application is tied to.. (pending sale in mid-August and around the block.) How fast do documents post-FBR add normally arrive? Would it be better to just mail the new proofs of address for current house now before they even email me about the application to facilitate better turn-around?

Thanks so much everyone!!!!

Out of curiosity, has anyone tried calling the number since the applications started being processed again? The website says the lines are closed, but it also says they're still not processing applications so

I'm tempted to pre-emptively submit a change of address as the place I used to live had bills included in the rent so put my dad's address down where my back account is still registered, but I have some utility bills for my new flat so might get it sent here.

This is all assuming it gets accepted and will be processed in the very near future, as I was 8 days after Faull_guy and they have their confirmation of address email already.

cdfly wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:07 pm

PD9 wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:23 pm

tomriddle2u wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:57 am

cdfly wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:39 pm

My sister's due date is coming up in a month and a half... applications were paid back in january/feb.... With the news above, I'm tempted to post the paperwork to dublin this week.
Anyone know if the post would reject the mail (from the USA)?

If I was you I would send it, make sure you send it registered so it can be tracked. Also, make sure you mark on the outside of the envelope the application number and pregnancy. It may just be added to a pile or it could be worked on. If you don't send it then your sisters child will not be able to apply for Irish citizenship as she was not registered as an Irish citizen at the time of birth. Make sure there is solid proof of pregnancy so something on headed paper confirming your sister is pregnant and due date.

I agree, I posted about this a few posts ago. Check my posts out. I sent proof of official due date from the hospital / midwife and the case was escalated. I clearly marked pregnancy addition to original application on envelope. Hope you get it turned around on time. The staff in Dublin will do all they can for you. They were great with ours and frequent clear contact.

Yup, your post inspired me to run to the post office! I was afraid that with the FBR office closed, they would reject mail and our documents would be lost to postal purgatory forever... TOTALLY missed the part where it was a PO Box! Mailed on 8 July and package was processed through a Dublin sorting facility yesterday so hoping for delivery today or tomorrow! Did the FBR office contact you first?

few other questions from the very pregnant sister...
- How are things verified? Is it just "oh these are originals/certified true copies and the lineage matches up, so you're good!" OR does FBR have access to US databases to cross check? We submitted her certified passport, cert drivers license, birth cert, marriage cert...but her name change just went through for social security and they will be updating their licenses prior to the birth. (I assume the passport will wait a bit as the US renewal system is currently a hot mess.) To add onto that fun, her and her husband decided to make up an entirely new last name - after the irish pub they had their first date in! Is this something we will have to scramble for the FBR or something she can just deal with come passport...?

- We did a pandemic move recently but still technically own the house my FBR application is tied to.. (pending sale in mid-August and around the block.) How fast do documents post-FBR add normally arrive? Would it be better to just mail the new proofs of address for current house now before they even email me about the application to facilitate better turn-around?

Thanks so much everyone!!!!

hi! i sent my stuff april 2nd, and it didn’t get delivered to ireland until may 26th due to the pandemic. i called usps and they pretty much told me since the government(s) were limiting the number of planes going in and out of the country, they were waiting for a plane to fill entirely before it would leave to go straight to ireland. so now it’s just sitting inside of a post office box i guess or on someone’s desk. i am so torn up about how long this will potentially take because i don’t know if something sent technically in april will be processed at the same rate as one that was delivered in july. every time i check the website it says they won’t reopen until “later in the summer” but i’m glad to see at least previous applications are being attended to. now that the wait time has been extended to 12-18 months i feel so discouraged. my US passport was being renewed when this all began and although they had it for 17 weeks in total, as soon as they opened they really kicked it into high gear. they were able to process 200,000 apps a week. i know ireland is a different country and that the employees have been redeployed to assist with other covid related things but i’m kind of hoping that they will also get the same fire under their mule upon reopening. i know before this happened they hired a whole new team to help tackle the load. with everyone home with so much free time i am positive they have been receiving a ton of apps from people who never had time to get around to it before. i consider myself to be a very patient person and i know this whole situation is completely unprecedented but man what poor timing for us.

No one is actually sure if the foreign birth registration office is actually open, or operating normally. Its not clear if the couple of people who have been added to the FBR had already been approved before the offices closed. The office maybe simply just mailing out the already approved cases.

But as of right now the best anyone can tell is they are still processing applications for expectant parents. Also that applications sent in at the beginning of April 2019 were/are being processed. My application went in April 30th, 2019, all paperwork was confirmed received on May 8th 2019. My application has not been approved and the best I can tell processed. So that may give you an idea of the current / building back log of applications and how much time will pass before your application may be processed.

UPDATE: I sent in an inquiry last night via the DFR website under the category OTHER (since you can't submit inquiries technically for FBR...) explaining that my sister was pregnant and due very soon, and we were looking to get in contact with someone at the FBR.
I got a response this morning asking for the application #s from someone who works at the FBR! So it seems if your application needs escalation, they are able to communicate with you and are on their official emails

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know I got confirmation my certificate has been despatched today!

I was one of those who got the request to confirm address emails just before lockdown but looks like they are picking up the applications again.

All the best,

Kyle

Congratulations!!!!
Great news that your FBR Certificate has been dispatched!! We all look forward to more progress on processing!!!

I received my address confirmation last night. Do they reply to it if you change address or anything? Or just dispatch to the new address. Or do they not reply at all and just send out the certificate?

@ LA887

My application is still be processed, mine was recd And confirmed in Ireland about 30 days after you, late May 2019.
If you review the past updates/comment here, several of the applicants have provided dates for tracking at each of these intervals/communication with FBR.


Date application submitted
Date application received in balbriggan Ireland and email recd
Date confirmation of address email
Date added onto foriegn birth register
Date congratulations email
Date received certificate at your address

Hope this helps!!
Congrats to you that they verified your mailing address!!

Thats encouraging to hear. I am nearing the one year mark since receiving my confirmation of document receipt email from Dublin. This year has been a weird one by far, and continued delays in this process has had me feeling a bit down lately. But cheers to a (hopefully) productive resumption of productivity at the DFA!

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker, first time poster!

So excited to see that everyone's applications are starting to move along again! In my case, I think I'm in for a long wait.

Application submitted online: Jan 22nd, 2020

Application mailed from New York on Feb 14th, 2020

USPS reported as delivered in "IRELAND" on Feb 27th, 2020 at 6am.

Since then, nothing- not even documents received confirmation email- have checked spam and everything.

I am assuming that there is nothing I can do but wait- but was just wondering if there was anyone else in this situation? I'm also assuming that the application is ok, but was curious what others experiences had been!

Thanks all for running such a great resource for all us would-be Irish!

Hello - first time poster.

I think I was one the last through the door before the lockdown!

Date application submitted: 3rd March 2020
Date application received in balbriggan Ireland and email recd: 18th March 2020
Date confirmation of address email:
Date added onto foreign birth register:
Date congratulations email:
Date received certificate at your address:

Not expecting anything until 2021 now...good luck to all.

Hi all,

Another longtime lurker, first time poster here. I thought now would be a good time to chime in, as I just received notification the other day that my application for Irish citizenship through entry on the FBR had been successful and a certificate had been printed and posted.

Here's my timeline and how the process went for me:

2019-MAR-29: Mailed application and documentation from United States via USPS. My sister and I applied simultaneously, using documentation from our mother and from our maternal grandfather. My brother had applied six years ago, so fortunately for us, he already had tracked down most of the necessary documentation.

2019-APR-05: Received email from Irish DFA saying my application and supporting documentation had been received. Thus began the first waiting period.

2020-MAR-05: Received email stating my application for entry into the FBR "will be approved shortly," and asking to confirm that my address hadn't changed since the original application. I replied back the same day to confirm that my address had not changed. (My sister said she did not reply to the email and they phoned her to confirm her address.)

Before any final approval on my application or printing of my certificate could happen, everything pretty much shut down because of COVID-19, thus beginning the second portion of my wait.

2020-JUL-20: Received congratulations email stating my application for citizenship via the FBR has been successful, and that a certificate had been printed and posted to the address on my application, along with a passport application form.

I'll post a follow up when I receive the certificate and passport application. I don't know how long the passport application process is taking these days, but I'm not planning any immediate travel, and I need to renew my U.S. passport first anyway.

It's good to see that processing of applications has begun again, and hopefully others who applied around the same time that I did will soon be getting good news in their mailboxes. If anyone has any questions about my experience, please feel free to ask.

TInFE wrote: ↑

Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:13 am

Hello - first time poster.

I think I was one the last through the door before the lockdown!

Date application submitted: 3rd March 2020
Date application received in balbriggan Ireland and email recd: 18th March 2020
Date confirmation of address email:
Date added onto foreign birth register:
Date congratulations email:
Date received certificate at your address:

Not expecting anything until 2021 now...good luck to all.

sent my mine to Balbriggan in April from The Czech Republic and also Heard- absolutely nothing although Czech post have confirmed that it was delivered. Hoping to get a confirmation email soon. Glad to hear that they are making a moving on applications from last year though!
Law

Supposedly FBR application accepted in mid February 2019 (via Paris Embassy) following 6 months of provision of additional/corrected documents ....
Not a peep since, efforts to contact result in advice, still in process
Anyone else in similar situation, 18 month and counting and barely any advice?

Sulla wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 17, 2020 7:04 am

circlethewagons12 wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:28 am

Hello,

I am just looking for some clarifications on one major thing, I am currently a Canadian Citizen (My father was also born in Canada) but my grandfather was born in Northern Ireland in 1927 - Do I qualify for Irish Citizenship? From everything I'm reading I believe I do - is this correct?

Yes you qualify. Births in NI are not treated any differently to those elsewhere in Ireland.

The only problem could be if either your grandfather or parent made a declaration of alienage prior to the birth of the next person in the chain of descent. I very much doubt this will be the case, as so far on this board, we have never heard of anyone doing that.

...........ugh. Urgent pregnancy app hit another roadblock.
Currently dealing with this and awaiting DFA contact to receive an answer from the Dept of Justice about whether our Grandma ever re-obtained citizenship. We wrote down the date she told us for the declaration of alienage (which of course is 3 years prior to our dads birth) because I hadn't read anywhere that mentioned this would derail the application. I have also never seen any form or document showing this declaration. Many of our cousins and aunts/uncles all have irish citizenship now via fbr... I am wondering (crossing all fingers and toes) that perhaps the date she told us was when she became an American citizen and she just assumed that she gave up her irish citizenship as well???? If she did give it up, would it help any of our cases if she made a new declaration of citizenship prior to the birth? Or are we SOL if it turns out she was not a citizen for my dads or our births?
Devastated by the potential idea that all of this has been for nothing.

cdfly wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 24, 2020 3:45 pm

Sulla wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 17, 2020 7:04 am

circlethewagons12 wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:28 am

Hello,

I am just looking for some clarifications on one major thing, I am currently a Canadian Citizen (My father was also born in Canada) but my grandfather was born in Northern Ireland in 1927 - Do I qualify for Irish Citizenship? From everything I'm reading I believe I do - is this correct?

Yes you qualify. Births in NI are not treated any differently to those elsewhere in Ireland.

The only problem could be if either your grandfather or parent made a declaration of alienage prior to the birth of the next person in the chain of descent. I very much doubt this will be the case, as so far on this board, we have never heard of anyone doing that.

...........ugh. Urgent pregnancy app hit another roadblock.
Currently dealing with this and awaiting DFA contact to receive an answer from the Dept of Justice about whether our Grandma ever re-obtained citizenship. We wrote down the date she told us for the declaration of alienage (which of course is 3 years prior to our dads birth) because I hadn't read anywhere that mentioned this would derail the application. I have also never seen any form or document showing this declaration. Many of our cousins and aunts/uncles all have irish citizenship now via fbr... I am wondering (crossing all fingers and toes) that perhaps the date she told us was when she became an American citizen and she just assumed that she gave up her irish citizenship as well???? If she did give it up, would it help any of our cases if she made a new declaration of citizenship prior to the birth? Or are we SOL if it turns out she was not a citizen for my dads or our births?
Devastated by the potential idea that all of this has been for nothing.

EDIT: Talked to Grandma just now and apparently the date she gave us for her "declaration of alienage" is the date she became a naturalized American citizen... and that she did not make a sworn statement or declaration at the Embassy or Consulate- just assumed that once she became an American that was it. Granted, the lady is in her 80s now and previously said she "renounced her Irish citizenship" so I really don't know whether to believe it and be relieved or if we're going to find out on Monday that the Dept of Justice has her declaration of alienage on file.
Anyone have any idea if USA in the 1950s was allowing new citizens to maintain dual citizenship?
Guess its anxious sleep for another three days until they tell us more at this point

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!

Fvigaud:
Application submitted online: 19 April 2019
App posted (Fedex from Washington, DC to Balbriggan): 22 April 2019
Email acknowledging receipt in Balbriggan: 26 April 2019
Confirmation of address email: 24 July 2020 (I replied nearly instantaneously)
Added to FBR:
Congrats email:
FBR certificate received:

I wonder if certificate printing is on track in these COVID days...

Update from Brexit Irishman (I had to create a new account to post here as got locked out of the old one - hence why I'm the "Real" Brexit Irishman):

Confirmation of address email received!!!

Timeline so far:

Documents sent & confirmed receipt of all documents on April 29th 2019.

Confirmation of address email: 27 July 2020.

Waiting patiently now for the next steps!! SO excited already. Shall be cracking open a Guinness tonight to celebrate!

Congratulations!! So encouraging to see so many April 2019 folks receiving their address confirmation notices. Gives me hope.

BigDaddy100 (July 1 2019)

@ RealBrexitIrishman
What awesome news for you today!!!
I’m finally starting to feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel! If your document confirm date is 4/29/2019, Mine is May 27,2019, less than 30 days!
Fingers crossed for rapid processing!!! Hope that your certificate is received quickly!!