Foreign Birth Registration

Hi, I'm New Here

I have been following this and the old thread.

I received an email from the Irish Embassy in Pretoria today:

"We are writing to you to notify you of a delay in the processing times of your FBR application. Due to organisational restructuring at HQ to bring the processing of FBRs under the management of the Passport Service all processing is on hold until further notice, and as such your application will take more time to process than the 6 months quoted timeframe. The Embassy apologises for this inconvenience and delay.

Note that the processing of your application commences from the date the Embassy received your paper based application with original supporting certificates. You will be notified in due course once your application is concluded.

Depending on your date of physical submission with Embassy, allow for a period of 10 months from that date and check with us again for progress."

So this looks like their official stance on a timeframe.

P.S. This was after I inquired and I am not trying to be hostile, the staff here are very helpful and friendly. And I am a bit of a nag.

Luke125SWalker wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 12:53 pm

Hi, I'm New Here

I have been following this and the old thread.

I received an email from the Irish Embassy in Pretoria today:

"We are writing to you to notify you of a delay in the processing times of your FBR application. Due to organisational restructuring at HQ to bring the processing of FBRs under the management of the Passport Service all processing is on hold until further notice, and as such your application will take more time to process than the 6 months quoted timeframe. The Embassy apologises for this inconvenience and delay.

Note that the processing of your application commences from the date the Embassy received your paper based application with original supporting certificates. You will be notified in due course once your application is concluded.

Depending on your date of physical submission with Embassy, allow for a period of 10 months from that date and check with us again for progress."

So this looks like their official stance on a timeframe.

Can I ask what the date of your application was? Just to get a better understanding of what this email from the DFA may mean for others?

Marwin & Master Caution,

Divorce certificates?! That was not requested in the list of documentation at the time I applied (April 2019.) In fact, I don't even recall a question on the application regarding my parents' marital status to each other.

My paternal grandparents were both Irish, and while my father was born in the U.K., but was actually raised in Ireland...I wonder what my parents' divorce would have anything to do with my heritage.

- F

Can someone help, some say they are receiving confirmation that things are moving along, I sent my application with all docs and payment Aug 2018, shortly after I received an email stating they had received the docs and accepted them. I have heard nothing since.
I also am unsure if I am posting in the correct place and welcome any assistance gratefully.

usczkat wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 11:36 pm

Can someone help, some say they are receiving confirmation that things are moving along, I sent my application with all docs and payment Aug 2018, shortly after I received an email stating they had received the docs and accepted them. I have heard nothing since.
I also am unsure if I am posting in the correct place and welcome any assistance gratefully.

Welcome usczkat!
If you are applying for a FBR, then you are in the correct spot. There are many of us on here all waiting for our FBR's.
And several active 'posters' from August 2018 including myself. My applications were received on August 22, 2019. What day did you receive your email confirming receipt of your application?

fvigaud wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 10:18 pm

Marwin & Master Caution,

Divorce certificates?! That was not requested in the list of documentation at the time I applied (April 2019.) In fact, I don't even recall a question on the application regarding my parents' marital status to each other.

The stipulated documentation for overseas applicants is more extensive than those applying from Ireland. At the time I applied,the certificates you are referring to were required and they still are. I do not think this situation has altered at any time. Applicants should thoroughly check the supporting documents / Adult applicant section of this page for their own jurisdiction as requirements vary:

https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/usa/ou ... ion-guide/

That is a link to the embassy of Ireland in the United States. However, I have also checked the sites relevant to Germany and China. They are all identical in designating marriage and divorce certificates as mandatory (if applicable of course) across the 3 generations concerned.

South Africa and the U.K. request all marriage certificates but not divorce records. However, they do mention that anything that led to a name change needs to be sent, which could apply to divorces in some legal systems.

As always, 'additional documentation may be requested.' Bearing this in mind, it is prudent to gather together all documents that might possibly be asked for. Personally, I even sent them all certificates pertinent to my Irish great grandparents as well. I also included not just the divorce decrees, but the full written judgement by the court as well as some property ownership deeds . I did not want any request for further information, so I decided to be proactive. My document set contained some minor inconsistencies such as Mc / Mac and differences in middle names on some certificates. I felt including the extra documents helped clear up any doubts. I did not encounter any problems and the process went well until it reached the printing stage. I received all the documentation back with my FBR certificate.

Thank you for your response, mine was received Aug 23 2018.

I sent an email to the FBR in Feb and was told no way to track:


From: fbrclarification@dfa.ie


Date: 2/25/19 7:31 AM (GMT-08:00)


To:


Subject: FBR 147889

Dear K

Unfortunately, it is not possible at present to give you an indication of the timescale in which your application will be processed. An officer will contact you by email if any documents or clarification is required to complete your application.

Yours sincerely



Helen Dowling

FBR Team

Luke125SWalker wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 12:53 pm

Note that the processing of your application commences from the date the Embassy received your paper based application with original supporting certificates.

Thank you for including the response you received. On the point above, I have held this stance for a very long time. However, there has been some pushback from the people answering the phones at the DFA who often assert that the time does not run from receipt, but from when they begin processing. We now have this confirmation from the embassy in South Africa, (as well as my reply from the head of the FBR section) that confirm that the application date is in fact the date of receipt. Hopefully, we can now put that particular debate to bed.

August 2018 applicants and date FBR applications received / added – all dates 2018

Sean – received August 2nd (Added to FBR December 19th)
Spav – received August 3rd (Added to FBR December 11th)
Sulla – received August 14th (Added to FBR Nov 28th)
LeifRNR – received August 14th / Pending
Laurie – received August 15th / Pending
Michael – received August 21st / Pending
Upliam _ received August 22nd / Pending
USczcat – received August 23rd / Pending

There is also Cindy who has been waiting since June 2018. From the list above, all are applicants from the United States with the exception of me. I applied from China.

I picked up my Turkish passport on Tuesday - still waiting on the Irish one. No progress on the progress bar. I will be flying to Bangkok as soon as I can get stuff packed and a flight booked. Hopefully Thursday.

I applied to the FBR at the end of April 2018, email acknowledgment 15 May, asked for additional info 3 Oct, during next few months more emails for clarification responded to immediately, early Dec told all should be fine. No more updates other than it is being processed.

I had to supply divorce papers and the re marriage certificate for my application which was done via the Finnish Embassy - this was already in their list online on what supporting documents should be sent - I am still trying to understand the relevance of it though because it has no bearing on the Irish side of things.

I still haven't had any email to say that my documents have been received by the DFA but looking at your email it looks as though it is taken as being from when it was received at the Embassy (February) and it will now be 10 months to process. Again I think this should be updated on the website and on the Embassy pages for citizenship.

It also seems from the email that they do agree that moving has affected it all, I still think that it perhaps wasn't the best time to have a restructure when there was already a large backlog but then I do not know the circumstances behind why they did it so perhaps it was something that they were not able to control.

Once I have a concrete moving date (at the moment it is a provisional it will be by xx/xx) I will give the DFA a call to let them know the change of address and then perhaps I will have a greater understanding on where my documents actually are. I don't know why but I just don't think that they have been forwarded by the embassy (they still haven't replied to the message I sent via the web contact).

Obviously I don't know what checks they do on the documents but yes Sulla it just shows that it can be done quicker, I do understand the other countries may not have the same volume of applications due to Brexit but I am sure they must have an increased volume also.

I think that they should reinstate the email contact as it will be a lot easier for those who are not in the same time zone to contact them if needed.

Sulla wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 12:41 am

August 2018 applicants and date FBR applications received / added – all dates 2018

Sean – received August 2nd (Added to FBR December 19th)
Spav – received August 3rd (Added to FBR December 11th)
Sulla – received August 14th (Added to FBR Nov 28th)
LeifRNR – received August 14th / Pending
Laurie – received August 15th / Pending
Michael – received August 21st / Pending
Upliam _ received August 22nd / Pending
USczcat – received August 23rd / Pending

There is also Cindy who has been waiting since June 2018. From the list above, all are applicants from the United States with the exception of me. I applied from China.

I picked up my Turkish passport on Tuesday - still waiting on the Irish one. No progress on the progress bar. I will be flying to Bangkok as soon as I can get stuff packed and a flight booked. Hopefully Thursday.

Hey! You forgot me!

Nydccub - received August 31st / Pending

I received an email confirmation that my application was received by FBR on November 20, 2018. Since 6 months have passed, I gave them a call @ 35316711633 and received a message that they are no longer taking calls but I could go to WWW.DFA.ie/passport to track the status of my application. I went to the website and it looks like it won't take my FBR tracking number, but only takes 11 digit passport numbers? I wonder why they directed me to that website. Is there any other way to contact them?

After reading the notes in this blog, I am guessing I am still 4-6 months from away from any further communication.

I did the same in Feb, after not getting anywhere on the phone, I sent an email and got a standard reply that it is being processed as usual and I will hear from them if they need anything more from me.
I am still curious about the whole "second letter" thing. I would love to hear from anyone that knows if every applicant gets a second letter or not... anyone?

Sulla wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 11:50 pm

fvigaud wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 10:18 pm

Marwin & Master Caution,

Divorce certificates?! That was not requested in the list of documentation at the time I applied (April 2019.) In fact, I don't even recall a question on the application regarding my parents' marital status to each other.

The stipulated documentation for overseas applicants is more extensive than those applying from Ireland. At the time I applied,the certificates you are referring to were required and they still are. I do not think this situation has altered at any time. Applicants should thoroughly check the supporting documents / Adult applicant section of this page for their own jurisdiction as requirements vary:

https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/usa/ou ... ion-guide/

As always, 'additional documentation may be requested.' Bearing this in mind, it is prudent to gather together all documents that might possibly be asked for. Personally, I even sent them all certificates pertinent to my Irish great grandparents as well. I also included not just the divorce decrees, but the full written judgement by the court as well as some property ownership deeds . I did not want any request for further information, so I decided to be proactive. My document set contained some minor inconsistencies such as Mc / Mac and differences in middle names on some certificates. I felt including the extra documents helped clear up any doubts. I did not encounter any problems and the process went well until it reached the printing stage. I received all the documentation back with my FBR certificate.

ayayayay, thank you Sulla. I had gone to the Irish Embassy in Washington, DC (where I live) to inquire and they simply directed me to the DFAT link; I only used the documentation guide from the application form online. (The embassy here doesn't review/take the application like in other countries) Ugh. So I will get on the task of securing a divorce certificate.

Any thoughts anyone on whether I should just send it in as an addendum once I get it? Or should I wait until I get a request for more information months and months from now? I note they are restructuring and sent someone's FBR cert to the wrong person...I am concerned....

thanks, as always, for all the thoughts and help in the short time I found and have been following this thread.

thank you,
Fvigaud

usczkat wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 4:29 pm

I did the same in Feb, after not getting anywhere on the phone, I sent an email and got a standard reply that it is being processed as usual and I will hear from them if they need anything more from me.
I am still curious about the whole "second letter" thing. I would love to hear from anyone that knows if every applicant gets a second letter or not... anyone?

I have received only one original email on August 22 confirming receipt of my FBR application in Dublin, to my knowledge they will send a second email if needing additional information or documents.
Also please note some of the others on this forum are applying from various countries and may have to submit their applications to the local embassy for initial review, the embassy then will forward the application to Dublin for processing. They might receive 2 email acknowledgments, one from local embassy and one from Dublin. Like you I applied from the US, so as of now I have only receive 1 email acknowledgement.
Hope this is helpful to you.

yes, thank you, I had a feeling it had more to do with needing more info, or different countries procedures.

I called at the end of last week on Thursday and was told my application has been sent to a manager for approval...

Think I recall some other applicants saying they reached this stage in their timelines a while back in this thread. Can’t seem to find them. How long is it for me now? I’m hoping within 6-8 weeks now! But as always, anyone’s guess.

Court2 wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 9:53 pm

I called at the end of last week on Thursday and was told my application has been sent to a manager for approval...

When did you apply Court?

Court2 wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 9:53 pm

I called at the end of last week on Thursday and was told my application has been sent to a manager for approval...

Hi Court,

I was advised on November 29th 2018 that my application had been sent for approval by management. However, in my case, this was later shown to be wrong / meaningless because I was entered on to the FBR on November 28th - as per received certificate.

Another instance I know of, that involves this phase being mentioned, is that of Richard. I have posted his info below, which comes from his final timeline post in the early pages of this thread. His is probably more reliable than mine.

* Application submitted in person to Edinburgh Consulate: 31-Jul-18
* Additional documentation submitted via post to Edinburgh Consulate: 02-Aug-18
* Email confirming receipt in "Dublin" (/Balbriggan?) and "priority processing"; request for additional documentation: 27-Nov-18
* Email acknowledgement of documents received, "submitted to supervisor for approval": 04-Dec-18
* Entered onto FBR (unbeknownst to me): 12-Dec-18
* Email reply received to enquiry, confirming FBR entry / "you are an Irish citizen as of 12-Dec-18": 17-Jan-19
* Certificate printed - 10-Mar-19
* Certificate received in post - 29-Mar-19

From both of our cases, it seems that the time window between the application being sent for management / supervisor approval and actual entry is relatively brief. I think that Brawn may also have written about the sent to supervisor stage, but the gap for him may have been a bit longer. I can't recall exactly. Maybe he will clarify if he sees this.

nydccub wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 1:28 pm

Hey! You forgot me!

Nydccub - received August 31st / Pending

Sorry about that and thanks for correcting me. I hope that list of August applicants will see some further positive updates in the near future.

The chasm that exists between the FBR entry times of group 1 (Spav, Sean & Sulla) and group 2 (everyone else) is really quite concerning. It is hard to mount any defense of people who applied basically at the same time receiving such radically different treatment.

LesMalouinettes wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 10:45 pm

When did you apply Court?

Court applied from the U.K. via the London embassy in early September 2018. I think Sept 6th was the date of receipt.

fvigaud wrote: ↑

Wed May 22, 2019 4:48 pm

Any thoughts anyone on whether I should just send it in as an addendum once I get it? Or should I wait until I get a request for more information months and months from now? I note they are restructuring and sent someone's FBR cert to the wrong person...I am concerned....

I would definitely wait. For sure, I would source the divorce certificate(s) concerned and have them ready to go. Then, I would wait for the DFA clarifications dept to contact me. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. There is a substantial amount of randomness in this process. Once you receive a request, there will be 28 days to submit the document. I would not just send it in unsolicited. The DFA have a mountain of mail and that could lead to confusion. Better that they will be expecting it. They may even give you other address information to use when sending in such additional documentation - such as a caseworkers name.

LesMalouinettes wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 9:33 pm

Luke125SWalker wrote: ↑

Tue May 21, 2019 12:53 pm

Hi, I'm New Here

I have been following this and the old thread.

I received an email from the Irish Embassy in Pretoria today:

"We are writing to you to notify you of a delay in the processing times of your FBR application. Due to organisational restructuring at HQ to bring the processing of FBRs under the management of the Passport Service all processing is on hold until further notice, and as such your application will take more time to process than the 6 months quoted timeframe. The Embassy apologises for this inconvenience and delay.

Note that the processing of your application commences from the date the Embassy received your paper based application with original supporting certificates. You will be notified in due course once your application is concluded.

Depending on your date of physical submission with Embassy, allow for a period of 10 months from that date and check with us again for progress."

So this looks like their official stance on a timeframe.

Can I ask what the date of your application was? Just to get a better understanding of what this email from the DFA may mean for others?

I received confirmation that everything had been received in Dublin on 9 November 2018, it was received by the embassy in Pretoria on 30 October 2018