Irish naturalisation marriage route vs general route

Hello!

I have a question about the naturalisation process. Can someone please help me understand if the process is faster or easier if I apply through the marriage route (I’m married to an EU citizen who became Irish this year) compared to the general route (I’ve just completed 5 years of residence)?

From what I’ve seen, both routes seem similar, but are there any differences in processing time or rules that make one route easier or quicker?

Thanks in advance!

I was in a similar situation to yourself last year and ended up apply as the Spouse of an Irish Citizen, as I believe this was an easier route in terms of making the application.

1. Reduced Reckonable Residence Requirement:

Spouse of an Irish Citizen: You generally need 3 years of reckonable residence in Ireland out of the 5 years immediately preceding your application. You must also have resided continuously in Ireland for the 12 months immediately before your application.

5 Years Reckonable Residence (Standard Route): You generally need 5 years of reckonable residence in Ireland out of the 9 years immediately preceding your application. This includes one year of continuous residence immediately before the application.

2. Documents

Whilst this can seem like less paperwork to gather for yourself, you will need to gather a similar amount for your spouse. There are also specific documents you need to gather to confirm the relationship.

Going down the 5 year route, you only need to gather documents for yourself (but I have no idea what is required).

3. Processing Times

In terms of processing times, its hard to know and I have no idea which route is easier. While processing times can vary and are subject to the volume of applications, going by the older timeline trackers, applications based on marriage or civil partnership tended to be processed quicker than the standard 5-year residence route. But over the last year (see the 2024 tracker), I would say this is no longer the case.

I applied in mid-July last year and have been approved pending an invite to a Citizenship ceremony.

In essence, while the core process is similar (filling out forms, providing documentation, meeting character requirements), the spouse route offers advantages in terms of the length and flexibility of the residency requirement and the geographic scope of residence (i.e. can include Northern Ireland for Spousal application), along with potentially faster processing.

At the end of the day, what ever route you choose, all you can do is prepare a proper & complete application to minimise processing times. Incorrect or missing documents will generate requests for further information and will delay you application. Good luck!