Irish Citizenship by Naturalisation

Hi all,

I have sent an Irish Citizenship application on the 13/2/2019 based on EEA which is 10 years residency, I have been waiting longer than 6 weeks for my passports to be returned as I have to travel to Liverpool very soon for my cousin graduation. I live in Northern Ireland, my mother received her Irish Citizenship last year and also has an Irish passport, basically my whole family has an Irish passports including my younger half siblings.

Can anyone tell how do I get in touch with the Irish Citizenship department? Because I have been trying to ring them but they always put on hold and ends the call so then I emailed 2 weeks before and still no response. Should I just use an FOI? What should I do?

I emailed them yesterday and got the reply within an hour. It is unusual but I would expect them to reply within 2 weeks. Did you ask them when the initial processing of the application will be complete, or did you simply request for your passport back?

Their phone line is off for the whole April. You need to write them a new email to request for your passport. Just say you need to travel urgently. Give them your tracking number as that is likely the only reference they have whilst your application is in initial processing.

Yeah i did, you see I have twice emailed them and still no response or is it that they have seen it and in process of looking for it then they'll email when they sent it by post?

I'm just patiently waiting but it's kind of frustrating at the same time, would there be any other option? Yeah I saw they're phone line are cut off as if they even answer anyways lol

Yeah their phone lines are a joke. In two occasions I kept calling from 10:00 to 12:30 non stop, and couldn't get through.

I'm afraid the only thing you can do is to wait. You can try to email them again and ask for an acknowledgement.

FOI is not applicable here as they haven't started processing your application. Besides, it will take up to 4 weeks to deal with an FOI, which will only slow your application down at this stage.

Yeah, it's so bad, Apprently they respond really quick around about January month, my friend who is also on the same road as I am has sent her application away aswell and she got passports back and letter asking for more information like on the same month.

I'm guessing they must've of been flooded with applications around about March so kind of understand why phone lines are cut and also due to the ceremonies and brexit all at once lol

My mother's Irish application process took almost nearly 2 years aswell but it was easy to get passports returned though.

I had the same situation this week. I sent a couple of emails 10 days ago and got no reply. In the end I sent a registered letter on Monday asking for my passport. It was returned the next day.

I assume this has stopped my application, but it was totally unclear from the letter enclosed with the passport. I will return my passport to INIS in a couple of weeks to ‘start’ the process again.

Hi, im the same as you are. may I ask what kind of emails do y'all all sent to them ? And how would you start of asking for acknowledgement letter?

I was in ceremonies last year aswell and met one of the successful applicants she said she got her certificate within 6 months but because she live down south and she got it through marriage and the couples only been married 3 months... Coudnt even speak English omg and I was thinking wtf??? Lol