Foreign Birth Registration

[SteveVA]

Apologies if it's been asked before, but do you receive an email acknowledging receipt of your FBR application after they receive it? I sent mine priority mail from the States and An Post's tracking confirms it was delivered (to the PO BOX), but I've heard nothing else. Granted, it's only been several days, but I'm curious.

Thanks.

[NicAnn]

You should receive an email achnowledging the receipt of your documents, but it can take a week or two. Don't hold your breath in between email updates as they have many applications and things can get lost in the shuffle. I'm sure you will hear something soon!

[NicAnn]

As this forum has been extremely helpful on this journey to Irish citizenship I wanted to share an update for those who are just beginning or maybe applying under similar circumstances as I. I applied with my four siblings, so 5 applications in total. My timeline flows as follows.

Online applications submitted: March 14, 2023
Documents Mailed: Mid April 2023
Documents received: May 30, 2023
Address confirmation email: February 8, 2024
Congratulations email: February 15, 2024

I anticipate I will receive my certificate and ducuments by the end of February or early March. I will then be applying for the passport.

Luckily we did not need to provide additional documents as I have noticed, this tends to slow the proccess down. Clearly, they are now able to process applications within a more reasonable timeframe and they are adhering to the timeframe listed on the site (8-9 months). From the date they received my documents to the date I recieved the congratulations email was 8.5 months. Thanks to everyone on this forum for sharing their stories and answering questions.

If I could give any newcomers advice it would be to be extremely organized when submitting your application and make sure your proof of ID will not be expiring any time soon. I saw a few people having issues due to an expired ID. Make sure the date of your signature and your witness's signature are the same. Finally just be patient. Good luck!

[GoingBackBackToEire]

Apologies if it's been asked before, but do you receive an email acknowledging receipt of your FBR application after they receive it? I sent mine priority mail from the States and An Post's tracking confirms it was delivered (to the PO BOX), but I've heard nothing else. Granted, it's only been several days, but I'm curious.

Thanks.

Most people do. (Some don't and it's unknown why not.)
On the Almighty Spreadsheet, estimated dates are highlighted in yellow.

It's normal for there to be a week or so between delivery and acknowledgment.

[SteveVA]

Ugh.

So I just mailed my application package two weeks ago and have yet to get confirmation of receipt, but today I learned my my family doctor witness is leaving the practice of medicine, as of the beginning of May. i.e., in two and a half months, likely well before they would reach out to contact him.

I assume I am good in terms of him being a doctor when he witnessed, but they will no longer be able to reach him at the contact info I provided as of May 1. The email account will bounce and I doubt the medical practice will provide his personal contact info to someone who calls. It's a large corporate practice that likely has policies against.

I am hoping I get confirmation of receipt of my application soon. After that point, I am hoping I can reach out, let them know this has happened and ask them to either:

a) contact him before May, or
b) contact him later with updated contact info I provide to them.

Any advice on the best way to move forward?

Thanks.

[Vadrar]

Ugh.

So I just mailed my application package two weeks ago and have yet to get confirmation of receipt, but today I learned my my family doctor witness is leaving the practice of medicine, as of the beginning of May. i.e., in two and a half months, likely well before they would reach out to contact him.

I assume I am good in terms of him being a doctor when he witnessed, but they will no longer be able to reach him at the contact info I provided as of May 1. The email account will bounce and I doubt the medical practice will provide his personal contact info to someone who calls. It's a large corporate practice that likely has policies against.

I am hoping I get confirmation of receipt of my application soon. After that point, I am hoping I can reach out, let them know this has happened and ask them to either:

a) contact him before May, or
b) contact him later with updated contact info I provide to them.

Any advice on the best way to move forward?

Thanks.

Is he switching practices or retiring? If retiring his registration will lapse and he won’t be a valid witness at the time of their checks. Other posts on this thread discuss witnesses being rejected because they weren’t current at time of check.

Your third option is when you get a reference number proactively sending documentation with an alternate witness and a note explaining. That would be my personal choice as the moment you require them to do something out of the ordinary you add 6 months or more to your processing time. I also wouldn’t make my application reliant on them taking compensatory action.

[SteveVA]

Well, I guess I'm screwed, because he's leaving the practice of Medicine, and pursuing a career in either Academia or Public Health. That's how it was put in the letter I received, so it seems like his future is up in the air. This guy is in his thirties, so I was completely blindsided here. And it really sucks that he agreed to witness for me two weeks ago without mentioning anything. He had read the related page on the FBR site and provided me with a business card and contact info for a practice I assume he knew he was leaving. Really odd, because he's such a nice guy.

Thanks for the insight on previous related instances, although I just don't see how that makes sense given they were in that field at the time they were a witness. That seems like a really poor excuse to deem a witness invalid. The guidance on the FBR site states the witness needs to be in that profession when they witness. It does not say they need to remain in that profession until the application is adjudicated. That seems like a very onerous given the length of time application review requires, and a policy that makes little sense.

[SteveVA]

By the way, do we know how often they contact witnesses for FBR applications? I've heard elsewhere it's fairly uncommon, although more common for passport applications.

I ask because I wonder if it's worth just rolling the dice and hoping they don't, as opposed to calling and bringing it to their attention.

[jb425]

Received my certificate today! I changed my name 12 years ago via deed poll which I submitted as part of my application, with ID etc. but where it says “full name” on the certificate they’ve put my original birth name which I obviously no longer go by. Can anyone confirm if this is normal?

[Mr_Knight]

Received my certificate today! I changed my name 12 years ago via deed poll which I submitted as part of my application, with ID etc. but where it says “full name” on the certificate they’ve put my original birth name which I obviously no longer go by. Can anyone confirm if this is normal?

Yes, unfortunately, the certificate name is as it is on your birth certificate.

[Thepixel]

I'm in the process of doing my FBR based on my grandparents being Irish. Just submitted online and going to arrange for a witness to be present for the rest of the stuff.

How long do they keep the documents for? As only wondering incase I need them between now and whenever I get my FBR certificate.

[chaz674]

Hi all
Does anyone know how long it takes once your application has been expedited? They received my documents at the end of November last year, and my partner found out she was pregnant at the end of December, so we waited until our first midwife appointment this month so we'd have something with my name on it as the father. I sent it over to them last week via the fbr.urgentqueries@dfa.ie email and they said they've forwarded it to the relevant section.
I saw on reddit that one user who was 2 months pregnant managed to get their application approved in less than 5 months last year - is this typical? Because the current wait time seems to be about 2 years and I'd obviously prefer if our child would be eligible for Irish citizenship too!

[IntravenousTea]

I'm in the process of doing my FBR based on my grandparents being Irish. Just submitted online and going to arrange for a witness to be present for the rest of the stuff.

How long do they keep the documents for? As only wondering incase I need them between now and whenever I get my FBR certificate.

In my opinion, I would think it very wise to make peace with your documents being out of your hands for 2 years. (That was my train of thought). It almost certainly won't come to that (based on current data), but better to worst-case-scenario it. (They should be sent back when they're done with them, is the short answer. )

Certificates: you could reorder/repurchase from appropriate bodies if it comes to it, allowing for some weeks; letters/proofs of address you can always ask for more by post; finally, any ID such as driver's licence or passport are signed/witnessed photocopies anyway.
So in theory, you shouldn't be found wanting, and if you do find yourself in need of one or more certificates for a situation, try to account for a month or 2 ahead (4-6 weeks) (again, worst case) and if so, order some fresh ones. But your forms of ID should be nice and safe with you still of course.

[NinthElement]

I got my congratulations email 7 days ago, but no tracking link or number (not even from Royal Mail if/when it reached their end). Quick question for UK people who received their FB certificate, did you actually need to sign for it or did the postman just push it through your letterbox?

Bit worried as I'm far away at the moment and no one else lives at my home, will absolutely travel back in the next week though if it looks like it will be a case of the post office returning it to sender if no one comes to sign for it within their 18-day time limit (was hoping I'd get a tracking link so I could divert it to my neighbour, but no luck there, and looks like most people here are receiving it 5-7 days after the congratulations email).

[Mr_Knight]

Quick question for UK people who received their FB certificate, did you actually need to sign for it or did the postman just push it through your letterbox?

If it fits through the letterbox it just gets posted. I havent "signed for" any post since 2020.

[flaggaz]

Finally got approval for my kids!

Online Application: Jun 12, 2022
Documents Received: Nov 14, 2022 (thank you US post office for the 5 month delay in shipping my documents!)
Request for additional documents (they didn't like my original witness): Sep 1, 2023
Address confirmation: Jan 31, 2024
Approval email: February 20, 2024

[jgclancy]

Finally got approval for my kids!

Online Application: Jun 12, 2022
Documents Received: Nov 14, 2022 (thank you US post office for the 5 month delay in shipping my documents!)
Request for additional documents (they didn't like my original witness): Sep 1, 2023
Address confirmation: Jan 31, 2024
Approval email: February 20, 2024

Congrats!!!!

jgclancy

[flaggaz]

Finally got approval for my kids!

Online Application: Jun 12, 2022
Documents Received: Nov 14, 2022 (thank you US post office for the 5 month delay in shipping my documents!)
Request for additional documents (they didn't like my original witness): Sep 1, 2023
Address confirmation: Jan 31, 2024
Approval email: February 20, 2024

Congrats!!!!

jgclancy

Thanks! Now on to the passport application...

[NinthElement]

Quick question for UK people who received their FB certificate, did you actually need to sign for it or did the postman just push it through your letterbox?

If it fits through the letterbox it just gets posted. I havent "signed for" any post since 2020.

Thanks for the response! I have a camera set up at my front window and I saw the postie waited nearly 2 minutes at my door the other day, so it's possible they wanted me to sign for something. I'm gonna take a trip back home early next week to be on the safe side.

[simonmaskell]

Thanks to everyone who has helped, I got my email approval email yesterday but there is no tracking number for the delivery of the certificate, not sure how to know when to be in the house to sign for it. I live in England, does the certificate need to be signed for and if so do you know which company will deliver it?

Here is my timeline below

Online Application: Jan 15, 2023
Documents Received: Jan 31, 2023
Request for additional documents (Accidently sent a photocopy of a doc): Oct 26, 2023
Address confirmation: Feb 12, 2024
Approval email: February 20, 2024

[huw-mungus]

UPDATE

I have switched the grandparent on which my FBR application is based from my paternal to maternal grandfather as the latter's documents are completely consistent, unlike the former's documents.

All of the documentation is consistent for this application aside from my mother's middle and maiden name changes between her birth and marriage certs. I am able to corroborate the maiden name change through my grandmother's 2nd marriage cert. However, I can't provide a document showing her middle name switch, but I know the why, when and where for this name change, if that makes sense.

I am thinking to provide a notarized affidavit of name change, in addition to the affidavit of parental estrangement. Is this overkill considering my mother list's my grandfather on her marriage cert, despite her name changes?

I thought I'd put the question to this forum before proceeding with the name affidavit.

[NinthElement]

Thanks to everyone who has helped, I got my email approval email yesterday but there is no tracking number for the delivery of the certificate, not sure how to know when to be in the house to sign for it. I live in England, does the certificate need to be signed for and if so do you know which company will deliver it?

Here is my timeline below

Online Application: Jan 15, 2023
Documents Received: Jan 31, 2023
Request for additional documents (Accidently sent a photocopy of a doc): Oct 26, 2023
Address confirmation: Feb 12, 2024
Approval email: February 20, 2024

Most likely it will be delivered by Royal Mail, I would guess on Monday judging by the date of your confirmation email. If you miss them they should put a card through your letterbox giving you some options. I'll be able to confirm next week when I return home, as I think they already tried to deliver mine earlier this week (Royal Mail will keep it for up to 17 days after the date of the initial delivery).

[mrnorman01]

Hiya, when people talk about 'documents received' is that confirmation from FBR themselves?

I've had my 'item delivered' confirmation from anpost.com but nothing from FBR officially?

[IntravenousTea]

Hiya, when people talk about 'documents received' is that confirmation from FBR themselves?

I've had my 'item delivered' confirmation from anpost.com but nothing from FBR officially?

Hi! In my case it was an e-mail titled something like "Application for FBR [your application number] received" from noreply(at)dfat.ie

Hopefully you get a message shortly, but if not I'd give the usual advice (check spam folder etc.) Anpost confirmed it arrived safely to them, so confirmation should be coming once they've opened it.

[coastal]

Wanted to provide dates for my application

August 2023 Application Received
January 2024 Inform FBR that I am an Expectant Parent
February 2024 Got notification of approval

Best of luck to all of you.